Image BBS v1.2b Sysop Guide

By no means must you read through this documentation in one sitting, or a day, or a week. Take it in bite-sized (byte-sized?) chunks; I sure remember the intimidation I felt when I saw the original manual…​ Just take a deep breath, have some milk and cookies, and come back to it later. Scribble stuff in the margins.

Tune in, turn on, boot up!

Image BBS has been tested with many different types of peripherals, and usually has no problem running with any Commodore compatible equipment.

If you have any problems, please contact us at one of our support methods listed in this manual for help, and we will do all we can to help you to make Image BBS work with your system.

Some modems and drives deviate from the Commodore standard enough to cause some problems, but this is usually fixable with some patches into the program(s).

Some of the peripherals tested with Image BBS and found to work well are:

Image BBS is designed to use up to eight drives, and possibly use even more with limited functions. It supports:

You will want to plan your setup on what space you have available, so read the following information carefully to help you in this regard.

Although it is possible to run Image BBS using only one 1581 disk drive, we highly recommend you use at least two, since you will find that disk and directory space gets used quickly.

When referring to device, we mean the device number assigned to the particular drive (i.e., one drive online is usually set to device 8, two to 8 and 9, etc.).

When referring to drive, we mean the drive number (or partition if using a hard drive):

You may also “software change” the device number with the BASIC program dv change included on your Image BBS disk, or online with the [cd-command]. If you only have single drives on your system, then the drive numbers will always be zero.

Directory space refers to the number of directory entries available on the drive, which is usually limited, depending on the type of disk drive. A 1541 drive allows 144 directory entries, while an SFD allows 244, etc. Check your drive manual to see what the limitation is.

Drive space refers to blocks used, while blocks free refers to blocks unused on the drive.

Now you will want to plan out which disks you want to use for which functions on the BBS. There are six designated Image “system disks” for BBS functions. These can be combined in any form on any drive or number of drives. They are described as follows:

1: The System disk

Contains mostly SEQuential (text) files that do not change often. Menu files, sub-board entry files, and other text/graphics files are all included on this disk. Also, BBS news files are located here. Will not use too much directory or drive space.

System filenames on this disk start with s..

News filenames start with n..

2: The E-Mail disk

Contains all user E-Mail and Forced E-Mail files. Will use much more directory space than disk space.

E-mail filenames start with m.. Forced e-mail filenames start with f..

Refer to [forced-mail-files] for more information.

If your BBS is part of a network, the NetMail files are stored here. These may take up a significant amount of drive space, but not too much directory space.

NetMail filenames start with nm.

3: The Etcetera disk

Contains miscellaneous files used to supply BBS information. Many online games and functions use one or more of these files to store their data. Some of these files are RELative files, and most of them change frequently. Storage depends on the number and type of online games and programs you are using. If no online programs use the etcetera disk, it will not use too much disk or directory space.

Etcetera filenames start with e..

4: The Directory disk

Contains all directories used on the BBS, whether for sub-boards, U/D libraries, text file libraries, or similar. These files change often, and this disk will use a fair amount of directory space, but not too much disk space.

Directory filenames start with d..

5: The Plus File disk

Contains all BASIC or ML modules needed to run the BBS. They load when needed to execute various functions. None of these files will change, unless modified offline.

Plus file filenames start with several different prefixes based on these categories:

In this revision of Image BBS, the Extended Command Set extension is enabled by default. This gives the sysop more flexibility in several areas. For more information on the ECS system, refer to [ecs-commands].

The initial ml.ecsdefs definition file which the ECS system needs should be copied here also.

6: The User disk

Contains all user data files, which are expanded as new users sign on. There are two files that keep all user information available to the BBS. Two directory entries, a little over one block per user total.

User data filenames are u.config (REL) and u.index (PRG).

Different devices and drives can also be assigned to each of the following:

These need not be the same as any of the six pre-defined system drives, but the above types of files may also be stored on those drives if so desired.

Now, format a new or usable fresh disk (or partition if using a mass-storage device) for each system drive you will have online, and copy over the files from the disk that you backed up.

