=============================================================== Taken from the NEW Official Renegade World Wide Web Home Page http://www.interlog.com/matrixsoft/renegade/renegade.html Edited by Mike Fergione For Distribution In The RGSNet RGS_TEXT File Echo Via The US Robotics IFDC Filegate Project On 8/24/95 =============================================================== alt.bbs.renegade FAQ Authored by Robert "BUNGEE" Basil - sysop@azgate.com Copyright by the author, all rights reserved. Copies may be made of this file in its entirety as long as this copyright and acknowledgements are preserved. [The following has been stolen from the C-FAQ-list of comp.lang.c] Certain topics come up again and again on this newsgroup. They are good questions, and the answers may not be immediately obvious, but each time they recur, much net bandwidth and reader time is wasted on repetitive responses, and on tedious corrections to the incorrect answers which are inevitably posted. [end stealing] On to the questions.... Where can I ftp the latest version of Renegade? Where can I get some utilities for Renegade? I've heard of RGSNet - what is it? How can I join Renegade Support Network? Can I become a Renegade Beta site? How do I toss mail safely with Renemail? I notice that Renemail sometimes garbles messages on me and then it purges messages - did I lose any? Could someone give me a batch file for running Renegade? Renegade doesn't come with any documentation - how can I ... ? How do I get Renegade to work under OS/2? I'm using OS/2, does Renegade work under this? I'd like to set up some usenet groups on my BBS. How do I do this? What are the backdoors to Renegade? I just heard about a Renegade system being hacked - how can I protect my system? How do I run Renegade under Windows (any version)? I keep getting a 'COMPort in use' error from Windows when using Renegade. How can I get rid of this? Q1. Where can I ftp the latest version of Renegade? Where can I get some utilities for Renegade? A. The most popular ftp site is ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca. For Renegade itself, ftp to ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca/renegade/bbs. For the utilities, ftp to ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca:/renegade/utils To upload, send the files to ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca/renegade/incoming and send e-mail with the file names to umgoerz0@cc.umanitoba.ca or, preferably, to Jordan Firth as he does not have access to remove files from the incoming directory and "it has become a real mess". Another site is ftp.uoknor.edu. Someone please email me with a directory structure... thanks. There are other sites, but they are currently unknown. Please send any additions to the author. Q2. I've heard of RGSNet - what is it? How can I join Renegade Support Networks? Can I become a Renegade Beta site? A. Renegade is still in Beta, so by using this software you are a beta site for Cott. Usually what is being asked is for an Alpha site, and Patrick Spence has said that the Alpha program has been discontinued. But the next best thing is being a Beta site... and to report the bugs? Renegade Support Net, or RGSNet. If you have Fidonet Technologies Networking compatable software (i.e., Front Door, D'Bridge, BinkleyTerm, MainDoor, and a whole host of others), you can join RGSNet. Since RGSNet is basically beyond the scope of this document, the reader is encouraged to ftp ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca/renegade/utils/p-z.zip/rgsapp.zip to get the application form. Inside here is all the information on RGSNet. Note: Patrick Spence has nothing to do with RGSNet. Do not mail him about it. (In fact, he dislikes RGSnet.) ================================================================ [Editor's Note: Do not confuse RGSAPP.ZIP with the RGSNxxxx.ZIP Application Packet. THEY ARE TWO SEPARATE NETS!! Applications for the RGSNet that this document was hatched under can ALWAYS be obtained from Scott Freeman (50:50/0), Don Cranford (50:57/0) Richard Plantz (50:53/0), or Mike Fergione (50:610/0) using the "Magic Name" of RGSNET.] ================================================================ Q3. How do I toss mail safely with Renemail? I notice the Renemail sometimes garbles messages on me and then it purges messages - did I lose any? A. Yes, you likely did lose some messages unless you run Renemail multiple times. Renemail returns errorlevels depending on its success or failure. If the return is 2, Renemail died. Using this knowledge, we can write in our batch file the following excerpt: C: [the drive the tosser is on] CD \TOSSER [the directory the tosser is in] TOSS -options [the tosser with any options, i.e. GECHO TOSS] C: [the drive with Renegade on it] CD \RENEGADE [the directory with Renegade in it] :RENEMAILLOOP RENEMAIL -T IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO RENEMAILLOOP RENEMAIL -P At this point the assumption is that you know how to use your mail tosser. Q4. Could someone give me a batch file for running Renegade? A. Sure - here's one (From William John Moore ) for Intermail (very