BBS for SDX

[Android8675]

I have the code for bb65, which must run under SDX, here:

 

http://github.com/tschak909/ataribbs

 

I want to actually redo the whole thing, to be just different executables that run along a common spine, as it does not need to be in memory all the time. The main reason I haven't continued work on it, is because I do not know how I could realistically make it a multi-user BBS. If anyone has a trick that can work with emulated Ataris, let me know.

 

I provide the code as a basis that others can work on, maybe collaborate with... but it is, to my knowledge, the ONLY BBS that requires SDX, as it relies very heavily on linear byte oriented access of index and messaging files, for example.

 

-Thom

 

I think you should focus on a single user experience, or make it so you need one machine (or emulater) per user and have a shared file location to make a multiuser experience. You could even have a system you connect too that passes users to a free BBS system, that way people can wait in a virtual queue until a system becomes available.

 

Making a multiuser system though... that sounds difficult at best.

 

I think I still have a bb65 build somewhere, but last I checked it wasn't working.

 

-A.

[tschak909]

Yeah, I know. I ran into issues trying to keep it all in memory. I will come back to it at some point, but I need desperately to work on my main project (LinuxMCE) for now.

 

-Thom

[+bf2k+]

While a multi-user BBS is certainly an interesting idea, my BBS has been online via internet since 1999 and I am pretty sure I average less than 1 caller per day. Usage is sporadic at best. I guess I don't see the need for it.

 

But of course that is my $0.02

[Marius]

While a multi-user BBS is certainly an interesting idea, my BBS has been online via internet since 1999 and I am pretty sure I average less than 1 caller per day. Usage is sporadic at best. I guess I don't see the need for it.

 

But of course that is my $0.02

 

I agree, although I have run a multi user BBS... It was terrible. It did not work very well, and all kind of new issues that I did not know they exist, suddenly showed up. Never again!

 

The only thing I would like to improve with single line BBS with Lantronix, or the way you have it, is that when the bbs is occupied a 'caller' would get a busy message. Now the connection can not be made, so it seems the bbs is dead (there is for the 'caller' no difference between bbs is down, or bbs is busy). That was a benefit of multi-line BBS that a visitor could try the other line.

 

When you use a PC as a 'modem emulator' like Thunderdome has and yyzbbs (or is it that other 8bitguild?) with APE modem, then you'll get the nice busy message if the bbs can't be reached. (Although I think that in case of problem this program also reports that bbs may be busy lol)

[Fox-1 / mnx]

 

(Although I think that in case of problem this program also reports that bbs may be busy lol)

It echoes a "busy" at the times the BBS is off-hook for whatever reason. That is when someone else is logged on but also when it's doing it's events.

 

If no ATA / ATH1 command was sent to the conversion tool and the BBS doesn't answer for whatever reason a user can't connect either but it won't (shouldn't) echo a "busy" but a "no answer"-like string.

 

In short, as long as the emulated modem tool is online it returns a status message. The only issues are the short amounts of time in the middle of an ATH0 / ATH1 transition. That's 2 seconds the online status, or the ability to answer a call, is not clear and can result in an inaccurate returned status.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Fox-1 / mnx

[Kyle22]

 

. . . The only thing I would like to improve with single line BBS with Lantronix, or the way you have it, is that when the bbs is occupied a 'caller' would get a busy message. Now the connection can not be made, so it seems the bbs is dead (there is for the 'caller' no difference between bbs is down, or bbs is busy). . .

 

Maybe someone could hack the LANTronix firmware to make it say BUSY. IIRC, it has an x86 inside.

[Tillek]

I would love that. I tried using BBS server and TCPSer and had problems with my BBS. I had to go back to the Lantronix. The lack of a busy signal is the only thing I don't like about it.

 

I at least got the BBS to tell the website what its status was, but thats a pain to have to check to see if there is a problem or if someone is online.

[_The Doctor__]

sad fact the files on the lantronix site weren't there the last time I looked.... but I didn't kill myself to do so...

there was a mod to add dns to the uds 10 and 100 and I could have sworn it already allowed you to set at least one busy response word to the outside world.... I really stopped when I realized I wasn't going to be permitted the honor of re launching my bbs's even though it was purchased years ago and we even paid the 5 dollar transfer fees... Can you say bbs express and express pro..... nice job recording the transfers... pfffffft.... and it looks like the someone doesn't even know how to code a node these days..... pfffft again...

Edited February 1, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[Kyle22]

Doc, do you have any info about those LanTronix DNS and Busy mods?

[_The Doctor__]

it was in the developer section along with flashing structure etc... that was where I learned to reflash the mss and others to be whatever I wanted them to be... they all were basically the same hardware with different firmware running them... but I bet you already knew that...

