478 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
478 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
InterMail Software Inc. InterMail Demo Manual - Jun 29 1994
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=====================================================================
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Copyright 1992-1994 InterMail Software Inc. All rights reserved.
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Written by Bill Cassidy, 1:249/1 and Patrik Bertilsson, 1:369/102.
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This short manual is a quick guide to help you through the basic
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installation of the demo version of InterMail. It will not however be
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sufficient for you to learn everything about InterMail and make a
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perfect setup. To do that, you will need the 450 page softcover bound
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manual which you will receive when you purchase InterMail. The manual
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for our echomail tosser InterEcho is not ready yet. Please read
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README.1ST for info about other files.
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Table of Contents
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-----------------
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1. Installation
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2. The Internal SIO driver
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3. Using X00
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4. BBS
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5. Multi-Line
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6. Dial Commands
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7. Routing
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8. The Nodelist Control Table
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9. Semaphore files
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10. Command Line Switches (Ringmaster)
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11. Where to Get Help
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Installation
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------------
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Expand this file package into a temporary directory, for example
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\TEMP. Change to your \TEMP directory and then run INSTALL.EXE. The
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Installation Program will ask a few questions about you which you
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simply fill in.
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You will be presented with a list of modems, from which you choose
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your own or a similar modem. If you later find that the chosen modem
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is not working perfectly, you may choose another one and do this over
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again, as many times as necessary. You can later customize the modem
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settings as well to suit your own purposes.
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The last screen in the Installation Program will provide you with the
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default directories that you would like InterMail to use.
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A small nodelist IMLIST.* will be unarchived to the \IM\NODELIST
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directory. If you would like to use the FidoNet nodelist, you may
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later copy the NODELIST.* file to \IM\NODELIST. Use the program
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XLAXDIFF for the NODEDIFF.A* difference files. XLAXDIFF is not
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bundled with InterMail.
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The Internal Serial Driver
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--------------------------
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InterMail will primarily use its own internal routines for handling
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the serial port. The internal routines provide full support for the
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FIFOs of the buffered 16550A UART. They are highly optimized and will
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usually prove slightly more efficient than an external FOSSIL driver.
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If you start IM.EXE without first having installed a FOSSIL,
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InterMail will use its internal serial driver. If you start a FOSSIL,
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like X00, before IM.EXE, InterMail will not use the internal driver,
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unless you force it to with the /NF (No Fossil) command line option.
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Example:
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im /nf
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In some cases it may be desirable to use an external FOSSIL driver.
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Some multitasking environments like Windows, may mask the registers
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of the UART chip, so that InterMail cannot correctly identify the
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chip or enable the FIFOs. The internal serial routines will only work
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on a standard port 1 and a standard port 2. If you would like to use
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other serial ports, you will need to use X00. DESQview users may also
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find that only one serial port will work with the internal serial
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routine.
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Using X00
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---------
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X00 is an external FOSSIL driver that can be loaded via CONFIG.SYS or
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IMRUN.BAT, the batch file that Install creates for running InterMail.
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Example from CONFIG.SYS:
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device=c:\im\x00.sys e b,0,38400 t=512 r=1024
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The above installs X00 on serial port 1, eliminates X00's opening
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screen, locks the com port at 38400 bps, sets the transmit buffer to
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512 bytes and the receive buffer to 1024 bytes.
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Example from IMRUN.BAT:
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x00.exe e b,1,2400
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The above installs X00 as a TSR on serial port 2, eliminates X00's
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opening screen and locks the com port at 2400 bps.
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If you have trouble with X00, you may use XU S to see the status of
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your ports.
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BBS
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---
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InterMail can start your BBS program. If an incoming call is a human
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using a terminal program, IM.EXE can create a DOBBS.BAT and then exit
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to IMRUN.BAT with a specific errorlevel. The IMRUN.BAT will then
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start the DOBBS.BAT which in its turn starts the EXEBBS.BAT file,
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which finally starts your BBS software. When the caller is finished,
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the BBS program terminates and your EXEBBS.BAT starts the IMRUN.BAT
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file, which starts the mailer again.
