SUPERBBS TIP FILE
Len Morgan
QST BBS
P.O. Box 13965
Sacramento, Ca. 95853-3965
Fido Address: 1:203/730
BBS Phone: (916) 920-1288
This file contains most common mistakes when setting up SuperBBS. I
have tried to catagorize the problems for an easier time finding your
solution. I am constantly updating this file, so you may want to
periodically check for a new version.
While it my intention is to assist the user with as many hints as
possiible, there are no guarantees that these fixes are related to the
problem of all users. Each computer system may exibit different
problems associated with hardware and applcations. This is a list of
suggested solutions only.
INDEX
Fossil ................................................ 1
Batch file ............................................ 2
Modem ................................................. 3
Multinode ............................................. 4
SuperBBS .............................................. 5
Door .................................................. 6
1. FOSSIL PROBLEMS:
---------------
PROBLEM: BBS starts to load then gives a message of No fossil present,
then it ends.
SOLUTION: You must have a program loaded as a TSR (Terminate and Stay
Ready) that allows the bbs to communicate with your comport. This is
called a FOSSIL driver. Two common fossil drivers are X00 and BNU and
can be found on most bbs's.
PROBLEM: I run a HST modem, all my users get garbage when calling in
at 2400 baud and below.
SOLUTION: You are using a HST modem and you did not lock your baud
rate. This is the rate at which your computer and modem communicate and
is usually locked at 19,200 or 38,400 baud. You lock your baud rate
with a fossil driver. An example of a locked fossil driver on com 1
with X00 is: X00.EXE B,0,19200 E
SOLUTIION: One of your modem settings control the DTE and DCD rates.
These are the baud rates that your modem and computer talk and your
software and callers. Your passing the modem to computer baud rate
to the callers. Check your modem settings.
PROBLEM: My bbs won't load when a call comes in. The modem answers the
phone but the bbs won't load.
SOLUTION: You may have set up either your fossil or SuperBBS with an
incorrect port. When loading SuperBBS for com 2 you need to load it
with: BBS.EXE -P2 the port in X00 is designated as the second
parameter (X00.EXE B,1,19200 E).
2. BATCH FILE PROBLEMS:
-------------------
PROBLEM: My bbs loads, but when a user logs off it drops to dos.
SOLUTION: You are not loading your bbs with a batch file or you have an
incorrect batch and it is not looping back to reload the bbs. Use this
simple batch file if you don't have a mailer program loading before
SuperBBS. Place it in your SBBS directory and run it:
Echo off
:start
bbs.exe -P1 -E0
:afterbbs
if errorlevel 2 goto end
goto start
:end
Echo SuperBBS is down.....
PROBLEM: I run a mailer and it won't pass the baud rate to the bbs
correctly.
SOLUTION: While it is difficult to know all your mailer settings, you
will need to understand how your mailer passes the baud rate to your
bbs. SuperBBS can load several different ways including the user of
indiividual baud rates (-B300, -B1200, Etc.) or passing the baud rate to
a dobbs.bat file (-B%1), and depends on the method of batching your
using (SPAWNING or EXITING). Read the documents in the back of Sbbs
117 to learn about methods to know how to load baud rates.
PROBLEM: I run a mailer and SuperBBS loads, but when a user logs off it
won't reload the mailer.
SOLUTION: Your batch file isn't looping back to a starting point to
reload the mailer. If you use the spawning method, you need to reload
the mailer batch file. If your running the EXITING method see that it
returns to a label to start the batch file and reload the mailer. An
example would be:
echo off
:start-------<----<-----<--------
| |
cd\fd <--- |
fd.exe -->--------->---------- ^
| |
if errorlevel 200 goto 2400 <-> |
goto end | ^
| |
:2400 <----------------------- |
bbs.exe -B2400 -P1 -E0 ^
goto afterbbs --->-- |
| |
:afterbbss <----<--- ^
if errorlevel 3 goto mail |
goto start ----->---------->-----
PROBLEM: I can't receive callers at baud rates above 2400 and I run a
HST modem with a mailer program.
SOLUTION: You have the maximum baud rate in SuperBBS Config/Modem set
too low. Your maximum baud rate in SuperBBS should be your locked baud
rate.
SOLUTION: Your not passing the baud rate from your mailer to SuperBBS
properly. See the batch file examples in the back of 1.17 documents.
Check your mailer setup and make sure your setup properly to pass the
hiigher baud rates to your batch file.