If using a floppy-based setup, we also suggest that you label each floppy disk with the device and drive number so that you will not get confused as to its purpose.

We’ll start by copying the files, which the BBS needs to function, to their proper system disks.

If you are using a floppy-based setup, you need to make a “boot disk,” from which you will load your Image BBS. This disk is used whenever you are re-loading (booting) your BBS. Just use a blank disk, and copy the following files onto it.

It is fine to put these boot files on your System disk, assuming you have sufficient drive space.

Now you are ready to configure Image BBS!

This program configures the modem to be used with the BBS through a series of questions, which are outlined in the following section.

First, a preview of what it looks like:

Type 16 — Customized is the one you’ll want for operation with a telnet bridge program.

Here is a summary of options presented when that choice is made:

This refers to whether your modem includes ATH in its command set.

When you are logged on to the BBS from the local console, should the modem be taken off-hook so people trying to call in get a busy signal?

This is just a matter of semantics: does your modem use ATH or ATH0 to hang up?

Choose whether to hang up when resetting the modem.

This controls the level of error reporting (1-4) codes used by the modem (VOICE, ERROR, etc.) It is usually left at 4.

TODO: expand this table to include up to 19.2k responses

DTR (Data Terminal Ready) is a connection that tells the DCE (Data Communication Equipment, typically a modem) that the DTE (Data Terminal Equipment, typically a computer or terminal) is ready to transmit and receive data.

Some modems have the logic reversed; if bringing DTR high (toggling it on) signals a disconnect, then select “Reversed.”

You begin by loading the configuration program from your back-up disk. Use the standard Commodore load command (assuming 8 is the device number you’re booting from):

After it is loaded, type run Return. The configuration editor is very complete and self-documenting. You should follow each step in sequence just as they are listed in the configuration menu.

The first menu selection helps define the devices and drives you have to run your BBS on. Selecting the DEVICE/DRIVE menu option will bring up a sub-menu of options. The system of sub-menus will take you completely through your device and drive setup, defining each of the six required system drives, identifying which device and drive they are set to, as decided earlier.

The default values are for device 8, drive 0. To select an option, use the crsr up and crsr down keys. To change the value the highlight bar is on, hit Return. Use this procedure with any menu item in the configuration editor.

You must then assign which access groups may use each of your boards or libraries. Access is calculated using the following method, which is used throughout the BBS. To determine which groups can access a given sub-board or library, add the group’s access value:

You also enter a subop (sub-board operator; a user given an area of the BBS to maintain) for each sub-board/library. This is done by typing the ID number of the user desired. If you are configuring a new BBS, you have no users yet. Therefore, assign the subop duties to either yourself (user 1) or to no-one (user -1). Of course, you may change this later.

Each sub-board/library must be defined as to which device and drive to put the files on (posts, responses, U/D files). The device and drive menu options allow you to set these.

When you’re done with your selections, select the last option, Keep Parameters and you are returned to the prompt to assign another sub-board/library.

When you’re done, simply select the Main Menu option.

You should now define your access groups. There are ten groups, zero through nine. Each one can have different capabilities as you wish.

All new users signing on to the BBS are automatically placed into group zero. The parameters for each group consist of:

Each group has a set of “flags” assigned to users placed in that group. These flags may be customized for individual users at a later time if desired. With this editor, you set the flags as you wish them assigned when first entering the particular group. The flags usually toggle between “Yes” or “No,” but a few require numeric input.

We also suggest that, at least to start, you define group 9 as the most powerful group. When you first log on to your BBS as sysop, you are assigned group 9 access. You may change your access group after logging on for the first time.

When you have completed all assignments for a group, select the Keep Parameters option and move on to another group. When all groups are assigned satisfactorily, choose Return to Main Menu.

Now you get to identify your BBS. Select the BBS Info option from the main menu. It has several specific questions about you and your BBS to help personalize it.

