DOVE-Net Introduction and Instructions 12/08/00, Updated 11/14/02 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Q. What is DOVE-Net? A. DOVE-Net is a message network connecting numerous BBSes and the users on those BBSes together through QWK and Fido networking technologies. DOVE-Net consists of primarily Synchronet {tm} BBSes. This is due to the fact that the co-founders of DOVE-Net are also the developers of Synchronet BBS software. DOVE-Net is not limited to one specific BBS package and welcomes any QWK or Fido network compatible BBS to join as long as their software of choice does not interfere with the operation of the network in any way. Q. Why the name DOVE-Net? A. Two BBSes began DOVE-Net back in 1989. These BBSes were Vertrauen (Home of Synchronet BBS Software) and The Beast's Domain (Home of Domain Entertainment BBS Add-ons). The word DOVE came from DOmain VErtrauen, much like the word MODEM came from MOdulator DEModulator. It has nothing to do with that species of bird or the symbolism of peace, but we have nothing against those things either. It was a small network that needed a small name. Q. What is the focus of DOVE-Net? A. Connecting BBS sysops and users without a lot of politics and red tape. DOVE-Net requires no "application processing time" or "node numbers" to be assigned. While the capabilities of DOVE-Net rival those of more technically complex networks, it has none of the setup complexities as reflected by the fact that many of the systems on DOVE-Net are managed by first-time sysops. DOVE-Net allows (or rather encourages) the use of color codes in messages (preferably using the Synchronet Ctrl-A standard, but Wildcat, PCBoard, Celerity, Renegade, and WWIV color codes are also supported in Synchronet BBS software and may also be used). DOVE-Net allows the use of aliases, ANSI encoded messages (when necessary for animation) and use of high-ASCII characters. There are no strict "hubbing" rules; pretty much anyone that's willing to feed anyone else is encouraged to do so. DOVE-Net is moderated only by the founders of the network so there aren't different rules for different message areas that users need to remember. Private messages are allowed, but when possible, routed NetMail is preferred. DOVE-Net has very few rules, and the few that do exist are often bent. Instructions ============ Step 1: Choose a QWK-ID ----------------------- If you're using Synchronet BBS Software, your BBS's QWK-ID is configured in SCFG->Message Options->BBS ID for QWK Packets. SCFG is the Synchronet Configuration Utility accessible by running exec/scfg or using the BBS->Configure menu option in the Synchronet Control Panel (Win32 only). Your QWK-ID should be an abbreviation of your BBS name or have some other personal significance, and must be unique among others on DOVE-Net (see NODES.DAT included in DOVE-NET.ZIP to verify the uniqueness of your QWK-ID). QWK-IDs are limited to a maximum of eight characters in length, may only contain valid DOS filename characters, and MUST begin with an alphabetic character. QWK-IDs are not case sensitive. Step 2: Create a QWKnet Account ------------------------------- Assuming you will be using Vertrauen BBS as your hub, you will need to logon as "New" at telnet://vert.synchro.net and create your QWKnet account using your BBS's QWK-ID as the user name (even if you already have a regular user account there). You must answer (Y)es to the following new user question: "Is this account to be used for QWK Networking (DOVE-Net)?" Remember the password you used to create this account, you'll need it later. It is important that you do NOT use a regular user account for QWK packet transfers. Note: You can optionally use one of the other Vertrauen servers (rob.synchro.net or cvs.synchro.net) if you wish. They all share the same BBS databases. Step 3: Configure Your BBS Software ----------------------------------- If you are using Synchronet BBS Software Version 3.1 or later, skip ahead to "Using the Baja FTP Client...". Synchronet BBS Software for Win32 v3.00 comes pre-configured for DOVE-Net using the Windows command-line FTP client application to transfer packets with Vetrauen (vert.synchro.net). All you need to do is follow the instructions in the pre-installed file: EXEC\VERT.BAT. *** FTP Caveat *** Normal FTP transfers require a separate data session back to your system. This is normally handled automatically by the FTP software, but if your system is behind a firewall, proxy server, or other gateway that does not support normal (non-passive) FTP sessions, the FTP file transfers will fail. You will need to either enable normal FTP support in your gateway system, switch to a different FTP client application (e.g. WS_FTP) that supports passive (PASV) mode, or use a scripted telnet client as an alternative method of transferring packets. If you're a Synchronet sysop using an older version of Synchronet, consult the step-by-step instructions in the QWK networking chapter of your sysop manual, but use the updated conference numbers at the end of this document. Additionally, if you're going to use Vertrauen (VERT) as your hub, then you'll need to connect using a scripted Telnet or FTP client (details follow). Using a Scripted Telnet Client for QWKnet Transfers --------------------------------------------------- Any Telnet client that supports scripting should work. I've included a script for ZOC (Telnet client for Windows and OS/2) written by PistolGrip (sysop@wasteland.darktech.org). This script and instructions on how to use it are included in ZOCQWK11.ZIP. Using a Scripted FTP Client for QWKnet Transfers ------------------------------------------------ Your hub must be running a Synchronet v3 FTP Server for you to use FTP for QWKnet transfers. If you're using Vertrauen as your hub, the FTP address is ftp://vert.synchro.net. To use the command-line FTP client that comes with Windows, follow these steps (ignore these instructions if you've installed Synchronet v3.00b or later): 1. Edit the enclosed VERT.BAT file to reflect the correct location of your Synchronet DATA directory. If you using a hub other than Vertrauen, change the filenames to reflect your hub's QWK ID. 2. Edit the enclosed VERT.FTP file to reflect your system's QWK ID, the password you used for your QWKnet account, and the correct location of your Synchronet DATA directory. 