Possibilities - Internet Adapter Update 3/94 Contact: eSoft, Inc. (Makers of TBBS) 15200 E. Girard Ave., Suite 3000 Aurora, CO 80014 (303) 699-6565 Voice (303) 699-6872 Fax (303) 699-8222 BBS support@esoft.com E-Mail INTERNET ADAPTER UPDATE 3/94 ---------------------------- *** From March 1994 Possibilities Newsletter *** *** Copyright 1994 by eSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved *** Despite the fact that Internet access via email has become very common, there is still a lot of confusion about how hooking up to the Internet is done. Even though we spend a lot of time discussing this topic, most people are still pretty confused about what it all means. Given the tremendous desire to "hook TBBS to the Internet", and the fact that eSoft is developing a product for a full IP connection to the Internet, I have decided to address the issue in the next few newsletters. For those of you who find this repetitious, I apologize. From the phone calls we are getting it is clear that basic understanding of the Internet is in short supply... UUCP Mail Connection... ----------------------- "The Internet" is really composed of two different parts. The first part is an electronic mail system (which is usually called "Internet mail" or optionally UUCP mail) that is conceptually similar to FidoNet. This is the part of the Internet that provides the most immediate functionality by providing nearly universal email connectivity as well as access to the Internet News Groups (much like FidoNet EchoMail conferences). The Internet email addressing scheme is what you now see on nearly everyone's business card, etc. It has the form of "phil.becker@esoft.com". If you hook your TBBS up to Internet mail, then all of the users on your BBS will have such addresses and can send and receive Internet mail to anyone in the world. As we discussed in the last newsletter, you can connect your TBBS to this Internet email system by using a third party option module called the Personal Internet Mail Processor (PIMP). This option module is written and sold by Jack Rickard, editor of Boardwatch Magazine (303-973-6038), has a price of $249, and provides all of the Internet email and newsgroup functionality on a real-time basis with TBBS. All you need is this program and a UUCP host account from any Internet provider (e.g. Holonet, Netcom, etc.). Host account pricing ranges from $50 to over $200 per month depending on the provider you have access to. The Full IP Connection... ------------------------- The second part of "the Internet" is known as a "full IP connection". This is often talked about in hushed tones, as though something truly magical was happening. It is really just another form of an X.25 packet switched network. If you've used PC Pursuit, you know what using this part of "The Internet" is like. A TBBS which is hooked to the Internet may be "called" over the network by typing in the command TELNET . There is also an alternate form of logging on that is just to get files and transfer them known as FTP. Some systems allow file logons separately from full access logons -- much as you can allow file requests in FidoNet from systems that you don't allow to log on to your BBS. Because of these two program interfaces, a full IP connection is often referred to as "one that lets me do TELNET and FTP". To hook up a BBS to this network takes an interface between the TBBS RS-232 lines and the IP (packet) network. It is here that things get a bit more mystifying. The TCP/IP network itself (the Internet) may be brought to your premises by several means. The difference is cost, hardware involved, and speed. The slowest IP link available is known as SLIP and is made using a normal dial-up modem. A variant of this type of connection is called PPP. Maximum speed is 28.8kbps if you use the newer high speed modems. The next fastest connection is a 56k leased line. This type of connection uses synchronous HDLC serial data and involves a special modem (known as a DSU) and requires a synchronous serial port to be connected to a PC. The next fastest common speed is a T1 leased line. This line's speed is 1.54mbps (28 times the speed of a 56k leased line). The "modem" is again called a DSU, but a T1 DSU costs about four times as much as a 56k DSU. The interface of a T1 line to a PC is a special one as well. It is also common to have the Internet available via an Ethernet connection. This is usually the case in a large installation, where a router is used at the incoming (usually T1) connection to split the IP access among many locations locally. Again, the previous newsletter detailed this information and you can find it online on the eSoft support BBS in the Knowledge Base. What is the IPAD? ----------------- The device which eSoft is developing (a prototype of which was demonstrated at ONE BBSCON last August) is known internally as the Internet Protocol ADapter (IPAD ). The IPAD is a specially configured 80386 or better DOS PC (running IPAD software) which is connected to your TBBS computer by Ethernet. Any LAN will do, but one which supports IPX (such as Novell) is best. The IPAD will directly connect to a TCP/IP internet with any of the following common connection methods: SLIP or PPP via dial-up modem 56k Leased Line Ethernet connection to TCP/IP LAN T1 Leased line. The IPAD will have the ability to handle all of these connection types internally or externally as you require (all connections other than SLIP or PPP require extra charge special interface cards). The IPAD may be used as an IP router if needed, but its intention is to be given an IP address and have that IP address logically represent "your TBBS". To accomplish this the IPAD provides a selection of capabilities, and you can use any combination of them that you wish. These capabilities are: Incoming Telnet Terminal Server. Allows systems on the Internet to use telnet on their end to connect to your TBBS. Each telnet connection uses a TBBS "line" the same as a modem connection. A user connecting to your TBBS via telnet will see your system the same as a modem caller does with only the "packet switching" restrictions imposed by TCP/IP and telnet protocols. Incoming FTP server. Allows