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In IMSETUP.EXE, type in which errorlevel IM.EXE should exit with,
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in Modem -> Advanced setup -> Connect strings -> BBSexit
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# Connect Message Speed EC BBSexit Terminate
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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1 CONNECT| 300 N 99 0
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2 CONNECT 1200| 1200 N 99 0
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3 CONNECT 1200/ 1200 Y 99 0
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4 CONNECT 1275 1200 N 99 0
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5 CONNECT 7512 1200 N 99 0
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6 CONNECT 2400| 2400 N 99 0
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7 CONNECT 2400/ 2400 Y 99 0
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8 CONNECT 4800 4800 Y 99 0
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9 CONNECT 7200 7200 Y 99 0
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10 CONNECT 9600 9600 Y 99 0
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11 CONNECT 12000 12000 Y 99 0
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12 CONNECT 14400 14400 Y 99 0
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13 CONNECT 16800 16800 Y 99 0
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14 CONNECT 19200 19200 Y 99 0
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15 CONNECT 21600 21600 Y 99 0
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16 CONNECT 24000 24000 Y 99 0
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17 CONNECT 26400 26400 Y 99 0
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18 CONNECT 28800 28800 Y 99 0
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19 CONNECT 38400 38400 Y 99 0
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Set Mailer -> Errorlevel -> Create BAT.file = Yes
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Set Mailer -> Miscellaneous -> Mail-only (no BBS) = No
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Set Mailer -> Miscellaneous -> BBS software name
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Set Manager -> Events -> Edit -> Behavior -> Allow users ... = Yes
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Make sure your IMRUN.BAT looks similar to this:
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:loop
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cd \im
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im.exe /#1 /nf
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if errorlevel 99 dobbs
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if errorlevel 50 goto InterEcho
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if errorlevel 10 exit
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if errorlevel 8 exit
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if errorlevel 4 goto fatal
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if errorlevel 3 goto dspace
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if errorlevel 1 goto fatal
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goto loop
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The DOBBS.BAT is created by InterMail to start the EXEBBS.BAT with
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these parameters:
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%1 = Connect speed, not locked port speed.
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%2 = Communication port number.
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%3 = Minutes to the next event that doesn't allow BBS calls.
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%4 = Reminder of connect message from modem, e.g. ARQ, MNP etc.
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%5 = Mailer server number.
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The hardest part is the EXEBBS.BAT file. It will be started from
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\IM, start your BBS program, use the %1, %2, %3, %4, %5 variables
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and finally start the IMRUN.BAT. This is a very short example:
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cd \bbsdir
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mybbs -b%1%4 -p%2 -T%3 %5
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cd \im
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imrun
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Multi-Line
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----------
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You may use up to 4 phone lines in this demo version. Each line needs
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a running copy of IM.EXE. This means that you need a multi-tasking
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environment like DESQview, OS/2 or Windows, but you may also use a
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LAN (Local Area Network). Make sure you load SHARE.EXE on all PC's.
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If you plan to use InterMail on a LAN, we suggest you use the same
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drive letter on all work stations for logon to the drive where
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InterMail is installed, for example drive I:. On the PC where the
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drive is located physically, you may use the DOS SUBST program, for
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example:
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subst I: C:\
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Wherever you look in your LAN, InterMail is always on drive I. In
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the IMSETUP program, you may change all paths to drive I.
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There are several different ways to setup InterMail as a multi-line
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system, depending on the result you want. The easiest way to add an
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extra phone line is to do this:
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In the IMSETUP.EXE:
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1. Global -> Mail Server ID#, enter "2".
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2. Global -> Filenames, enter a unique packets directory and
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a unique log file, for example I:\LOG\IMLOG.002.
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3. Modem -> Modem Selection, choose modem.
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4. Modem -> Advanced setup -> Hardware, set the port, speed etc.
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Create \IM\NODE1 and \IM\NODE2.
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Rename IMRUN.BAT to IMRUN01.BAT
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Copy IMRUN01.BAT to IMRUN02.BAT
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Edit IMRUN01.BAT: and IMRUN02.BAT
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:loop :loop
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cd \im\node1 cd \im\node2
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im.exe /#1 /nf im.exe /#2 /nf
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Copy \IM\EXEBBS.BAT to \IM\NODE1\EXEBBS.BAT
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Copy \IM\EXEBBS.BAT to \IM\NODE2\EXEBBS.BAT
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Delete \IM\EXEBBS.BAT
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Edit \IM\NODE1\EXEBBS.BAT so it starts the proper BBS node.
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You should now be able to run both mailers at the same time. They
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will all share the nodelist, netmail area, message base, and *.exe
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files. The extra cost in hard drive space is less than 50 kb per
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phone line. They will use identical addresses (AKAs) and colours, but
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you may have unique routing (ROUTEIM.002), dial commands
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(DIALCTL.002) and event configs.