3. Copy VERT.BAT and VERT.FTP to your Synchronet EXEC directory. 4. Change your QWKnet call-out command line to "%!VERT.BAT". Using the Baja FTP Client for QWKnet Transfers (Requires Synchronet v3.1+) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the preferred method of QWKnet packet transfers. 1. Make sure you have the file QNET-FTP.BIN in your EXEC directory. 2. Change the QWKnet call-out command line (in SCFG->Networks->QWK->Hubs->VERT) to "*QNET-FTP VERT vert.synchro.net YOURPASS" but replace YOURPASS with the password you used when creating your QWKnet account on Vertrauen. Terminology (as used in this document) -------------------------------------- Hub: A BBS that feeds another BBS messages for a message network Node: A BBS that calls another BBS to exchange messages for a network A BBS can be (and most often is) either "both a node and a hub" or "only a node", if you're joining DOVE-Net for the first time, then your system will be "only a node". QWK: Message packet format used for off-line mail readers QWKnet: Message networking technology using QWK packets Fido: Message networking technology based on Fido BBS software FidoNet: The single largest amateur message network on Earth {tm} Echo: Message area that is connected to multiple BBSes via message network NetMail: Private message between one user and another not stored in a topical message area (echo), similar in princicple to Internet e-mail SMB: Synchronet Message Base format, download SMB_*.ZIP from Vertrauen for technical specification and C library QWK Technical Notes ------------------- Non-Synchronet systems importing DOVE-Net messages may notice some things about the messages which are different from other BBS packages. The first line of each message may contain "@VIA:" and a list of DOVE-Net BBS ID's the message has passed through, each separated by a slash character. This line is used to automatically create and maintain the Synchronet ROUTE.DAT "map" file as well as detect circular message paths (dupe loops). The first or second line of each message may contain "@TZ:" and a four character hexadecimal number. This is the time zone (as defined in the SMB specification) of the BBS that the message was originally posted on. These Synchronet-specific QWK features can be disabled from the online QWK: menu. Note, if Ctrl-A codes are enabled, the @VIA/@TZ lines are automatically enabled for QWKnet nodes as well. So to disable the @VIA/@TZ lines, you must also disable (strip) Ctrl-A codes. Messages exported from Synchronet may also contain Synchronet Ctrl-A color codes. These can be disabled for any hubs you're calling in SCFG (Synchronet Configuration Program) or if the other BBS is calling you, then they can disable them by sending a message to "SBBS" with a title of "CTRL-A STRIP". The following control messages are supported by Synchronet for QWK networking. The message must be posted to "SBBS" from the node BBS: Subj: DROP [conf#] Note: Drop current conference (or specified conference #) from future packets Subj: ADD [ptr | -msgs | mm/dd/yy] Note: Add current conference to future packets and optionally set message ptr Subj: RESET [ptr | -msgs | mm/dd/yy] Note: Set message pointer for current conference, - indicates offset from last Subj: RESETALL [ptr | -msgs | mm/dd/yy] Note: Set message pointers for all conferences Subj: FREQ Note: File Request from file transfer database (not attachments) Subj: FILES [ON | OFF | mm/dd/yy] Note: Include files list in packet and/or specify new-scan date Subj: ATTACH [ON | OFF] Note: Include file attachments in packet automatically (e-mail only) Subj: CTRL-A [KEEP | EXPAND | STRIP] Note: Ctrl-A color/attribute codes - leave-in, expand to ANSI, or remove Subj: TZ [ON | OFF] Note: Include time-zone (@TZ) lines in exported messages Subj: VIA [ON | OFF] Note: Include path (@VIA) lines in exported messages Subj: MSGID [ON | OFF] Note: Include @MSGID and @REPLY lines in exported messages Subj: NDX [ON | OFF] Note: Include index (.NDX) files Subj: CONTROL [ON | OFF] Note: Include extraneous control files (CONTROL.DAT, DOOR.ID, NETFLAGS.DAT) DOVE-Net QWK Conference Numbers on Vertrauen ============================================ Conf Name Access Requirements ---- -------------------------------------- ------------------- 2001 General 2002 Advertisements 2003 Entertainment 2004 Debate 2005 Hardware/Software Help 2006 Programming 2009 Unix Discussion 2015 HAM Radio Operators 2016 Internet Discussion 2017 Pro-Audio Discussion 2018 Firearms Discussion 2019 Sports Discussion 2007 Synchronet Discussion 2008 Synchronet Sysops Only LEVEL 90 OR REST Q 2011 Synchronet Programming (Baja) 2014 Synchronet Programming (non-Baja) 2013 Synchronet Data LEVEL 90 OR REST Q 2010 DOVE-Net Sysops Only LEVEL 90 OR REST Q Gateways -------- You *must* not gate DOVE-Net conferences to any other network without explicit, prior permission. The following DOVE-Net conferences are already gated to other networks: Synchronet Discussion <=> alt.bbs.synchronet USENET newsgroup Synchronet Discussion <=> SYNCHRONET echo on the FidoNet Zone 1 Backbone Synchronet Sysops Only <=> SYNC_SYSOPS echo on the FidoNet Zone 1 Backbone Synchronet Programming <=> SYNC_PROGRAMMING echo on the FidoNet Zone 1 Backbone Synchronet Data <=> SYNCDATA echo on the FidoNet Zone 1 Backbone Contact Information ------------------- Vertrauen: telnet/ftp/nntp/gopher/finger: vert.synchro.net backup servers: rob.synchro.net and cvs.synchro.net Co-founder: rob@synchro.net /* End of DOVE-NET.TXT */ .