3. MODEM PROBLEMS:
--------------
PROBLEM: SuperBBS won't init my modem. It tries many times then fails.
SOLUTION: You need to find the proper init string for your modem. File
request INITS.ARJ from QST and see if your modem is listed.
PROBLEM: I added a HST modem and now I get errors during high speed
transfers.
SOLUTION: You may be using an external modem and your I/O requires a
16550 Uart chip to buffer the high speed flow of data. You are loosing
data due to not having the buffers in your Uart chip. Check you I/O card
for either a 8250 or 16450 Uart chip (40 pin I.C.) and if you find it,
either the card or I.C. (if it unplugs) needs to be replaced with a
16550A, AN, or AFN Uart chip.
SOLUTIION: If you don't have a 16550 Uart chip, lower your locked baud
rate to 19,200 Bps until you can replace it.
SOLUTION: If loading DSZ in an external door, the command line, when
loading DSZ, needs to have the locked baud switch.
PROBLEM: My modem drops carrier after answering the phone.
SOLUTION: Most modems use the command &C1&D2 to control what the modem
does after answering. Check your DCD and DTE settings in your manual.
PROBLEM: SuperBBS hangs up on 2400 baud users.
SOLUTION: Check your config/modem and see what baud rate you specified
as your highest baud rate. You might have set it too low.
PROBLEM: I set the init string in my modem and use the ATZ in SBBS to
init the modem, however, it won't save my init string correctly.
SOLUTION: Use the AT&W command to save your init when done.
4. MULTINODE
PROBLEM: I keep getting the wrong download limits for users on lines.
SOLUTION: Your set command of SET SBBS=C:\SBBS sets the enviroment for
SuperBBS and causes it to look in that directory for the needed files.
You are leaving the FILES.BBS in the main directory and SuperBBS is
finding them with the set command and loading them without looking in
your line directory. Remove FILES.BBS, CONFIG.BBS, Etc. from the system
directory and have them in each line directory.
PROBLEM: I get the wrong menus for each line.
SOLUTION: If your menus differ for each line, you need to have a
duplicate set and put them in the MENUS1,2, Etc. directory. Then edit
them for each line and change the path in the config of SuperBBS.
PROBLEM: My menu editor changes the menus, but when I logon to a node
it isn't changed.
SOLUTION: Put your user editor in each line directory and load it from
there. Make sure your config.bbs is removed from the system directory,
and put in the line directory that the menu editor is loaded from.
PROBLEM: I keep getting corrupted files or loose my message base when
two users access it at the same time.
SOLUTION: Install SHARE.EXE. You are opening the message base by both
users and corrupting it.
PROBLEM: When my users line 2 access a game, they are getting names of
users on line 1 in the game.
SOLUTION: Load config/Other/On/Off and answer Yes to the question Create
DORINFO?.DEF. This will make a dorinfo1,1,2, etc. for each node.
PROBLEM: I can't get TopEd (Ansi Editor) to work.
SOLUTION: Configure TopEd for all your nodes.
SOLUTION: Make sure you have the Make dorinfo?.def set to yes in
config.bbs of each line directory and you are loading TopEd with the *N
switch from SuperBBS config.
PROBLEM: No matter what I do in the config, it loads the settings
wrong.
SOLUTION: Remove your config.bbs from the main directory and have the
config.bbs in each line directory, then load the bbs from the line
directory. Remember to remove ALL control files from the root or your
set command will look in the SBBS directory first and load what it finds
from there.
SOLUTION: Load BBS.EXE -N1, -N2, Etc., for each line directory from
your batch file. Make sure you create a different batch file for
each line you run.
SOLUTION: Make a seperate directory for each line and don't use the
SuperBBS directory for anymore callers.
PROBLEM: I can't get my internal file transfers to work.
SOLUTION: Obtain a copy of DSZ and put it into your SuperBBS directory
then ad this statment to you autoexec.bat file: SET
DSZLOG=C:\SBBS\DSZ.LOG, or whatever directory path you want to use for
it.
SOLUTION: Make sure you have the EXTPE.EXE in the SBBS directory.
PROBLEM: It won't run and gives a message of incorrect path to common
directory.
SOLUTION: In SuperBBS config/multinode there is a path for a common
directory, name it and create one.
5. SUPERBBS PROBLEMS:
-----------------
PROBLEM: I can't get SuperBBS to execute my events on the days I set
up.
SOLUTION: Make sure your using X's and Dashes. X's denote the days you
want it to execute.