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If you want different AKA's on another mail server, then you should
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use different FD.SYS files. Copy FD.SYS to \IM\NODE2, \IM\NODE3 etc.
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Change the environment variable IM to the path for FD.SYS. Example:
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Set IM=I:\IM for the mailer #1
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Set IM=I:\IM\NODE2 for the mailer #2
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Set IM=I:\IM\NODE3 for the mailer #3
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When you start IMSETUP, make sure you have the right path. It is easy
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to accidentally change to the wrong mail server. You can still share
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the nodelist, message base, *.exe, events, routing etc if you like,
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but you can also for example choose to have only the nodelist, *.exe
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and semaphore directories as common.
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Dial Commands
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-------------
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A sample DIALCTL.001 for a US Robotics HST Dual Standard on Mail
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Server #1 might look like this:
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V32 ATB0|
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HST ATB1&K3|
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H14 ATB1&K3|
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H16 ATB1&K3|
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1:249/119 AT&K0&M0&N3|
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1:249/120 AT&K0&M0&N3|
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The last two are 2400 baud nodes and it's sometimes helpful to force
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2400 baud connects with no compression or error correction when using
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an HST or a Dual Standard.
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Since InterMail works with all nodelist flags, be sure you have
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entries for the HST, H14 and H16 flags if you wish to initiate an
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HST/HST connection whenever possible.
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Routing
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-------
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The first mailer server uses ROUTE.IM, the second ROUTEIM.002, etc.
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If you have previously been using FrontDoor, change the "*" wildcards
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to the word "All" in your routing file and don't use the DIRECT
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routing command as it is not supported by InterMail.
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Example of ROUTE.IM for someone in Zone 1, Net 249:
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;----------------------------------------------------------------
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; InterMail Routing File - Node 1 Last update: 21 May
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;----------------------------------------------------------------
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;
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; GLOBAL ROUTING SECTION
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; These routings happen during all schedules unless redefined
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; within an individual schedule block.
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;
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forward-to MyNet/all ; Who we'll accept forwarding of netmail to
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forward-for 1:369/102 ; Who we'll allow forwarding of netmail for
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files-to MyNet/all ; Who we'll send files to through our system
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route-files 1:249/100 ; Specific routing of files to node 249/100
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101 102
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;
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; Route netmail to my Hub - all mail goes to the Hub except nodes
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; listed in the no-route statement below. The hold statement may
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; be used with all nodelist flags and within each schedule block.
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; InterMail uses the wildcards "MyNet/All" and "All" in all routing.
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;
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route-to 1:249/1 1:All 2:All 3:All 4:All 5:All 6:All
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no-route 1:249/101 106 114 1:369/102
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route-to 1:369/102 1:369/all
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hold 1:249/106 H14 H16 ZYX !CM 1:369/102
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;
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; SCHEDULES
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;
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Schedule @ All ; Default
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;
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Schedule A H16 ; Only H16 Nodes will qualify for mail.
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deny MyNet/All
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unhold H16
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;
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Schedule P All ; Unhold mail (if any) and poll the Hub
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unhold 1:249/1
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poll 1:249/1
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;
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Schedule Z All ; Zone Mail hour // Hold everything
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hold all
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; end of file
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Nodelist Control Table
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----------------------
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The nodelist Control Table has several important functions. The file
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is named FDNODE.CTL and can be edited in the Nodelist Manager or by
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any ASCII editor.
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If a file named NODELIST with a numerical extension, e.g.
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NODELIST.004 or NODELIST.144, exists in \IM\NODELIST, it will be used
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when you compile the nodelist with IMNC /C or F9 in IMNC.EXE
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If several files with different extensions exist, the Nodelist
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Manager will pick the one with the highest number.
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The PVTLIST statement allows additional nodelists to be added so that
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you can participate in more than one network. Any nodelist that
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doesn't follow the NODELIST.### naming convention can be included
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with the PVTLIST command, for example:
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PvtList imlist.*
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If no path is included in the name, the Nodelist Manager will assume
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that the file is in the nodelist directory specified in IMSetup.