First, the sysop’s information:

You are asked for the handle you have chosen to use on your BBS. This information is assigned to user #1, the sysop account.

You are also asked to provide a password. Choose it carefully since this is usually the most powerful account on the BBS, and you will not want it compromised.

Then you are asked a few other questions that are added to the data in your account to start the user file.

FIXME: tell exactly which prompts are asked.

This information can be changed inside the BBS later, if you desire (using the ED or EP commands).

Prime Time is a period of time where everyone is limited to being online a certain number of minutes, and U/D access is limited to users with the “U/D at Prime Time” flag set. If you are just starting out, you may wish to wait to see how busy your BBS is before setting up Prime Time.

If you decide to set it up, you are asked for:

This information may be changed later if you wish.

When you are finished with the Prime Time option, choose Keep Parameters to return to the BBS Info menu.

This is a message users see when they are not in any particular subsystem. It can be anything you want, but should be short. The default prompt is IMAGE:

After establishing your prompt, return to the BBS Info menu.

The final selection here is to set the number of credit points new users receive when first signing up to your BBS.

Credits are like currency that users accrue or lose depending on their actions on the BBS.

Users earn more credits by uploading files, posting bulletins in the message bases, playing games, using the Credit Exchange (where they can exchange the minutes on unused calls for more credits, and other options), and possibly by other methods. They can also be awarded by the sysop for no good reason!

Users can spend credits by downloading files, or some games may be configured to deduct credits as an entrance fee (such as the Credit Pool).

A new user can be given from 0 to 65,000 credits, but we assume most sysops will not want to assign that many to new users.

This completes the BBS Info section of your configuration!

You may load configuration files at any time to make changes to them as you desire. This can also be done online with the +.reconfig program, but the option is included here for any that may wish to reconfigure their BBS off-line.

You may load individual configuration files, or load all files at once.

FIXME: more info

The last option is to save the configuration files to disk. You are first prompted to insert all system disks into their proper drives, and then the files are saved to the disks.

This completes the configuration of the BBS! You can now select Exit Configuration Editor and choose the appropriate option:

(If you change your mind, you can still escape with ←.)

Return to BASIC ends the program, where you can re-run the program, or do something else, but the program will still be in memory.

Cold start the machine resets the C64 back to BASIC’s sign-on screen, losing any unsaved configuration changes and removing the config program from memory.

Boot Image BBS will boot your BBS, if the file image 1.2b is on your boot disk or current partition/LU.

You are notified if any file(s) have not been written to disk, or if re-writing a particular file will re-start the user log, before exiting the configuration editor.

For now, let’s select Return to BASIC and continue with setting up the modem, discussed in the next chapter.

tcpser is a telnet bridge program which can interface with either a real Commodore 64 via a serial cable, or an emulator. It can be downloaded from:

https://github.com/go4retro/tcpser/

The latest version as of November 2020 is 1.1.4.

This is the same thing as tcpser, except written in Java. You configure it via an XML file (there is a well-documented sample file included), then have the included .bat (Windows batch) or .sh (Linux shell script) file reference that XML configuration file.

The advantages are:

This is a Windows program designed to allow a real Commodore 64 to run Image BBS.

These interfaces plug into the Commodore 64:

Expansion port; plans are available at http://www.go4retro.com/projects/link232/

X-TEC mentions:

FIXME contact info

Sysops with Lt. Kernal hard drives may rename image 1.2b to autostart and have an auto-booting BBS.

TODO: must also set config option to do this in LtK software.

This is shown when no user is connected to the BBS. If no keys are pressed for about ten seconds after the idle screen shows, the screen will blank, protecting your monitor from burn-in.

Press almost any key, or receive an incoming call, and the screen will turn back on.

Along the bottom two lines of the screen is yet more useful information.  The line just below the text display area contains BBS operating information in this order:

The last row on the screen has a Receive window (R:) which displays the last 10 characters received from the modem. When the “trace” function is enabled as described in FIXME, the BASIC line number currently executing appears in the left half of this window.

