The following text instructs you on how to connect a remote computer via
null-modem cable to another computer running TRIBBS and successfully connect
and log-in to a node.

Maybe this info. is obvious, but it took me a while to come up with it.

TRIBBS is a very nice, small BBS system. I got it working fairly easily using
a MODEM, but I wanted to test it frequently, and since I have several computers
scattered about, I decided to try connecting two with a serial cable. Testing
the system this way is useful because the remotely-connected computer behaves
as if you had dialed into the system with a MODEM. This is different than
logging on locally. When you log on locally, you lose the TriBBS node menu
screen and you can't do (as a SYSOP) what you normally could do from this
screen. By logging on with the null-modem, you still have the node console...
... pretty slick.

For testing purposes, you can use another computer connected via a null-modem
cable to a node. To log into TRIBBS with such a set-up, do the following:

1. You must first make the proper hardware connection via null-modem cable.
   You can make such a cable yourself with two DB-9's and some wire. The
   RING-DETECT line should not be connected at all.

2. Configure the TRIBBS node to answer after 1 RING and use RTS/CTS flow.

3. Bring up a telecom program on the remote computer (e.g. TELIX) with the
   port baud rate set to MATCH EXACTLY the default baud rate of the TRIBBS
   node. This is necessary for TRIBBS to recognize the strings you must send.
   With TELIX you can start up with a command line option (TELIX /O) that will
   fool TELIX into thinking it's already connected so it won't send a modem
   init. string, but this isn't totally necessary, just convenient.

4. Type (or otherwise have the telecom program send) the following two strings:
   RING
   CONNECT xxxxx             (where xxxxx is the baud rate 2400, 14400, etc)

   TRIBBS now thinks it's talking to a MODEM!

   TRIBBS will acknowledge on the mini-status line that a RING was detected.
   after the CONNECT xxxxx string, TRIBBS will start the log-on procedure
   and you are in business!


Now you can see exactly how your system behaves and appears to callers, you
can page the SYSOP, and do anything an ON-LINE caller can do. This is extra-
useful if you have only 1 line. If you have two or more lines, you could just
call-in from the second line.


ENJOY


courtesy of Nick Kollat
            The Lost Planet Archive BBS
            Boardman, OH
            Voice phone: 216-726-8592

P.S.

A note on some more TRIBBS info. that wasn't immediately obvious to me from the
documentation:

1. To answer a SYSOP page from a caller, press ALT-C for chat mode.

2. I have successfully brought up TRIBBS with multiple nodes on a LANtastic
   network as suggested in the TRIBBS documentation. The docs. are somewhat
   vague and fuzzy on how to do this. If you would like more info., contact
   me.