systems on the Internet to FTP your TBBS file areas. The IPAD's FTP server uses a TBBS .FAR directory structure to lay out your FTP file areas. FTP logon may be fully or partially independent of your TBBS logon as you wish. The FTP DIR command will display full "BBS style" directories, including descriptions. The FTP CD command will allow navigation within the .DIR files named in the .FAR file. Full user authorization allows access control based on FTP login. If you set up FTP to use the same .DIR files you use online, then FTP becomes self-maintaining as files are added to or removed from your TBBS. Full SMTP/NNTP mail client and server. This client/server is being built to integrate with Jack Rickard's Personal Internet Mail Processor (PIMP) option module for the scan/toss features. This allows all mailing list, etc. processing via SMTP/NNTP mail handling. Full FINGER server. This allows you to set up a "FINGER" database on your IPAD to handle either user identification, or a remote HELP system or any other FINGER style application. Full Domain Name Server. This allows your IPAD to be integrated into the Internet DNS addressing system, and automatically keep itself up to date once you have defined for it the IP address of one or more "trusted name servers" with which it can communicate to resolve addressing. Full outbound terminal client suite. This set of outbound user-driven clients is built to be used in conjunction with the InterChange option module. If InterChange is installed on your TBBS, you may establish TBBS menu items which do one or more of the following: Outbound TELNET access onto the Internet. Outbound FTP access onto the Internet. Outbound FINGER access onto the Internet. Outbound PING access onto the Internet. Note: The IPAD has an outbound command prompt which you may allow a user direct access to. You may also use the powerful scripting capability of InterChange to restrict menu items to specific functions for security or ease-of-use purposes. In addition to these Internet client/server capabilities, the IPAD has a TBBS-style local console which allows you to monitor the IPAD connections in real time. You can even log onto the IPAD local console and do outbound telnet, FTP, FINGER, and PING from there. Many of the SNMP statistics are also available from the local IPAD console to track system usage and diagnose TCP/IP configuration problems. Finally, there is IPAD configuration. Because of its background as a UNIX protocol, TCP/IP configuration is usually very complex and confusing. It has been our goal to make the IPAD configuration as simple and understandable as possible. The configuration is done via a text file (IPAD.CTL), and is consistent with the configuration used by such eSoft products as TIMS. Much work is being done to make it as easy to understand and install as possible, given the inherent complexity of the Internet and TCP/IP protocols. A Complete solution... ---------------------- Connecting a BBS with a full IP connection to the Internet is a complex operation. Traditionally it has required a router, a terminal server, and a UNIX computer with server and client software programs. The IPAD will be a complete, integrated, solution to connecting a TBBS to the Internet. When you connect TBBS 2.2, you will dedicate a group of your TBBS lines to the Internet and connect them via null modem cables to IPAD serial ports. In future versions of TBBS, you will be able to use a single Ethernet cable and IPX protocol to connect these ports to the IPAD. It will still take one TBBS line per Telnet session you allow, but you will no longer have to have the Digiboards and cables between TBBS and the IPAD.. TELNET, FTP, FINGER, and PING clients are provided in the IPAD and if you want to allow it, you may use the InterChange option module to allow callers to your TBBS to access a menu entry which allows them outward use of these services to the Internet. The IPAD also provides an Incoming FTP server which may be configured to use your TBBS .DIR files to provide an enhanced FTP presentation of your BBS file structure (or any other file structure you wish). The IPAD accesses the files on your TBBS via the LAN connection. This may either be a peer- to-peer LAN or a server/workstation LAN with the shared files on the server. The IPAD also provides full SMTP/NNTP mail and newsgroup handling. The first version of the IPAD will be designed to interface this mail system to the PIMP option module for scanning and tossing mail, news- groups, and mailing lists to your TBBS message base. Summary... ---------- All you need to connect your TBBS directly to the Internet for email is Jack Rickard's PIMP option module. When the IPAD becomes available, all you will need to connect your TBBS to the Internet for a full IP connection is the IPAD and possibly a DSU and leased line. You will not need any UNIX computer, or other hardware or software. The IPAD is a complete integrated solution. No pricing for the IPAD has been announced, but the software only should be less than $1,000. In addition, because of the specialty nature of the IPAD, eSoft will make available fully configured IPAD combinations of all hardware and software at prices beginning around $4,000 (varies with configuration). No release date has been set for the IPAD, but we hope to have it available before the end of summer. More on this as the IPAD gets into beta testing and we see how well it is coming along. The final question we get asked is "when will the eSoft support BBS be on the Internet?" The answer is that we will put in a T1 line later this spring and as the IPAD becomes reliable the BBS will become available. But for now, esoft.com is connected only to our lab computers on an erratic basis as development proceeds. PS0394-2 Rev. 3/94 Copyright (C) 1994 eSoft, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Permission granted to distribute this file in its entirety, without modification, to any interested party. Any other use requires the written permission of eSoft, Inc. IMPORTANT: The information herein is subject to change without notice. Please call or write to confirm factual information of importance to you or your organization.