The center portion of the bottom line can display any sixteen characters you wish. Typical phrases include:

The final section of the bottom line is the Transmit (T:) window. This displays the last 10 characters sent to the modem.

You’re now ready to log in and examine your new Image BBS in action! You can log on and edit your s. files, configure any sub-boards and U/D libraries, or just look around and get acquainted with its features. You may log on either normally or use the “instant” logon feature.

This feature is reserved for the sysop, for it can only be used from the console.  It is meant for a fast, easy way for you to log on to your BBS to do maintenance functions, posting, or anything you would normally do on a call.

The main difference from a regular logon is that none of your stats will be updated or saved to disk, and your last call date will be set to your logon time.

To use the instant logon feature, type I at the Hit RETURN/ENTER prompt. You are prompted for your password, and if the correct accound password is given, you are immediately taken to the main prompt.

A reserved (RES) user is one that you have set up an account for already using the RS command on the BBS. Perhaps you won’t be around to validate the user, for example. (Refer to FIXME for more information.)

They are asked to type their RES ID number and password—​which you should provide them with when you set up their account—​and then be taken through the normal new user application. When they are done, they are logged on with the pre-approved access and credit points that you assign to them.

If a user enters a handle that is not found in the user log, they are asked if they want to log on as a new user using that handle.

If they type Yes, the new user procedure is gone through, beginning with the reading of the file s.new user (but skips the handle prompt).

The new login procedure consists of four parts:

Once the new user login procedure is completed, this user information is put in new user feedback for you to view later with the VF command, and they are taken into the BBS with access group zero status.

If a user enters a handle that already exists, plus a password, then they are asked a random security question:

This is used as an extra security measure. If this question is answered incorrectly, the same procedure regarding the s.errmail and e.telecheck files above is taken.

Once a user has logged on and their password is verified, the top of the sysop screen changes quite a bit from what it shows at the idle screen.

The very top line is the same as discussed in the section “The Status Line.”

The next five lines contain specific information about the user logged on:

Once a user has successfully logged on to the BBS, either remotely or locally, as either a new user or a user with a login ID and password already, the BBS reads the file entitled s.welcome x, and informs them of:

Then it will check for:

Once all of this has been completed, the user is placed at the main command level.

You now should be at the main command level, where you can do many things.

Since this is your first call, you may wish to edit the following files to suit your own tastes and coincide with your BBS plans.  Sample files have been included on the disk, but may be edited or replaced with whatever you wish.

While at the main command prompt, you can use the WF command (Refer to [write-file]) command for this. It gives you access to a line-oriented text editor you can use to edit files. If you have files other than ones included on the setup disks you would like to use, you can import them into the text editor using a “get file” dot command (type .G_ at the left margin).

Here is a summary of the files discussed in this section. Remember, the suffix x stands for the digits 0 or 1, for ASCII or Commodore Color/Graphics files, respectively.

To create or edit these files, use the WF command at the main command level (refer to [the-wf-editor]) . You can also use the .Put and .Get options (refer to [sysop-dot-commands]) in the editor. (Refer to [the-image-text-editor] for more information.)

After editing these files, you will want to set up your sub-boards and U/D libraries if they have not yet been configured. You can create up to 30 sub-boards, 30 U/D libraries, and 30 U/X libraries. To do this and to change them at any time after, you can run the +.reledit program from the main command level:

Type R at the main prompt, then enter:

+.reledit Return.

(Refer to The RELedit System for more information.)

Now your Image BBS is ready to go online for calls! You may wish to post a few bulletins and news files to get the BBS started.

We hope you like Image BBS, and welcome your comments and suggestions.

C requests a chat with the sysop. A short (38 character) reason for chat is requested; the first 16 characters of that is displayed at the programmable window at the bottom of the screen. This reason is also recorded in the call log on disk and printer (if used).

If the left side of Sys is checked, the user is given a message informing them that the sysop is being paged, and the BBS monitor sounds three sirens.

If there is no checkmark, the user is told that you are not available. The s.chat x file is shown, and they are asked if they want to leave feedback instead.

