Synchronet's internal QWK/REP packet parsing code automatically creates and maintains a data/qnet/route.dat file for the purposes of routing QWK netmail. The qwknodes utility may be used to re-generate this route.dat file if needed or to generate a nodes.dat or users.dat file if desired or useful to the sysop.
The data/qnet/route.dat file is automatically created and maintained by SBBS.
It includes the routing necessary to get netmail from your BBS to any other QWKnet BBS (using Synchronet's QWKnet extensions) in your QWK network. Entries are automatically added, modified, and removed (when out-dated). You can use the qwknodes utility to create this file (by scanning your QWK networked message bases), but it isn't normally necessary.
If you are a QWKnet hub and wish to create a route.dat file for your QWKnet nodes
(other BBSs that call your BBS for QWKnet messages), you must include the
-f command line option when creating the file (and DO NOT put that route.dat
in your data/qnet directory as the routing information will be incorrect for
your system). This is a convenience for your QWKnet nodes which allows them to
immediately send routed QWK netmail (without waiting for SBBS to create the
route.dat file automatically while parsing incoming echomail).
The data/qnet/users.dat file (if it exists) is used by SBBS to look-up user names on other BBSs in your QWK network when attempting to send e-mail to an unknown user name. The qwknodes utility must be used to create this file (most likely via timed event). If the -l command line option is specified when this file is created, it will include the names of users that posted from YOUR BBS as well as all others in the network (not of any use to SBBS, but informative if you wish to create a list of ALL active users in your QWK network). Only users who are active in the message bases (on any of the BBSs) will appear in the users.dat file.
While this file is informative (a list of all QWKnet nodes that have generated messages in your QWKnet sub-boards) it is not used by SBBS currently. If the -t command line option is specified when this file is created, it will include a copy of each node's tagline in the list in addition to their QWK-ID and routing details.
usage: qwknodes [-opts] cmds
cmds: r = create route.dat
u = create users.dat
n = create nodes.dat
opts: f = format addresses for nodes that feed from this system
a = append existing output files
t = include tag lines in nodes.dat
l = include local users in users.dat
m# = maximum message age set to # days
-a
The -a option is used to append (concatenate) an existing output file. If this option isn't specified any existing output file (route.dat, users.dat, or nodes.dat) will be truncated and overwritten.
-m#
The maximum message age option is used to specify a maximum age of messages (in days) to include in the list of messages scanned to obtain user/node/routing information from (example: -m90 to specify a maximum age of 90 days causing qwknodes to ignore any messages older than 90 days). The default behavior is all messages (no maximum age).
Note:
Output files are created in the current working directory. While it is possible to create all three output files from one execution of qwknodes, the U command will cause duplicate entries in the nodes.dat and route.dat files. So it is best to create the users.dat in a separate execution of the qwknodes utility.
Example:
qwknodes rn -> To create route.dat and nodes.dat filesqwknodes u -> To create users.dat file