similar to Front Door) with GEcho. Watch out that some of this may not be of use to you, and other stuff may be in different directories. @Echo Off set im=d:\im d:\dv\dvansi x00 2=3e8,irq5 b,2,38400 DV :Start echo In Start Module d: Cd \im cls im If ERRORLEVEL==180 Goto nightly If ERRORLEVEL==170 Goto PackBase If ERRORLEVEL==160 Goto UnpackMail If ERRORLEVEL==150 Goto EchoMail IF ERRORLEVEL==113 GOTO Terminate If ERRORLEVEL==101 Goto LocBBS If ERRORLEVEL==73 Goto 14400 If ERRORLEVEL==72 Goto 9600 If ERRORLEVEL==71 Goto 4800 If ERRORLEVEL==70 Goto 2400 If ERRORLEVEL==10 Goto End If ERRORLEVEL==6 Goto Fossil If ERRORLEVEL==5 Goto ModemInit If ERRORLEVEL==4 Goto ModemResp If ERRORLEVEL==3 Goto FullDisk If ERRORLEVEL==2 Goto External If ERRORLEVEL==1 Goto Internal Goto START :2400 d: cd \renegade Renegade -n1 -b2400 -Q Goto After_Start :4800 d: cd \renegade Renegade -n1 -b4800 -Q Goto After_Start :9600 d: cd \renegade Renegade -n1 -b9600 -Q Goto After_Start :14400 d: cd \renegade Renegade -n1 -b14400 -Q Goto After_Start :LocBBS echo ath1 > COM3 d: cd \renegade Renegade -n1 -L Goto After_Start :After_Start rem if ERRORLEVEL 2 goto Echomail Goto Start :Fossil Echo Wrong Fossil Version Error Goto End :ModemInit Echo Unable To Initialize Modem Goto End :ModemResp Echo Modem Not Responding Goto End :FullDisk Echo Insufficient Disc Space To Continue Goto End :External Echo External Error - System File Missing Goto End :Internal Echo Internal Error Goto End :EchoMail echo ath1 > COM3 <--- Use your COM port d: cd \renegade Renemail -S cd \im copy setup.fd fd.sys >NUL cd gecho gecho scan cd \renegade Renemail -P goto start :PackBase echo ath1 > COM3 <--- Use your COM port d: cd \renegade Renegade -P Goto Start :unpackmail echo ath1 > COM3 <--- Use your COM port d: cd \im copy setup.fd fd.sys >NUL cd gecho gecho toss cd \renegade Renemail -T -N goto start :nightly ECHO. ECHO ^[[0;1;34mū ^[[31mBBS Nightly Events ^[[34mū^[[0m ECHO. ECHO |12[-*-] Executed Nightly Events... >> D:\RENEGADE\LOGS\SYSOP.LOG CD\RENEGADE @oldmail.exe @RGMAINT.EXE @RENEBACK.EXE @renemail.exe -s @cd\im\gecho @gecho scan @cd\im GOTO START :Terminate ECHO. ECHO ^[[0;1;34mū ^[[31mRunning Terminate v1.50... ^[[34mū^[[0m ECHO. ECHO Executed Terminate v1.50... >> D:\RENEGADE\LOGS\SYSOP.LOG d: cd \termin15 D:\TERMIN15\TERMINAT cd \im goto start :End echo ath1m0 > COM3 Echo WE ARE NOW DOWN ! echo. There she be, the error codes you setup in Front Door mainly, the others are sent out by Renegade. This batch file if you configure your function keys in FD will allow you to load up you communications program rather than to exit it and then load it up. Q5. Renegade doesn't come with any documentation - how can I ...? A. Simple, get the documentation. Read through that - actually that should be done before you read the FAQ, but seeing as you likely couldn't find the documentation, it's too late for that, isn't it. Try ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca/renegade/utils/p-z.zip - look for a file by the name of "rgd####.zip" where #### is the release it was written for. (Note: Cott Lang does not write the documentation so it will not always be up-to-date documentation here. Expect to get documentation for the release before the one you're using, and then also read the WHATDONE file in the Renegade upgrade package to get any changes since the documentation.) Q6. How do I get Renegade to work under OS/2? I'm using OS/2, does Renegade work under this? A. Yes, Renegade works extremely well under OS/2. In fact, the author, Cott Lang, uses OS/2 for his 3-line BBS. Step 1: get an OS/2 fossil driver. I usually recommend doing this before installing OS/2. An excellent one is VX00.SYS found in the package SIO by Ray Gwinn (the author of X00). SIO will also replace the built-in COM drivers from OS/2. SIO can be found on ftp.cdrom.com:/pub/os2/drivers. As of this writing, sio145a.zip is the latest version. Step 2: Install the fossil driver - doing this is beyond the scope of this documentation, however SIO has excellent documentation for installing SIO. Step 3: Run Renegade the same as if you were running it under DOS. Of course, in the icon that you create, there is a lot of information that is present. One recommendation is to run Renegade from a batch file, so the "Path and Filename" should contain the fully qualified path to the batch file being run, whether it is runfd.bat or bbs.bat or renegade.bat, or whatever you use. For DOS settings, make sure that DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION is ON, DOS_DEVICE includes VX00.SYS from your SIO directory, DOS_HIGH should probably be turned off unless you really need the extra room, as should DOS_UMB (only turn DOS_UMB ON if you have other drivers being loaded, such as OS2SPEED or similar, and turn down EMS_HIGH_OS_MAP_REGION to as low as possible). IDLE_SECONDS should likely be turned to 0, and IDLE_SENSITIVITY to 75% (fiddle with this value if some doors work only sporadically or users complain that doors don't respond very nicely). Many people recommend INT_DURING_IO should be on - but mine works great with it off (ON uses more CPU processing). As