

GUNN Data Systems                                    **************************
1020 7th Avenue                                      *  SGT Services Manager  *
Castlegar , BC Canada                                *      Version 1.38b     *
V1N-1S4                                              **************************


Data Line :  (250)365-3693 [33.6k V34+/VFC]
FidoNet   :  1:229/606
WWW       :  http://www.quest-net.com/shotgun/
FTP       :  ftp.quest-net.com


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This file includes important information regarding the SGT Services Manager.
Please read this file in its entirety in order to be up to date on changes
that have been made to the software, as well as give you some instruction.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------

        o i386 class IBM or 100% compatible computer.

        o 580k Lower RAM. 3 MB XMS.

        o An IBM or Microsoft compatible mouse.

        o 2 MB free hard drive space.

            Our minimal test system is a 386sx-25, 581k Conventional RAM,
            3 MB XMS, Trident video adapter, running OS/2 Version 3.0.


SETTING UP THE SOFTWARE
-----------------------
The software is totally menu driven, and requires very little know-how in order
to set it up. You will need to check your modem's manual for settings for the
modem initialization strings.

YOUR INIT STRING ABSOLUTELY MUST ENABLE HARDWARE HANDSHAKING AND DISABLE
SOFTWARE HANDSHAKING!! This is done with the following:

        Most USR Modems - AT&H1&I0
        Most Others     - AT&K3

The one thing to note is that you can change the IRQ and port addresses for
your com port. Leave these values at '0' if you use a default com port
assignment. As well, some users experience errors because they select the wrong
serial device for their setup. If you have a fossil driver installed, then
remember to specify a fossil driver for your com port setting. DO NOT use
the UART setting, as it will cause transmission errors. One last thing to note
on modems and com port use is that you almost require a 16550 UART chip in your
modem (for internal modem users) or in your com card. Highspeed communications
do not operate correctly in a two packet environment without the use of a
16550. If your com port doesn't have one, they are very cheap to purchase and
install. Text based systems don't usually require such a chip, since the
communication is one way. Shotgun is a client/server application, and does
communications both ways simultaneously.

The executable program that you run from the command line is SGT.EXE. If the
program fails to load, there are three things you can check. 1] Does your
system have a Super VGA card? The SGT Services Manager requires a SVGA monitor
that can display in 256 colours in the 640x480 resolution. 2] How much RAM do
you have free on your system? By typing "MEM" followed by enter (at the DOS
prompt) you can check this. The Yapp executable requires 580k of conventional
RAM and 2 MB of XMS in order to function. 3] Do you have a mouse driver
installed? The SGT Services Manager requires a mouse.

THE SGT SERVICES MANAGER AND THE YAPP PROTOCOL REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF 580k
CONVENTIONAL RAM, AND 2 MB XMS MEMORY!! SEE YOUR MEMORY MANAGER'S MANUAL FOR
INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RAM, AND TO CONFIGURE YOUR
SYSTEM TO USE EXPANDED OR EXTENDED MEMORY. THE MORE EMS/XMS YOU PROVIDE, THE
BETTER THE SYSTEM WILL PERFORM.

The sysop may have included a file called SYSPACK.EXE, which is an archive of
his/her system resources. You do not need to do anything with this, as its
automatically placed in your resource directory.


MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR STARTUP FILES
-----------------------------------
In your CONFIG.SYS file:

FILES=25

The higher the value you use for the FILES statement, the more likely your
system will not have problems (if you have a low XMS system). If you find the
system hanging up once you are online, try raising the FILES statement to 50.

        OS/2 Users:
        Set your DOS full screen session to supply 8 MB of DPMI memory
        and set DPMI_DOS_API to "ENABLED". This will give you the most
        speed from your system.

        QEMM Users:
        Make sure the QDPMI is disabled before you run the software.

        Windows 95 Users:
        Run the software in a full screen session, and set the session
        to supply the software with 8 MB of XMS.


VIDEO MODES
-----------
Currently, the SGT Services Manager provides a facility for using the higher
resolution video modes found in most Super-VGA video cards. These video modes
include:

        640x480  - 256 Colour
        800x600  - 256 Colour
        1024x768 - 256 Colour

In order to use one of the video modes other than the 640x480 (which is the
default), you must configure the YAPP Video Mode in the SGT Configuration off
of the main menu. If you experience very small print on the system you are
calling, just use a lower resolution mode. The fonts of the system do not
scale themselves according to your video mode. If the sysop uses small type
faces for parts of their system, it can possibly be unreadable in higher
graphics modes. As well, larger graphics modes require more memory, so you
may want to reduce your video mode if you have a low memory system.


VIDEO PROBLEMS
--------------
If you can't get the software to start in graphics mode, ask the sysop of
the system you received this terminal about VESA drivers. He/she should have
an all purpose VESA driver you can use to cure this problem. Of course, the
software still requires a video adapter and monitor that is capable of
640x480 in 256 colours.


HANGUPS
-------
If you continually get hangups when getting to one window in particular on
a system, try DISABLING (in the dialing directory) Sound Blaster support.
SB sound creates problems on some revision levels of Windows95.

Other hangups are most likely due to software flow being enabled. Software
flow MUST be disabled!


FAX SUPPORT
-----------
The faxing services have been tested on a wide variety of fax modems, including
USR, Zoom, Zoltrix, Supra, Best Data and Cardinal modems. In all cases it was
found that the baud rate needed to be adjusted down to 19200. So, when sending
a fax, make sure you adjust the port speed in the configuration for 19200 BPS.
As well, make sure that you set your fax init string in the appropriate manner
for your modem. (see your modem docs for details) Some modems need to have
software handshaking turned on, while others don't. It may take some fiddling
to get the right fax init string for your particular brand of modem.


FAX COVER PAGE
--------------
There is a sample cover page located in the SGT directory, named COVER.TXT.
The cover page should be only one page in length. You can insert variables
into the cover page to represent various system data. These are:

  $D - Today's date in the format MM/DD/YY
  $I - Station ID (usually your phone number)
  $N - Total number of pages
  $P - Current page number
  $R - Recipient's name
  $F - Sender's (your) name
  $S - Title of the fax
  $T - The current time in the format HH:MMpm


ONE LAST NOTE
-------------
Remember, Shotgun Professional is a complete two client/server application that
supports approximately 15 different image formats, Sound Blaster audio (without
the use of drivers) and 35 different Super-VGA video cards directly (with the
ability to use a VESA driver for other cards). This is a large program, and
larger than you would expect to use for a text based system's terminal. We are
always working on reducing the memory requirements of the system to make it
easier on you, the end user. If you have any comments, please direct them to
the sysop of the system you are calling, or to us directly via netmail or
logging on to our support system. If we don't know its broken, we can't fix it!


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   SGT Services Manager and Shotgun Professional are copyright (C) 1994-1999
 GUNN Data Systems. All Rights Reserved. All other copyrights and company names
     used throughout this document are property of their respective owners.

   
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