• Fido on a removable drive

    From Russell Tiedt@5:7105/1 to All on Wed Aug 23 20:40:04 2006
    Hello everybody.

    Well, I am back online after the telco took 16 days to replace fix the cable a few hundred meters from my wall socket to almost at the exchange, which leads me to ask,

    about fidonet on a USB memory stick, and the problem of changing drive letters.

    That is if I plug a USB memory stick into my computer it becomes drive F:, but plugging the same memory stick into the computer at work, it becomes drive H:.

    Any suggestions on how to make Squish, msged, binkleyterm, binkd, etc operate in such a fashion that it matters not what the drive name is, the paths are sane and make sense to the programs.

    I operate mostly on Linux, and Fido is stricly Linux here, but the computer at work is WINXP, and has an internet connection.

    Things I have considered are;

    Setting the drive in a batch file i.e.

    Set drive "equals" F
    and then writing paths as follows

    $drive\squish\msgbase

    or ..\squish\msgbase

    otherwise writing seperate config files for each program, i.e.

    squish.cfg.f
    squish.cfg.h

    and then run a batch file that will copy one or the other to squish.cfg depending on what drive letter is allocated to the USB drive?

    Am I making sense?

    Excuse the "equals" above, but my keyboard seems to have lost a few random key's :-((

    Russell

    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5
    * Origin: Rusty's BBS - Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa (5:7105/1)
  • From Bob Jones@1:343/41 to Russell Tiedt on Wed Aug 23 11:17:50 2006
    about fidonet on a USB memory stick, and the problem of changing drive letters.

    That is if I plug a USB memory stick into my computer
    it becomes drive F:, but
    plugging the same memory stick into the computer at
    work, it becomes drive H:.

    Any suggestions on how to make Squish, msged,
    binkleyterm, binkd, etc operate
    in such a fashion that it matters not what the drive
    name is, the paths are
    sane and make sense to the programs.

    Most of the squish, binkleyterm, and I think even binkd control files can be set up with relative paths specified. There may be one or two spots where it may need a drive letter defined in a windows or OS/2 type environment.

    I operate mostly on Linux, and Fido is stricly Linux
    here, but the computer at
    work is WINXP, and has an internet connection.

    Things I have considered are;

    Setting the drive in a batch file i.e.

    Set drive "equals" F
    and then writing paths as follows

    $drive\squish\msgbase

    or ..\squish\msgbase

    Games like this work in batch files, but not necessarily in the control files.

    otherwise writing seperate config files for each program, i.e.

    squish.cfg.f
    squish.cfg.h

    Use relative paths for most of the stuff in the control files, share the common
    control information in one file, and then in use an include statement in the drive specific control file which should have very few lines..... That is if you can not get by with using all paths in the control files without drive letters and have the batch file set the default drive to the memory stick before processing....

    and then run a batch file that will copy one or the other to squish.cfg depending on what drive letter is allocated to the USB drive?

    Am I making sense?

    In some ways.

    Over the years of expanding disk drive capacity and need to move drive letters around, I tend to now have my batch files setup to use an enivornment parameter
    for both the drive letter and the base path. Control files still have too much
    hard coded in this regard, but are kept in a form where I can perform a one shot edit of the control files to change the drive and/or base path specification with a simple, global edit.....

    Good luck....

    Bob Jones, 1:343/41


    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Top Hat 2 BBS (1:343/41)
  • From Mvan Le to RUSSELL TIEDT on Thu Aug 24 19:47:00 2006
    Quoting Russell Tiedt to All <=-

    @MSGID: <44ECAE0F.1497.tub@vert.synchro.net>
    Hello everybody.

    Well, I am back online after the telco took 16 days to replace fix the cable a few hundred meters from my wall socket to almost at the
    exchange, which leads me to ask,

    about fidonet on a USB memory stick, and the problem of changing drive letters.

    [cut]

    Why not just install your entire BBS into one directory, eg.

    C:\Bbs (or \\bbs (UNC path))

    and map that directory to a network drive eg. M:.

    Then set up global environment variables in Autoexec.bat or Control Panel-> System->Advanced->Environment Variables.

