Subj : Don't want to screw up!
To   : Angus Mcleod
From : Digital Man
Date : Sat Jan 01 2005 08:41 pm

  Re: Don't want to screw up!
  By: Angus Mcleod to Digital Man on Sat Jan 01 2005 11:04 pm

 > DM, I'm building a brand new SBBS from sbbs_src.tgz following the
 > instructions in sbbsunix.txt and I've reached step #5 (Configure the BBS)
 > which I have not started as yet.
 > 
 > Now, I don't want to lose all the messages in *this* instance of SBBS so I
 > want to copy the message bases on to the new instance of SBBS -- which
 > leads me to touch base to check on a few things:
 > 
 > 1) I don't want to flood the network with a couple hundred thousand dups!
 >    So when I copy the .sda/.sdt/.sha/.shd/.sid out of the old data/subs
 >    to the new data/subs, I want to copy data/qnet/VERT.ptr as well, right?
 >    Do I have to do anything else to prevent a dup-flood? 

The vert.ptr file will only be compatible with your new instance if you use the
exactly same "ptridx" values for the sub-boards in your ctrl/msgs.cnf file.
It's probabl best, if you're going to start with new configuration files, to
start with new data files too.

 > 2) By just copying the old files, do I fail to enjoy any new functionality
 >    that I maybe want to?  I know there are new indexing and dup-checking
 >    enhancements...  I'd like to use all the neato new features, but I've
 >    got a LOT of messages stored here and wouldn't like them to be lost.

Run "fixsmb" on your data/subs/*.shd and you'll get all the new features.

 > 3) I plan to just go into SCFG->Msg Areas->DOVE-Net->Export Areas and dump
 >    out an SUBS.TXT file from the old instance then import it into the
 >    new instance.  Do you see any reason not to take this short-cut to
 >    configuring my subs?

The default configuration files already include all the DOVE-Net sub-boards. I
can't think why you would need/want to export them from your old setup into the
new setup.

 > By the way, a couple quirks discovered so far.  In particular, after
 > downloading and un-tarring the sbbs_src.tgz I skipped ahead to step G. as
 > instructed, but I had to come back to steps E. and F. because sbbs_src.tgz
 > contained only the *freebsd* versions in lib/mozilla/{js|nspr}.
 > Confirm this with tar tzvf sbbs_src.tgz lib/mozilla on your end if you
 > like.  NBD, but you may consider updating sbbsunix.txt or maybe build
 > several versions of sbbs_src.tgz (perhaps maybe sbbs_src.linux.tgz,
 > sbbs_src.freebsd.tgz, etc?).

Yeah, I currently don't have a Linux system working with my file server and the
FreeBSD system kinda/sorta works, so it created the last test build for *nix
from here. I plan on fixing that shortly.

 > (Every now and again I get switched into super-inquisitive mode, and you
 > get a few days of intensely stupid questions on verious items of trivia
 > and general minutia.  Well...  I feel it coming on.)

Okay, I've been warned. :-)

                                                  digital man

Snapple "Real Fact" #135:
A single coffee tree produces only about a pound of coffee beans per year.

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