The “reason for request” continues to flash until they log off or you answer the chat page. If the user requests chat more than once without you answering the first chat request, they are told that the page is already on, discouraging them from continuing to type C.

Feedback is “mail” left on the BBS to the sysop(s), that any user with local or remote maintenance access may read. It is left to the sysop(s) by entering F at most prompts, or when logging off. The user is placed into the editor to write their message.

Any user, including a new user, is allowed to leave up to three feedback messages per call. If they try to leave more, they are informed they have left their limit of feedback for that call.

Feedback, along with new user information and error messages, are read by the sysop by typing VF at the main command prompt. (Refer to [the-vf-system].)

? reads a menu of commands available at whichever command level the user happens to be. Depending on how much information is in the menu, a More? prompt for additional command information may appear (although this is put in the menu file itself, and is not always necessary, depending on the file’s length). At this prompt, Y (meaning Yes) continues; most other keys mean No and stop reading the file.

If the user is not at the main prompt, the main menu is then read.

CF shows the file s.config. This file should contain general information about your BBS, perhaps the hardware and software it runs on, its hours (if not 24 hours a day) and anything else interesting about it.

LD The last call date determines which messages on the BBS are new, and which are old. If a user is logged off before they have a chance to see all new messages, they can use this command to move their last call date back the next time they call.

LD prompts how many days to add or subtract (1-999 in either direction), displays the effective last date, then prompts if they’d like to change the time. Once everything is satisfactory, messages newer than that date are considered new, using RN (Read New) or RA (Read All).

There are three separate ways to log off the system:

O or Q will ask if the user really wants to log off (type Yes to confirm). They are asked if they want to leave feedback first. (type Yes to confirm).

O% saves the last call date, in case they did not read all the new messages in the message bases.

O! logs off more quickly, without prompting for feedback.

O% and O! may be combined: O%! logs off more quickly and saves the last call date.

From most prompts (and in some subsystems, just pressing Return) gets the user to the main prompt.

If Q is entered at the main prompt, the user is asked whether they wish to log off, as above.

T displays the current time, the time the user logged on, and the amount of time remaining on the BBS this call.

EP enters a menu which allows a user to change their:

PM toggles Prompt Mode on or off.

When on, when a user reads new messages in the message base (using RN or RA commands), they do not receive the “end-of-bulletin” prompt between message threads, or the [P]ost [N]ext [Q]uit prompt between sub-boards. Useful for callers who want to speed-read or buffer messages.

It also eliminates the prompt after the A (About this file) command in the U/D subsystem.

ST allows users to see their status on the BBS, including:

Then the user is asked if they wish to view this information again. If not, they are returned to the BBS.

SY reads a random “saying” or “fortune,” such as the one read at logon, from the RELative file e.say.

LG Users who have the permission flag set may read the daily log, listing what activities callers have done on the BBS.

BA Users who have the permission flag set may view the Board Activity Register stats as shown between calls. Refer to [board-activity-register] for more details.

AT chooses between Commodore Color/Graphics, plain ASCII, and ANSI graphics. This option is saved to the user file when logging out.

XP Toggles Expert Mode. When on, subsystem and sub-board entry screens are skipped. This option is saved to the user file when logging out.

NU re-reads the s.new user file, read when a new user logs on to the BBS for the first time.

ZZ allows users with local mode access to enter pseudo-local mode so they can do maintenance functions remotely. These functions include copying files, reading directories, sending DOS commands, etc. This is very powerful, and should be given to only the most trusted users on your BBS.

Command stacking is when a sequence of commands to be executed are entered all on one line, with individual commands separated with the up arrow key (^) between the commands. If the following command were entered at the main prompt:

Then the BBS would:

Certain places, such as choosing “quit” in the End of Bulletin prompt, usually clear stacked commands—​if a user realizes they need to do something in the middle of executing the stacked commands, their only recourse is to hold down the spacebar to stop the rest of the command stack from executing.

Refer to MACS on how to automate command stacking.

FIXME