    I currently run my BBS under Windows 2000, and here's what I do with my AUTOEXEC.bat / AUTOEXEC.NT:

    set bbsdrive=m
    set boardroot=%bbsdrive%:\board
    set fossroot=%bbsdrive%:\fossils
    set mailroot=%bbsdrive%:\mailing
    set toolsroot=%bbsdrive%:\tools

    rem ; +----------+
    rem ; | Comments |
    rem ; +----------+
    rem ;
    rem ; bwave is run from %bbsdrive%:\batch
    rem ; mtelnet is run from %bbsdrive%:\batch
    rem ; mm.exe / multimail is run from %bbsdrive%:\batch

    PATH=%boardroot%\max;%boardroot%\max\batch;%bbsdrive%:\batch;%toolsroot%\arcers;%fossroot%\TelSrv\NETFOSS

    SET MAXIMUS=%boardroot%\Max\max.prm
    set SQUISH=%mailroot%\squish\squish.cfg
    set fd=%mailroot%\fd

    doskey

    and all your other BBS batch files would draw the same root directories from those environment variables.

    That way you could copy your entire C:\Bbs to <anydrive/media>:\Bbs, and
    map a network drive to whatever %bbsdrive% you defined.

    All the BBS programs/doors would then be run under the mapped drive.

    The limitations I've experienced with this approach is when batch files
    cannot be used, and where path name & filenames need to be hardcoded eg.
    *.cfg files. Or if your desired mapped drive letter is already in use by something else and cannot be changed eg. for business and/or practical reasons.

    Unless you're going to dedicate a whole PC to your BBS, it's more convenient and portable to structure your BBS files & folders under one parent directory eg. C:\Bbs.


    ... RAM = Rarely Adequate Memory
    ___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
  • From Russell Tiedt@5:7105/1 to Bob Jones on Thu Aug 24 17:02:33 2006
    Hello Bob.

    23 Aug 06 11:17, you wrote to me:

    Any suggestions on how to make Squish, msged,
    binkleyterm, binkd, etc operate
    in such a fashion that it matters not what the drive
    name is, the paths are
    sane and make sense to the programs.

    Most of the squish, binkleyterm, and I think even binkd control files
    can be set up with relative paths specified. There may be one or two spots where it may need a drive letter defined in a windows or OS/2
    type environment.

    Hmmm ... , so it should be do-able ...

    Things I have considered are;

    Setting the drive in a batch file i.e.

    Set drive "equals" F
    and then writing paths as follows

    $drive\squish\msgbase

    or ..\squish\msgbase

    Games like this work in batch files, but not necessarily in the
    control files.

    Okay, batch files are fine, like this, if the control files will work with relative paths, then that would work ...

    otherwise writing seperate config files for each program, i.e.

    squish.cfg.f
    squish.cfg.h

    Use relative paths for most of the stuff in the control files, share
    the common control information in one file, and then in use an include statement in the drive specific control file which should have very
    few lines..... That is if you can not get by with using all paths in
    the control files without drive letters and have the batch file set
    the default drive to the memory stick before processing....

    Okay ... sounds like it should be do-able

    and then run a batch file that will copy one or the other to
    squish.cfg depending on what drive letter is allocated to the USB
    drive?

    Am I making sense?

    In some ways.

    Good, so I am not yet toally insane. <VVBG>

    Over the years of expanding disk drive capacity and need to move drive letters around, I tend to now have my batch files setup to use an enivornment parameter for both the drive letter and the base path.
    Control files still have too much hard coded in this regard, but are
    kept in a form where I can perform a one shot edit of the control
    files to change the drive and/or base path specification with a
    simple, global edit.....

    Right ...

    Good luck....

    <BG> Thanks,

    Russell

    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5
    * Origin: Rusty's BBS - Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa (5:7105/1)
  • From Russell Tiedt@5:7105/1 to Mvan Le on Sun Aug 27 16:07:52 2006
    Hello Mvan.

    24 Aug 06 19:47, you wrote to me:

    Quoting Russell Tiedt to All <=-

    about fidonet on a USB memory stick, and the problem of changing
    drive letters.

    [cut]

    Why not just install your entire BBS into one directory, eg.

    C:\Bbs (or \\bbs (UNC path))

    and map that directory to a network drive eg. M:.

