Both sides previous revisionPrevious revisionNext revision | Previous revisionNext revisionBoth sides next revision |
util:sexpots [2019/05/05 16:14] – [See Also] INI files... digital man | util:sexpots [2021/04/30 16:55] – Fix typos. CVS->Git digital man |
---|
===== Overview ===== | ===== Overview ===== |
| |
Synchronet BBS Software version 3 was designed for client connections over TCP/IP protocols only (predominently, Telnet). Over the 7 years since Synchronet v3's release, I've received occasional (but persistent) inquiries about the possibility or likelihood of adding modem support back into Synchronet to support direct analog dial-up users of the old BBS days before the Internet/broadband boom. | Synchronet BBS Software version 3 was designed for client connections over TCP/IP protocols only (predominantly, Telnet). Over the 7 years since Synchronet v3's release, I've received occasional (but persistent) inquiries about the possibility or likelihood of adding modem support back into Synchronet to support direct analog dial-up users of the old BBS days before the Internet/broadband boom. |
| |
I've resisted this idea (for a few significant reasons I won't go into here), and have instead, suggested alternative methods of supporting dial-up users (e.g. running Synchronet v2.3 for DOS concurrently with v3, using *getty on Linux/Unix, using Manning's Dialup-to-Telnet Win32 gateway program with a front-end application, etc.). But these solutions all seemed insufficient in some ways or excessively complex or inconvenient. I wanted to provide something easier, more seemless.... "nicer". Though I'm pretty sure there isn't much demand for dial-up BBSes today (30Kbps!), there has been enough interest from sysops to at least justify some effort (in my mind) to attempt to relive the BBS days of old, using actual *gasp* modems! | I've resisted this idea (for a few significant reasons I won't go into here), and have instead, suggested alternative methods of supporting dial-up users (e.g. running Synchronet v2.3 for DOS concurrently with v3, using *getty on Linux/Unix, using Manning's Dialup-to-Telnet Win32 gateway program with a front-end application, etc.). But these solutions all seemed insufficient in some ways or excessively complex or inconvenient. I wanted to provide something easier, more seamless.... "nicer". Though I'm pretty sure there isn't much demand for dial-up BBSes today (30Kbps!), there has been enough interest from sysops to at least justify some effort (in my mind) to attempt to relive the BBS days of old, using actual *gasp* modems! |
| |
I knew exactly what was required to write a Serial<->TCP tunneling program and blogged on the www.synchro.net web-site way back in 2002 that I planned on writing just such a program to give dial-up capabilities to Synchronet v3 Win32 sysops. | I knew exactly what was required to write a Serial<->TCP tunneling program and blogged on the www.synchro.net web-site way back in 2002 that I planned on writing just such a program to give dial-up capabilities to Synchronet v3 Win32 sysops. |
SEXPOTS is freeware, licensed under the GNU General Public License ([[http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl.txt|GPL]]) with portions licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License ([[http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/lgpl.txt|LGPL]]). | SEXPOTS is freeware, licensed under the GNU General Public License ([[http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl.txt|GPL]]) with portions licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License ([[http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/lgpl.txt|LGPL]]). |
| |
You can find the current source code (in C) in the Synchronet [[dev:CVS]] repository. | You can find the current source code (in C) in the Synchronet [[dev:Git]] repository. |
| |
The latest and greatest build will be included in Synchronet-Win32 releases. | The latest and greatest build will be included in Synchronet-Win32 releases. |
</code> | </code> |
| |
===== Installation ===== | ===== Install ===== |
| |
No installation is required. You should be able to just run "sexpots", optionally specifying command-line options to over-ride the default values (shown below), or the values in your ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'' file (if you have one). | No installation is required. You should be able to just run "sexpots", optionally specifying command-line options to over-ride the default values (shown below), or the values in your ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'' file (if you have one). |
| |
| |
===== Configuration ===== | ===== Configure ===== |
| |
Configuration is normally performed by editing the file ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'', located in the same directory where the SEXPOTS program (e.g. ''sexposts.exe'') is located (e.g. ''[[dir:exec]]''). If ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'' file doesn't exist or any of the ''key=value'' pairs are missing or blank in the file, the default values (indicated below) will be used. | Configuration is normally performed by editing the file ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'', located in the same directory where the SEXPOTS program (e.g. ''sexpots.exe'') is located (e.g. ''[[dir:exec]]''). If ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'' file doesn't exist or any of the ''key=value'' pairs are missing or blank in the file, the default values (indicated below) will be used. |
| |
Optionally, a different [[config:ini files|.ini file]] may be specified on the command-line (e.g. for running multiple concurrent instances of SEXPOTS on different COM ports). If an .ini file is specified on the command-line, it will be loaded **after** ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'' (if the file exists), over-riding any settings in ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]''. | Optionally, a different [[config:ini files|.ini file]] may be specified on the command-line (e.g. for running multiple concurrent instances of SEXPOTS on different COM ports). If an .ini file is specified on the command-line, it will be loaded **after** ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]'' (if the file exists), over-riding any settings in ''[[config:sexpots.ini]]''. |
Command-line options that modify values of the same name in the ''.ini'' file(s) will over-ride (take precedence over) the value in the ''.ini'' file(s). | Command-line options that modify values of the same name in the ''.ini'' file(s) will over-ride (take precedence over) the value in the ''.ini'' file(s). |
| |
The order of precendence for configuration values is (lower number is higher precedence): | The order of precedence for configuration values is (lower number is higher precedence): |
- Command-line options | - Command-line options |
- Command-line specified ''.ini'' file | - Command-line specified ''.ini'' file |
net stop sexpots | net stop sexpots |
| |
| ==== DebugView ==== |
| |
| When running SEXPOTS as an NT Service, you may want to use a debugger viewer (e.g. [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/debugview|DebugView]], run as Administrator) to see the detailed log messages: |
| |
| {{:util:dbgview_sexpots.jpg?600|}} |
===== Notes on Advanced Features ===== | ===== Notes on Advanced Features ===== |
| |
===== Linux/Unix Version ===== | ===== Linux/Unix Version ===== |
| |
There is a preliminary *nix port of SEXPOTS in [[dev:CVS]], but it's not being distributed or supported at this time. Use ''mgetty'' instead. | There is a *nix port of SEXPOTS in [[dev:Git]]. |
| |
===== See Also ===== | ===== See Also ===== |