Edited February 1, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[_The Doctor__]

I had to set the busy up through serial and not java btw you will have to downgrade to very insecure old version of java and other such nonsense to get along with the older lantronix modules. Try anything new and it won't co operate.... maybe an archive site managed to capture the files or maybe they are still there I just can't locate em but I will say the dns worked for most names but had a problem with a certain name constraint... as it slowly comes to me....

 

it also let you set a terminal name

so when you connected it said the terminal name string before the serial port device responded

 

another thing that can be used with a bbs is auto config... not suppose to exist but does... here is the work around

 

As of this writing, there is no configuration utility to save your UDS-10 configuration. You can, however, save your configuration using the "Monitor Mode" feature.
Here is the Procedure:
From Telnet:
1. Telnet to the Port 9999 of the UDS-10.
From a Windows PC, you would do this by going to a Command prompt and typing:
telnet xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 9999 (replace the x's with the IP address of the UDS-10)

2. When you connect to the device, you will be prompted to "Hit Enter" to get to the setup screen. Do not hit enter here. Instead, hit SHIFT+M to go into "Monitor Mode"

3. At the prompt, type GC and hit enter (Must be in caps). This command dumps the configuration to the screen in Hex format.

4. Open a text editor (like Notepad) and Cut and paste the Hex data into it. Save the file.


To restore the configuration to the UDS-10, type SC while in Monitor Mode. Then copy and paste the saved configuration from your text file to the "Monitor Mode" screen.


You can also get to "Monitor Mode" from the serial port.
Here is the procedure:
1. Connect a standard Modem Cable from your PC's serial port to the UDS-10's serial port

2. Open Hyperterm (or another Communications application) and connect to the Com port that the UDS-10 is connected to. Set the serial port parameters in your communications program to:
9600 Baud
8 Character bits
Parity None
1 Stop bit
Flow control None

3. Type and repeat the key sequence xx1 on your keyboard and plug in the UDS-10 (make sure your CAPS Lock is off). When the it boots up and sees the xx1, you will be taken into monitor mode.

 

you can see how this could be used by a bbs to autoconfig a uds single or dual port or an older cobox for that matter

Edited February 1, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[_The Doctor__]

now if we can't find what we need. we could us monitor mode at hang up and send a config so it responds with terminal name saying performing maintenance or ending previous call or eating donuts for that matter

Monitor Mode Commands
The following commands are available in Monitor Mode. Many commands have an IP address as an optional parameter (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). If you enter the IP address, the command is applied to another unit with that IP address. If you do not enter the IP address, the command is executed locally.

Note: All commands must be in capital letters. Responses to some of the commands are in Hex format.

Command

Command Name

Function

VS x.x.x.x

Version

Queries software header record (16 bytes) of unit with IP address x.x.x.x.

GC x.x.x.x

Get Configuration

Gets configuration of unit with IP address x.x.x.x as hex records (120 bytes).

SC x.x.x.x

Send Configuration

Sets configuration of unit with IP address x.x.x.x from hex records.

PI x.x.x.x

Ping

Pings unit with IP address x.x.x.x to check device status.

AT

ARP Table

Shows the unit's ARP table entries.

TT

TCP Connection Table

Shows all incoming and outgoing TCP connections.

NC

Network Connection

Shows the unit's IP configuration.

RS

Reset

Resets the unit's power.

QU

Quit

Exits diagnostics mode.

G0, G1,....,Ge, Gf

Get configuration from memory page

Gets a memory page of configuration information from the device.

S0, S1,...,Se, Sf

Set configuration to memory page

Sets a memory page of configuration information on the device.

GM

Get MAC address

Shows the unit's 6-byte MAC address.

SS

Set Security record

Sets the Security record without the encryption key and length parameters. The entire record must still be written but the encryption-specific bytes do not need to be provided (they can be null since they are not overwritten).

SA

Scan (Wibox, Wiport and Matchport b/g only)

Initiates a wireless scan if the wireless interface is enabled. Reports any stations found, including BSSID, SSID, and RSSI. If SA is followed by a string, the string is used to filter SSIDs before reporting. If the BSS does not broadcast its SSID,only the BSSID and RSSI are returned.

NS

Network Status (Wibox, Wiport and Matchport b/g only)

Reports the network interfaces' statuses. Includes potentially negotiated parameters like speed/duplex for Ethernet or BSSID, encryption, authentication for wireless interfaces.

co

Set IP address, host bits, gateway, and DNS server IP (Wibox, Wiport and Matchport b/g only)

Example: co 192.168.0.10 8 192.168.0.1 10001 with

192.168.0.10 = IP address of the MatchPort

8 = number of host bits

192.168.0.1 = gateway IP address

10001 = port number of the MatchPort

192.168.1.10 = IP address of the

DNS

Server

The MatchPort stores the setup and performs a reset. It sends an X before the reset if the command was OK.

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[_The Doctor__]

I couldn't get my table to stay formatted in the editor on AA I am certain there was a way......

[+Stephen]

I couldn't get my table to stay formatted in the editor on AA I am certain there was a way......

