AreaFix v1.30 User Guide originally by Jeffrey J. Nonken ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT This document is public domain. Please note that this does not alter the rights or ownership status of the copyright holder of AreaFix in any way. This is a user guide to AreaFix. This document does not describe how to install or configure AreaFix. Instead, it allows echomail hubs running AreaFix to pass simple instructions along to their downlinks. To keep things simple this guide will use the terms "uplink" and "downlink". Your uplink is the system that is passing echos to you, usually from the direction of the backbone or the origin of the echo (sometimes known as an "echo feed"). You are their downlink. If you are passing the echos from your uplink to another node, that node is your downlink, and you are their uplink. Simple? Good. This guide assumes your uplink is running AreaFix and tells you how to add and remove echomail areas remotely using AreaFix. WHAT IS AREAFIX? AreaFix is a program that allows sysops to remotely alter their uplinks' distribution files (AREAS.BBS, ECHO.CTL, etc.) without bothering the uplinks' sysops. In other words, if you want to pick up a certain echo from your uplink, and they have AreaFix installed, you just send a speciallly formatted NetMail message and the linking is handled automatically. Ideally, your uplink's sysop does nothing once AreaFix is set up. AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AREAFIX SETUP This is mostly your Hub's responsibility. They to install AreaFix on their system and install your password. You should choose a password to use in your AreaFix messages. Remember this password! It may be from 1 to 30 characters long and may contain any printable characters except spaces. TALKING TO AREAFIX To invoke AreaFix you must send a netmail message to your Hub. The message should be private (for security), addressed to AreaFix, and the subject will be your password. Case is not important. To: AreaFix Subj: Gronk AreaFix will also allow psuedonyms for itself. Your Hub may have a special name to send to instead of "AreaFix". If so, they will tell you. For all examples we will use "AreaFix". AREAFIX TALKING TO YOU Any time AreaFix replies it will send you a message explaining what action it took (if any) and if configured to do so giving you a list of echos currently active for you. If you are first on your uplink's list for a particular area -- which usually implies that you are a 'feed' for that area, the originator of the echo -- AreaFix will put an asterisk next to the echo name with a note that says you are your uplink's feed for that echo. You will usually only see that for local echomail areas, if at all. AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TURNING ON ECHOS Turning on an echo is easy; simply send a message to AreaFix with a list of echos you want. Case does not matter. The names may start in any column, and you may string them out on a line (separated by spaces) or put them on separate lines. TO: AreaFix FROM: Tom Slick SUBJECT: Gronk Sysop FDECHO mtask --- Notice Tom put a tear line at the end of his message. That's the three dashes on the line after "mtask". This tells AreaFix that there is no more information for it in this message. If Tom wants, and if the uplink has previously indcated that such things are noticed, he may now write comments to his uplink Sysop, or just notes for himself. It's a good idea to add this tear line even if you have nothing more to say, in case some garbage gets tacked on to the message during processing. AreaFix replies: TO: Tom Slick FROM: Areafix on 1:103/522 SUBJECT: Re: Node change requests Additions/Deletions AREA: STATUS: ------------------------------- ------------------------------- SYSOP ......................... Added area. FDECHO ........................ Added area. MTASK ......................... Added area. Active areas on 1:103/522 AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- USERS C_ECHO ORANGE_CO ASIAN-AMERICAN FDECHO SYSOP MTASK Total found: 7 Note, a '*' indicates you're the feed on the echo. --- Areafix v1.30 TURNING OFF ECHOS Removing an area is just as easy; just preceed the area name with a minus sign (-) when you send the message. TO: AreaFix FROM: Tom Slick SUBJECT: Gronk -sysop --- AreaFix replies: TO: Tom Slick FROM: Areafix on 1:103/522 SUBJECT: Re: Node change requests Additions/Deletions AREA: STATUS: ------------------------------- ------------------------------- -SYSOP ........................ Unlinked. Active areas on 1:103/522 AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- USERS C_ECHO ORANGE_CO ASIAN-AMERICAN FDECHO MTASK Total found: 6 Note, a '*' indicates you're the feed on the echo. --- Areafix v1.30 Now Tom will no longer receive the Sysop echo. OPTIONS There are several useful options available. Each of these is invoked by adding a command to your subject line after the password. Note that any of these options might be disabled at your uplink. -R is a rescan command. This causes AreaFix to force a rescan of the echo area by removing the high-water mark. The next time the area is scanned, any messages in that area that you did not receive will be packaged up and sent to you. Note that if your uplink has an area as a passthrough, there will not be any messages to rescan. -L sends you a list of echo areas. The uplink Sysop may make a list of