for the SIO settings, ensure that the DOS session has access to the COM port it is looking for - preferably no other COM ports, either. Fiddle with SIO_Idle_sensitivity - starting with 75% and work down until your users start to notice. Then pump it up by about 5% and leave it there. (The idle sensitivity will depend on your clock speed, your CPU, and your motherboard and is thus beyond the scope of this documentation.) Also, using Renegade in Full Screen mode is best - again, to lessen your CPU loading while you're working on something else. (Remember that Alt-Home will switch a DOS session between full screen and windowed modes). Q7. I'd like to set up some usenet groups on my BBS. How do I do this? A. I have been kind enough to give the following answer :-) I have seen a lot of questions on what programs SysOp's need to setup Usenet Newsgroups and Internet E-Mail on their BBS. Well ask no more. Here is what you will need and where to get it all in one place! Hope this helps everybody. Once you get the programs please read the docs and set them up. I cannot offer any help on Installation, I am to busy with my own gateway. Just to warn you though, plan on spending a lot of time getting everything set up. To get Usnet message this is what you will need..... 1. A UUCP account with your provider. NOT a shell or slipp/ppp account. Those are something different altogether. 2. A Program to call your provider and pick up the packets. I use FXUUCICO 3. A archiver to uncompress the packets if your provider packs them before sending them to you. I use compress.exe and uncompress.exe 4. A Gateway program to transfer the UUCP style packets to Fido style packets. I use Gigo. 5. And then all you need is a working Front End Mailer and BBS software. I use Renegade 10-05 (Of course!). Everything you will need to set up UUCP on your BBS is availible at: gigo.com. Or you can check out the service I run The Arizona Internet Gateway. (Shameless Plug!) Another popular way to answer this question is to set up Waffle BBS as a door from Renegade. Just create a command that uses command keys 'D-' and an option of "waffle online %A limit %T" and have waffle's exe in the path (required by that BBS). For further information on setting up Waffle, see comp.bbs.waffle. Q8. What are the backdoors to Renegade? I just heard about a Renegade system being hacked - how can I protect my system? A. There are NO backdoors to Renegade. This doesn't mean it is unhackable, only that there are no internal backdoors to Renegade. The only way 'into' a Renegade BBS is to upload a 'trojan' file that will alter the menus to allow someone to download the USERS.DAT and thus get passwords. In other words, after installing something new, check your menu system. Or, better yet, don't install anything that you didn't get from a reliable source. A popular misconception was the 'bug' that allowed anyone who accessed the archive commands to 'add' your USERS.DAT to their archive. This has been fixed as of 05-21-94. Another popular one was the 'bug' that allowed the use of %dffilename.ext% to see a file anywhere on the harddrive, thus allowing %dfc:\bbs\data\users.dat% to read all your passwords. This was only present in 10-04-94. The fix is to upgrade to 10-05-94, which will only allow %dffilename.ext% to grab files from your misc directory. Q9. How do I run Renegade under Windows (any version)? I keep getting a 'COMPort in use' error from Windows when using Renegade. How can I get rid of this? A. Well, my first recommendation is to not use Windows as it has an inefficient multitasking algorithm (Win95 & WinNT are better for this), but the overhead in any version of Windows is prohibitive. Saying that you either must use Windows or cannot use OS/2, the first problem encountered with any DOS communications program under Windows is usually the COMPort in use problem as above. The COMPort is in use, but nothing else is running. The problem is that Windows itself is using the COMPort. Even though it isn't doing anything, it thinks it is using it. You must then go into your settings and find your setup for your COMPorts. Double click on the one that your BBS is using and set to "Never Warn". Bingo, problem solved. Unfortunately, you now will never know if another application tries to use your modem until it crashes Windows. Unfortunately the only 'safe' way to use Windows while communicating via modem is to use Windows-based communications programs which means no Renegade. At this point we are assuming that you are running in enhanced mode since you cannot multitask in standard mode. As for your PIF settings, these depend on your CPU. I had mine set to 1000 for both foreground and background and my 2400 baud users still complained. Other links: The Renegade WWW pagePatrick Spence's (Co-Author of Renegade) home page Special thanks to D. McBride. (The original author of this FAQ) The latest version of this Renegade FAQ can be requested through Email automaticly. Just send Email to: rgfaq@azgate.com This FAQ is posted weekly in the alt.bbs.renegade newsgroup. Send mail to the author. Last modified Monday, July 8, 1995 at 07:49 GMT