Powerboard UTI Driver Package Version 2.15 (C) 1992-93 by Scott W. Brown What is it? ----------- UTI stands for Universal Text Interface. The UTI is a standard, set forth by Kip Compton, to allow interface with mail software that he has written and will write in the future. To date, these mail software packages include PCRelay, Postlink and Megamail. PCRelay is the first BBS message networking software that Kip wrote. Postlink is the second. Megamail is a mail door that you can set up for your BBS to allow users to download mail and read it offline, using the Megamail Mail Reader, then upload replies back to the Megamail Door. PCRelay is currently being used as mail software on many message networks, including Intelec, Access, and many more. PCRelay has been the faveorite mail networking software of hobbyist Sysops for setting up small to medium sized networks in the past few years. Postlink, the newer package, provides more features than PCRelay. Postlink will handle more mail, higher message numbers, works more efficiently and accurately, handles communications internally, and much more. Postlink is now being used by the RIME (Relaynet International Message Exchange) mail network. If you are interested in any of Kip Compton's software packages, you can purchase or get more information from Dr. Bonnie Anthony, who can be reached at her BBS: 301-229-5623 or Voice: 301-229-7244. She accepts credit card and mail orders. Kip Compton is currently attending the MIT University, and can be reached directly at his BBS: 617-494-1366. He does not process orders himself, but he can provide you with information on these products. What are the executable files included? --------------------------------------- A UTI driver package is made up of 7 executable files, plus the configuration program. These programs are: UTIHIGH.EXE Reports to the mail software the high message number for a specified message conference. UTIVER.EXE Reports to the mail software the current version information for the UTI driver package. You can use this program for your own information, by typing UTIVER CON [ENTER] and the version information will appear on your screen. UTIIMPRT.EXE Allows the mail software to import, or toss, mail into the Powerboard message database. UTIEXPRT.EXE Allows the mail software to retreive mail from the Powerboard message database. UTILIST.EXE Provides the mail software with a list of UTI conferences, configured by the Sysop with the UTICFG.EXE (UTI Configurator) program. UTILSTRD.EXE Allows the mail software to find out what the last read message is for any BBS user. UTIDOOR.EXE Allows for a UTI door to interface with Powerboard. UTICFG.EXE UTI Configuration Program. How do I set up the UTI driver package? --------------------------------------- Setup for PBUTI 2.15 is not complicated at all. The first step, though, is to install the mail software that you are going to be working with. However, do not configure the mail software (i.e. run the Tmanage program for Postlink, or the Setup program for PCRelay). PBUTI is a revision 2 UTI driver package. You will most likely need to know this for mail software setup. If you are setting up a mail network, you will need to add what are called Network conferences. What you should do is make up a list of the conferences that you want to add to your system. Then go into the AreaCfg program that comes with Powerboard and add those areas. Make sure that the areas support Netmail (have the Netmail flag enabled) and allow public mail. After you have added all of the conferences that you want to add, run Powerboard with the "/C" command line paramater: PBOARD /C [ENTER] Or with the multinode version: PBOARD /N1 /C [ENTER] This should create the physical message databases for the conferences you just set up (Powerboard will actually say, "Creating Message Area xxx", at load-up). Next, copy all of the files included with the UTI driver package into the mail software directory (e.g. c:\postlink, c:\pcrelay, c:\megamail, etc). CD \POSTLINK [ENTER] COPY C:\UTI\*.* [ENTER] If your mail software is located on the same drive with your \AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you won't need to modify anything yourself. If not, you will need to modify your \AUTOEXEC.BAT file and add a line at the top of the file that says: SET BBSPATH=C:\PB Where C:\PB is your BBS path. If your BBS is not located there, substitute "C:\PB" for the correct path, eg. "D:\BBS". Now that you have PB-UTI installed in your mail software's directory, you will need to configure PB-UTI. To do this, you will need to load the PB-UTI Configurator (UTICFG.EXE). To run UTICFG: UTICFG [ENTER] When you load UTICFG for the first time, it will ask you for the full path to your BBS. Enter the drive letter, a colon, plus the path for your BBS. eg. if your BBS directory is called PB and is located on your C: hard disk, you would enter: C:\PB [ENTER] Next, UTICFG will ask you for the path to your mail software. If