PROBLEM: When I try to list files in a file area, SuperBBS tells me
that it can't find the files.bbs, but I have one in the directory.
SOLUTION: Check your directory path to each file area in Config/Files.
Make sure you do not put the FILES.BBS after the pathway, it is assumed.
PROBLEM: SuperBBS can't find my message base or user files.
SOLUTION: In your autoexec.bat file, put SET SBBS=C:\SBBS, or whatever
drive and path you are using for your system directory.
PROBLEM: My users upload a .REP packet for QWK offline reader and after
transfer SuperBBS says ".PKT not found".
SOLUTION: Your packet is arriving, however, your archive program isn't
working to extract the .PKT message package inside. Check your
archivers and make sure they are in your path statment.
PROBLEM: Users start a download and then it aborts.
SOLUTION: You may be running out of memory. Turn on the swapping
option in config. Make sure you have buffers=20 files=20 in config.sys
or add some more memory.
PROBLEM: All my users are getting the same time limit and it isn't
right.
SOLUTION: Check that you defined the users time limit in LIMITS.BBS by
user level.
PROBLEM: Scan.exe isn't working.
SOLUTION: Sbbs has a problem handling McAfee's Scan. Remove it from
the Config and leave it blank. Put your latest copy of Scan.exe in a
directory that is in your path or in the SuperBBS directory. Make sure
you update the file on each change, because it will hang up with a
notice that you might be using a old version of Scan and asking if you
want to continue.
PROBLEM: I moved my OVRSBBS.OVR to another directory and now I get an
overlay error -2.
SOLUTION: Specify the path to the overlay with it's name, in
autoexec.bat. SET SBBSOVR=C:\OVERLAY\OVRSBBS.OVR or whatever drive and
directory you prefer.
PROBLEM: I only want my users to use the english language but SBBS
won't find it.
SOLUTION: Make a file called LANGUAGE.CTL and on the first line put
ENGLISH.LNG. Make sure you have both of these files in the SuperBBS
directory.
SOLUTION: Load Lconfig and define the name of the language file your
using at the bottom of the first screen.
SOLUTION: You don't have the DEFAULT.LNG in the system directory for
that line.
PROBLEM: My lastread pointers don't work.
SOLUTION: You may have converted from another bbs program and your
users all have a lastread count higher than your lastread.bbs file.
Delete the lastread.bbs and if possible reset all users lastread counter
to zero. They will have to begin over, but it will track properly.
There are programs that allow you to reset fields globally in the SuperBBS
user file.
SOLUTION: Your users are setting their lastread counters higher than
the last message number.
SOLUTION: You may be renumbering the messages with your message base
utility and not resetting the users.bbs file.
SOLUTION: Make sure your message base is in the SuperBBS directory.
PROBLEM: I have a CD-ROM and SuperBBS takes forever finding flagged
files.
SOLUTION: This is a problem with versions prior to v1.18. Upgrade or
use ACfiles to handle CD-ROM's.
SOLUTION: Discontinue the user of download counters.
PROBLEM: My computer locks up after a download.
SOLUTION: There is a problem with some computers when using the
download brackets [] and removing their use will solve the problem.
PROBLEM: SuperBBS can't find my message base or user files.
SOLUTION: You didn't put the set command in your autoexec.bat file. Put
ths statment in the autoexec.bat file: SET SBBS=C:\SBBS or whatever
drive and path you prefer.
SOLUTION: Put your message base files (MSGTEXT.BBS, MSGINFO.BBS,
MSGHDR.BBS) in the SBBS directory.
PROBLEM: SuperBBS won't show my usage graph properly.
SOLUTION: This has been a problem with recent versions of Sbbs and
should be fixed in v1.18. Persistancy has payed off however, deleting
the timelog.bbs file and allowing it to rebuilt will sometimes cause it
to work properly.
6. DOORS
-----
PROBLEM: When runnning a Bi-Modem protocol like HSLink, and a user uploads
at the same time they download, it puts the upload in the wrong directory.
SOLUTION: This is not a problem, so much, with SuperBBS, but more of a
problem with the third party software not fitting it to SuperBBS. A
work around would be to use DSZ2ICOM to load just before the Bi-Modem
protocol. It will direct to upload the the proper directory before
beginning the transfer.
SOLUTION: Have one directory for all uploads, then sort and toss them
manually at a later date.
PROBLEM: I'm running an external protocol door and a HST modem. I get
slow CPS transfer rates and errors when some one uses it.