available areas in a file; if this has been done the -L command will cause AreaFix to send it to you as a file attach. -Q also sends you a list of echo areas. However, unlike the -L command, it will scan through the Area Control files to see what areas are available to you and send a list back in a message. AreaFix will put an asterisk (*) next to each area that you are receiving. There is one thing to remember when using these switches: they might not work unless there is some text in your message. For example, the - Q option will not send back a list if you send a blank message. However, just having the tear line will be enough. This is because some SysOps run software that deletes "empty" messages before AreaFix ever sees them. AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TO: AreaFix FROM: Tom Slick SUBJECT: Gronk -r -q Sysop FDECHO mtask --- AreaFix replies: TO: Tom Slick FROM: Areafix on 1:103/522 SUBJECT: Re: Node change requests Additions/Deletions AREA: STATUS: ------------------------------- ------------------------------- SYSOP ......................... Added area and rescanned. FDECHO ........................ Added area and rescanned. MTASK ......................... Added area and rescanned. Active areas on 1:103/522 USERS C_ECHO ORANGE_CO ASIAN-AMERICAN FDECHO SYSOP MTASK Total active: 7 Note, a '*' indicates you're the feed on the echo. --- Areafix v1.30 In a separate message, AreaFix also replies: TO: Tom Slick FROM: Areafix on 1:103/522 SUBJECT: Query request on 1:103/522 AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Areas available to 1:103/328 on 1:103/522: * USERS * MTASK * C_ECHO NEWOPUS MEADOW * ORANGE_CO * SYSOP HST 80XXX * ASIAN-AMERICAN BIBLE CHATTER * FDECHO FLAME * FOR-SALE LAN LASERPUB STTNG Total active: 18 Note: a '*' indicates you're already active for the echo. --- Areafix v1.30 ACCESS LEVELS When your uplink sets up your password, you will be assigned an access level. It is possible that your uplink will have some private or special interest echos that you should not have automated access to. By assigning those areas a higher access than to downlinks, those downlinks will not be able to turn on those areas remotely; the uplink sysop must enable those areas for the downlinks by hand. However, if you are enabled for a restricted area and you want to turn it off, you may do so via AreaFix as normal. The restriction is only one-way. AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POINTS AND POINTNETS AreaFix is fully "point aware" in that it accepts and maintains information in what we commonly refer to as "4D" addressing such as 1:270/101.88. This 4D operation is compatible with several FidoNet EchoMail processors. Some others however are not yet able to accept 4D addresses. Those programs must instead use pointnets or fakenets as some folks call them. As in all other cases, please check with your uplink before locking in either 4D or pointnet style addressing. The 4D addressing format is more straightforward than pointnet processing. Your software and the uplink's software translate all addresses and information internally and all you have to do is configure your point software one time and "forget about it". Similarly, your bossnode will configure his/her software using 4D notation. If you are a point off a bossnode whose software requires pointnets you may have a slightly different situation than normal. Your bossnode probably assigned you a private net number. Your software may address you as a node off that net or as a point off the bossnode, depending on how it handles private nets and how you set it up. Let's assume for the moment that you are set up as point 4 off private net 30010, and that your bossnode's address is 1:103/522. If you are set up to use the privatenet address, 30010/4, for everything, then there is nothing to be aware of. Your bossnode will have you set up as 1:30010/4 and AreaFix will use that number. If you are set up to use the point addressing scheme, 103/522.4, then your message editor and/or mailer must do the following: - The message must be addressed to your bossnode (103/522). If your bossnode supports a privatenet AKA, you can send the message to that address. (For example, 30010/0.) - The message must be addressed as coming from your bossnode's address (103/522). - The message must have a MSGID or a FMPT kludge line, or both. When AreaFix sees the MSGID (which contains your full address) or the FMPT (which shows that you're a point off the address in the message header), and assuming your bossnode has AreaFix set up properly, then AreaFix will internally convert your bossnode address plus point (103/522.4) into your point address (30010/4) and process you normally. In either case, your pointnet address (1:30010/4) will show in the AreaFix reply messages. AreaFix v1.30 User Guide page 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chances are you won't have to change anything, but it's good to know how things work in case something goes wrong. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to Greg Dawson for all the work he put into making the AreaFix utility, and for listening to suggestions from the users. AreaFix is certainly a utility you should not do without. Jeffrey J. Nonken Ophiophile Maximus Fidonet: 1:273/715 Internet: Jeffrey.Nonken@f715.n273.z1.fidonet.org BBS: (215)279-9799 Version 1.30 adapt by George Peace -- 1:270/101.