you're using Postlink, this might be: C:\POSTLINK [ENTER] Now you should be presented with a list of conferences on your BBS. If you do not see this list on your screen, something went wrong; You will need to exit UTICFG and try again. UTICFG stores defaults in a file called UTICFG.INI. Delete this file if you would like to start over. If you do see the list, you are doing well! You can now begin to copy conferences over from your BBS to the UTI. To do this, select the conference you would like to copy over with the arrow keys, and press your [F2] key. UTICFG will now ask you for the UTI conference number that this should be. If you are _NOT_ running netmail software, this will most likely be the BBS' conference number (check mail software documentation). If you _ARE_ running netmail software, this will be the network conference number. When you join a mail network, you are provided with a list of conference names, short names and conference numbers. At this point, enter the network conference number. You will then be asked for the Powerboard conference number. You should leave this setting at what it is (unless your mail software SPECIFICALLY says otherwise). The next option will be the Conference Name. Again, if you are using netmail software, refer to the list of network conferences that you are provided with. Enter the long (descriptive) name for the conference. Next you will be prompted for the Short name. If you are using netmail software, use the Short Name specified on the list. When you are done changing your options and are satisified with the results, press [ENTER] then [ESC] to save and exit. Repeat this process for each conference that you would like to copy over to UTI. Next, go back into your Mail Software's configuration program and tell it to update conference settings from the BBS. You can now edit your conferences with the mail software and make sure all settings are correct. How do I get up and running with network mail? ---------------------------------------------- After you have installed your mail software, you are more than halfway there. You will need to join a message network. Dr. Bonnie Anthony, who sells the Postlink and PCRelay software, is also the CEO of the RIME message network. She can get you started with RIME for $30 per year. You should be aware that there are message networks that are free of charge, but in many cases, they are not as large or as well run as RIME. RIME has dedicated conference hosts for each one of their conferences. That is not to say that there aren't any well-run free networks. Choose the message network that you feel is best for you and your BBS. After you have joined a network, you will have to find out who your mail hub will be. Your mail hub is a BBS that your BBS will call automatically to do mail transfers. But you need to know who your mail hub is, and they need to know who you are. You will usually connect with the mail hub that is closest to you. Contact the Sysop of your mail hub BBS. Tell him/her that you would like to connect to them for network mail. They will need to know your Postlink ID (you receive this when you purchase Postlink) and your Node ID (you receive this when you join the network). A mail transfer is acheived by having a communications program automatically dial out to the hub site, log on as you, and load the Postlink or PCRelay mail door. This would be the same thing as if a user logged on to your BBS and loaded a door program, but this process is done automatically so that you don't have to be present for the transfer to work. If you are using PCRelay, you will _have_ to use an external communications program, such as Telix, Telemate or Qmodem. Bob Browne, currently a member of the RIME network and a mail hub for the Intelec network, wrote a script file for Qmodem that will let your system call out using Qmodem automatically to do the mail transfer. The current .Zip file for this script is called Q4RLY43.ZIP. It is available on many BBS', and Bob's BBS: SOS, 914-576-6139. If you are using Postlink, you can use it's internal communications program, or use an external one as with PCRelay. Next, you will need to set up a batch file that will be run for your netmail transfers. The purpose of this batch file is to: 1: Run the mail software so that the mail software can prepare mail that needs to be sent out to your mail hub. 2: Call your mail hub. 3: Run the mail software again to bring in new received from your hub. Included with this UTI driver package are batch files for your mail software. PCRMAIL.BAT is to be used with PCRELAY and PL.BAT should be used with Postlink. The final step is to tell Powerboard to exit and start your mail run. To do this, you will need to modify your events setup using EVCONFIG. For more information on using EVCONFIG, consult the Powerboard BBS manual. For further assistance with installing your mail software, please read the included documentation that you will find with Postlink or PCRelay.