SOLUTION: When running a protocol like DSZ, you must use hand shaking
and speed settings. Try loading the DSZ protocol like this; DSZ port %P
speed 19200 ha both est 0 %b sz %F. The "speed" will depend on if your
using a 16550 Uart chip or not. Locking your comport at 38400 may
require a 16550 Uart. The variables of %P, %F will depend on the door
your using to load DSZ and may change with the door program, they load
the port and file to be transfered. The "sz" if for send and "rz" for
receive. Xmodem and Ymodem DSZ are loaded in a simular fashion.
PROBLEM: When a user loads a game, I run out of memory.
SOLUTION: Use the *S command after the batch file name to swap SuperBBS
out to memory.
PROBLEM: I run a HST modem and my bbs works fine, but when a user loads
a game all they see is garbage. It looks fine on my end.
SOLUTION: The game door your using doesn't check the comport to get the
users baud rate and it is passing the locked baud rate to the user.
Complain to the author or install a program to unlock the baud rate
before loading the game, then lock it back after done.
PROBLEM: I'm running a door for RA and it uses the dorinfo1.def and my
user base is getting corrupted.
SOLUTION: Discontinue using the door or convert it over with Door
Master. It is a different structure then SuperBBS.
PROBLEM: I need to run a door from another bbs on SuperBBS and it
doesn't use the same dorinfo1.def, it uses another type.
SOLUTION: Use Door Master to convert the Dorinfo1.def to the bbs type
the program was written for.
PROBLEM: I need a remote user editor so I can manage my message base
remotely.
SOLUTION: Use Doorway. It allows you to run a program that isn't
supposed to be sent over the modem. This way, you can use the SuperBBS
SBBSUSER.EXE remotely.
PROBLEM: What do I use to load Bluewave from the Config/door.
SOLUTION: *C /c C:\BLUE\BLUE.BAT BW *N *P *S *MQ *E, change the path and
name to suit your setup. Be sure to make the batch file. :-)
PROBLEM: I can't load a batch file within the config/doors.
SOLUTION: In order to load a batch file in doors you must use the
command *C /c then the path and name of your batch file. You must also
have the statment in your autoexec.bat file SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM.
PROBLEM: When a door loads, it won't pass parameters like time
remaining, graphics, etc..
SOLUTION: You didn't use the paramters of *F *L *B *G *T *S *E after
the batch file name. They set the users first, last, baud, graphics,
time remaining, swap to dos, reset users info from exitinfo.bbs file.
PROBLEM: SuperBBS loads my program, but it won't show up on the users
end.
SOLUTION: The program may not be written to detect the comport and you
may need to use GATEWAY to direct it.
SOLUTION: The program is not written to be used on a bbs as a door.
PROBLEM: When my door loads it is asking for a file I don't have.
SOLUTION: It is written for another bbs program like PCboard and you
need a program to convert the dorinfo?.def from the drop file it uses.
Find a copy of Door Master.
Your assistance is appreciated in adding any problems that are not
covered. Please be sure to send me your problem/solution for updating
this file.
CHECK LIST
Many problems with installing or running SuperBBS are operator error
when installing the software. Here are some things to check.
AUTOEXEC.BAT:
SET SBBS=C:\SBBS or whatever path and directory name you prefer to
your system directory.
SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM to set dos to handle batch files.
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;\C:\SBBS to set the pathways for directories you will
need in Sbbs.
CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS to load ansi.
DEVICE=C:\DOS\X00 E to load the fossil driver. More is needed for HST
operation.
BUFFERS=20
FILES=20
SUPERBBS:
Keep your user files and message base in the SBBS directory.
Load Config and enter all information correctly. Avoid any "Multi-line"
settings and directories unless you go multi-line.
Load Lconfig and check your pathways to the system directory, menus, and
textfile directories. Don't forget to specify the language file your
using and make sure it is in the system directory.
Create a batch file that reloads the bbs after a user logs off. See
examples in the back of 1.17 documents.
You will need to experiment with modem settings in Config/Modem to get
your modem to init. If you have problems, file request INITS.ARJ from
QST and see if your modem settings are in there. If not, contact a
support site or SuperBBS echo and ask for a working setting for a
"Standalone" bbs for you modem model and type.
NOTES:
Most users don't give us enough of the problem to solve it. Be very
exact on what is happening and when. What kind of equipment your
running and when possble your autoexec.bat, config.sys, config.bbs, and
all batch files you use.