Synchronet v3.19b-Win32 (install) has been released (Jan-2022).

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Use Synchronet as a Door Game Server

Synchronet makes an excellent door game server:

  • The Synchronet Virtual FOSSIL/UART driver enables the fast and reliable running of the vast majority of legacy (16-bit DOS) BBS door games
  • The RLogin protocol allows for automatic user identification and authentication
  • Seamless new game server user record creation is supported through simple configuration and customization changes

This guide will help a sysop that wants to use their Synchronet BBS as a door game server.

Follow these steps for initial setup:

  1. Install and test your door games via normal (e.g. Telnet or SSH) user login first.
  2. Confirm RLogin support is enabled and working for accessing your Synchronet Terminal Server (e.g. test from remote RLogin clients or TCP port scanners).
  3. Set rlogin_xtrn_menu=true and/or rlogin_auto_xtrn=true in the [logon] section of your ctrl/modopts.ini file.

At this point, another BBS or user using an RLogin client or proxy/gateway should be able to connect to your Synchronet BBS, automatically authenticate as an existing BBS user, and either go directly to a door game menu (if rlogin_xtrn_menu was enabled) or go directly to a specified door game (if rlogin_auto_xtrn is enabled), by specifying the internal code of the door game to execute (in the form “xtrn=<doorcode>”) as the terminal-type string sent as part of the RLogin initial connection negotiation. No other logon screens or typical BBS logon features (e.g. news, bulletins, new messages) will interfere with the user's door game experience. The user will be automatically disconnected when done with either the external program menu (where multiple door games may be run) or when done running the door game specified during login (terminal-type: xtrn=<doorcode>).

If you wish to only allow RLogin connections to your game server that have initiated from your same system computer system (e.g. running another BBS software), then insure that your RLogin server is only bound to a localhost network interface (e.g. 127.0.0.1). If you wish to only allow RLogin connections to your game server that have initiated from within your local/private network, then filtering/blocking/not-forwarding the relevant TCP port (e.g. 513) in your Internet gateway/router configuration should achieve that.

New users

If you wish for new RLogin users to have accounts automatically created on the Synchronet BBS/game server:

  1. Insure that the BBS is not closed to new users and does not require a new user password in SCFG->System->Security Options.
  2. Disable any extraneous/undesirable New User Prompts/Questions in SCFG->System->New User Prompts.
  3. Set any remaining undesired new user question/prompt strings in ctrl/text.dat to blank strings (i.e. “”).

Test new user creation by connecting to the Synchronet RLogin server with a new/unique username specified in the 2nd string (server-user-name) of the RLogin connection negotiation. If an acceptable user password is specified in the 1st string (client-user-name), it will be automatically used as the user's password.

When an unrecognized user connects via RLogin and a new user record is about to be created, you should see a terminal server log message similar to the following:

!UNKNOWN specified username: 'name', starting new user signup

It's a good idea to test this flow and disable any undesired prompts or questions that a new game server user might encounter.

See Also