Surround it with [ code ] [ /code ] blocks (without the spaces, and it gives you a mono-spaced font. See below:

 

1    2    3    4
a    b    c    d

[_The Doctor__]

this was sheer misery, i had to strip everything convert to text reformat and post as codebox text.... not really a table at all... I hope it is found useable....

Monitor Mode Commands

The following commands are available in Monitor Mode. Many commands have an IP address as an optional parameter (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). If you enter the IP address, the command is applied to another unit with that IP address. If you do not enter the IP address, the command is executed locally.



Note: All commands must be in capital letters. Responses to some of the commands are in Hex format.
Command     Command Name               Function
VS x.x.x.x  Version                    Queries software header record (16 bytes) of unit with IP address x.x.x.x.
GC x.x.x.x  Get Configuration          Gets configuration of unit with IP address x.x.x.x as hex records (120 bytes).
SC x.x.x.x  Send Configuration         Sets configuration of unit with IP address x.x.x.x from hex records.
PI x.x.x.x  Ping                       Pings unit with IP address x.x.x.x to check device status.
AT          ARP Table                  Shows the unit's ARP table entries.
TT          TCP Connection Table       Shows all incoming and outgoing TCP connections.
NC          Network Connection         Shows the unit's IP configuration.
RS          Reset                      Resets the unit's power.
QU          Quit                       Exits diagnostics mode.
G0, G1,..   Get config from memry pg   Gets a memory page of configuration information from the device.
..,Ge, Gf   Get config from memry pg   Gets a memory page of configuration information from the device.
S0, S1,..   Set config to memory page  Sets a memory page of configuration information on the device.
.,Se, Sf    Set config to memory page  Sets a memory page of configuration information on the device.
GM          Get MAC address            Shows the unit's 6-byte MAC address.
SS          Set Security record        Sets the Security record without the encryption key and length parameters. The entire record must still be written but the encryption-specific bytes do not need to be provided (they can be null since they are not overwritten).
SA          Scan (Wibox,Wiport,Matchport b/g)       Initiates a wireless scan if the wireless interface is enabled. Reports any stations found, including BSSID, SSID, and RSSI. If SA is followed by a string, the string is used to filter SSIDs before reporting. If the BSS does not broadcast its SSID,only the BSSID and RSSI are returned.
NS          Network Status (Wibx,Wiprt,Matchprtb/g) Reports the network interfaces' statuses. Includes potentially negotiated parameters like speed/duplex for Ethernet or BSSID, encryption, authentication for wireless interfaces.

co          co setup                   Set IP address, host bits, gateway, and DNS server IP (Wibox, Wiport and Matchport b/g only)
            co 192.168.0.10 8 192.168.0.1 10001 with 192.168.0.10 = IP address of the MatchPort 8 = number of host bits 192.168.0.1 = gateway IP address 10001 = port number of the MatchPort 192.168.1.10 = IP address of the DNS Server
The MatchPort stores the setup and performs a reset. It sends an X before the reset if the command was OK.

Edited February 1, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[Kyle22]

it was in the developer section along with flashing structure etc... that was where I learned to reflash the mss and others to be whatever I wanted them to be... they all were basically the same hardware with different firmware running them... but I bet you already knew that...

 

I was aware they are similar. So, what is the best firmware to use on it? Mine is a UDS-10. There is very little hacking information available for these things.

 

Thanks for the command table and the config info.

[_The Doctor__]

I used to flash them between mss and IAP... the IAP allowed for 3 different protocols depending on what you needed.... in the forums there were attachments for the different hacks,,, one of which added name resolution to modem mode.... I would have to dig out my boxes, I had 3 or 4 left when I gave them out to prospective BBS 'ops I might still have a couple left... I was promised I would have the software for board again before I kicked so I held on to the last few.... as you can see, still hasn't happened..... maybe lantronix forums have archived stuff... but you made me go look and the stock firmware/software for the discontinued boxes still exists... not on the standard tabs but on the side frame instead... the main tabs are dead but they didn't axe the side frames yet... I clicked and stock stuff is still there .... I will be snagging all the latest stock firms etc because there are good fixes in the last ones to prevent some stalls and freezes.... your uds-10 is one of 3 flavors compare the hardware notes in each manual... the oldest might lack the space to hold everything you wish to patch or store on the device the later models were closely made the 10 stood for 10 m half dup and the 100 was 10/100 m full dup most of the older ones are cobos devices... anyway I could remember wrong but... here is link to firmware/manuals/etc 7/8th of the way down the page

https://www.lantronix.com/resources/discontinued-products/

 

http://forums.lantronix.com/

https://github.com/Lantronix

http://wiki.lantronix.com/developer/Main_Page

 

will take some serious digging and some asking to get what is needed...

Edited February 2, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[Kyle22]

Thanx Doc, I'll check them out.

[_The Doctor__]

programmers guide... I wonder if it's hiding with the sdk or legacy section of the forums....