    Like the idea ... and maximus runs fine so I assume ...

    That way you could copy your entire C:\Bbs to <anydrive/media>:\Bbs,
    and map a network drive to whatever %bbsdrive% you defined.

    All the BBS programs/doors would then be run under the mapped drive.

    The limitations I've experienced with this approach is when batch
    files cannot be used, and where path name & filenames need to be
    hardcoded eg. *.cfg files. Or if your desired mapped drive letter is already in use by something else and cannot be changed eg. for
    business and/or practical reasons.

    "M" should be fine on the drives I envsion using, squish is working so far, have not had time for more ...

    Russell

    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5
    * Origin: Rusty's BBS - Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa (5:7105/1)
  • From Mvan Le to RUSSELL TIEDT on Tue Aug 29 21:01:00 2006
    Why not just install your entire BBS into one directory, eg.

    C:\Bbs (or \\bbs (UNC path))

    and map that directory to a network drive eg. M:.

    Like the idea ... and maximus runs fine so I assume ...

    Yeah. I installed Maximus 3.01 into C:\Bbs\board\max and mapped
    C:\bbs to M:.

    "M" drive was chosen because it was named after M)aximus :)

    I currently split my BBS up into 3 core directories,

    \board
    \fossils
    \mailing

    Breaking things up in this way makes it easier to install new
    BBS software & mix-and-match any associated tools you might like
    to experiment with, or run multiple BBS' on the same machine (or
    separate computers) while keeping all the files under one easily
    accessible location. Makes backups much easier.

    The BBS Software goes into \board. Some time down the track I'll
    install Opus and Iniquity in there.

    I have GameSrv & NetFOSS installed in \fossils, and also BNU, X00,
    AnDan and Zoob Telnet Server just in case.

    I've got 3 versions of BinkleyTerm installed (DOS, Win32, Gamma-6).
    Setting it up like this allows me to switch mailers simply by
    copying configuration & batch files, while keeping redundancy in
    case the migration fails. (This is planned sometime in the future).

    M:\mailing\binkd
    M:\mailing\binkley.trm
    M:\mailing\binkley.trm\bt (dos)
    M:\mailing\binkley.trm\bw32_260 (w32 v2.60)
    M:\mailing\binkley.trm\bw32_xr6 (XE gamma-6)
    M:\mailing\fd (FrontDoor)
    M:\mailing\flstW201
    M:\mailing\NODELIST
    M:\mailing\squish

    M:\board\doors
    M:\board\Filebase
    M:\board\MAX
    M:\board\MAX\MSGBASE

    Volume in drive M has no label.
    Volume Serial Number is 44FA-8034

    Directory of M:\

    26/08/2006 14:02 <DIR> .
    26/08/2006 14:02 <DIR> ..
    20/08/2006 22:57 1,474 AUTOEXEC.BAT
    18/08/2006 03:06 1,449 AUTOEXEC.BAT~
    22/08/2006 07:30 <DIR> batch
    04/08/2006 08:15 <DIR> bgfax
    26/08/2006 09:48 <DIR> board
    26/08/2006 19:09 <DIR> bwrepfix
    20/08/2006 22:59 1,134 CONFIG.SYS
    20/08/2006 19:44 1,089 CONFIG.SYS~
    12/08/2006 10:37 <DIR> fossils
    05/08/2006 02:15 <DIR> mailing
    09/08/2006 10:14 359 readme.txt
    26/08/2006 09:24 <DIR> shortcuts
    26/08/2006 20:57 <DIR> tmp
    18/08/2006 20:38 <DIR> tools
    5 File(s) 5,505 bytes
    11 Dir(s) 3,881,250,816 bytes free

    "M" should be fine on the drives I envsion using, squish is working so far, have not had time for more ...

    Just pick a drive you like (and think nobody else will use (because
    changing it later might be a bitch despite your best attempts to
    properly organise and plan your directories (as you weed out all
    the things that broke (eg. *.cfg, *.ctl, *.bat etc)))).

    I'm also taking my time rebuilding my BBS :) I've been working at
    it on-off since 1998 and I STILL haven't got Fidonet working. Heh.

    ... Don't hit me, Mr. Moderator... I'll go back on topic... I swear!
    ___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30