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In order for InterMail to be able to use a centrally distributed
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nodelist, the phone numbers in the nodelist have to follow the same
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format everywhere. This format includs country code and area code,
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but not the extra digit that is used in many countries to dial a
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long-distance call. For example:
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A number in the 613 area code in Canada might look like this in the
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nodelist: 1-613-555-5555. To dial the same number locally, you would
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dial 555-5555. If you were within the 613 area, and this was not a
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local call for you, you would dial 1-555-5555. The same number dialed
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from any place in North America outside the 613 area would be dialed
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exactly as it appears in the nodelist.
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To handle the phone number translation, InterMail uses a dialing
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table in the Control file. The table starts with the word DIAL and
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ends with the word END. When you install InterMail, this table is
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created automatically so that it will handle most calls from your
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area code, but you may wish to improve on it to handle non-local
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calls within your area code. The original table may look like this:
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DIAL / 011/#
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1-613-555- 1-555 ; long distance within the 613 area
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1-613- ; local calls
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1- 1- ; within the U.S. and Canada
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END
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The format for the rest of the table is that you first specify the
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part of a phone number that you want to translate and then what you
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wish to replace it with. In the example, 1-613-555- would be
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abbreviated to 1-555-. If part of a number should be deleted, the
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second parameter on the line can be left empty.
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The example table could be improved by adding exchanges in the 613
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area code which are not local calls wherever InterMail is located.
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1-613-444- 1-444-
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1-613-777- 1-777-
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NOTE: A change in the dialing table requires that you recompile the
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nodelist before it can take effect.
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The cost table is used to inform InterMail of the cost per minute for
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each area it is likely to dial. The table starts with the word COST
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and ends with the word END. The format is similar to that of the
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dialing table:
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COST 65 350
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1-613- 0 ; local call
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1-212- 45 ; New York
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44- 110 ; United Kingdom
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46- 125 ; Sweden
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END
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The COST command takes two parameters: the default national cost and
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the default international cost. The format of the rest of the list is
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simple. First enter the beginning of a phone number (country code and
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area code, where applicable) and then the highest daytime cost per
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minute of calling it.
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Semaphore files
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---------------
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A feature in InterMail exists where you can force the mailer to drop
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to your IMRUN.BAT file with a specified errorlevel, and can be useful
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in multi-node BBS setups, effectively enabling one BBS task to
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communicate with another Mail Server. (This also works over a LAN,
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assuming the semaphore directories are identical).
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To cause this exit with your specified errorlevel, simply make a file
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called IMEXIT##.??? in your semaphore directory, where ## is the mail
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server number and ??? is the errorlevel you would like the mailer to
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exit with. IMEXIT00.??? will tell ALL InterMail tasks using that
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semaphore directory to exit with that errorlevel. DOS command:
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REM > C:\IM\SEMA\IMEXIT01.249
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would cause Mail Server #1 to exit with errorlevel 249.
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The IMSLEEP.NOW will temporarily put all Mailers to sleep, making
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them suspend all activites and release the nodelist files. The
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IMSLEEP.NOW is created by the IMNC and the FREENODE. The IMSLEEP.NOW
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may be removed by FREENODE /U (Undo). This feature is very usefull
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for nodelist updates in a multiline system.
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Command Line Switches
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---------------------
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InterMail can also use a number of command line switches which are
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added to your IMRUN.BAT. Some of the switches that are available with
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InterMail are:
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/#[mail server #] Load the Mailer as a specific mail server.
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/BSY:[path] Enable support for Squish style *.BSY files.
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/L:[password] Loads the Mailer with a keyboard password.
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/NF No Fossil. Use InterMail's built-in SIO driver.
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/RDBG Routing debug mode.
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/TIME Display time stamp for messages on screen.
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/NOUNPACK Prevents the Mailer from unpacking any mail.
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/RM1 RingMaster or "distinctive ringing" support.
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InterMail can detect phone number 1 and 2 if
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invoked with the parameters /rm1 or /rm2.
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/ZMAX:[block size] Set maximum block size for Zmodem. Use 32,
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64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048 or 4096. Use if
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you often get bad phone lines.
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To setup Mail Server #1 with the built-in SIO driver and Squish type
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*.BSY file support, you would need the following in your IMRUN.BAT:
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im /#1 /nf /bsy:c:\im\out.sq
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Where to get help
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-----------------
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For information and tips about using InterMail, you can link up to
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the international FidoNet INTERMAIL echo. The echo is available from
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your NEC or Hub and participants in the echo will be glad to offer
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suggestions and hints on how to get the most out of your new
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InterMail package.
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All brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks
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of their respective holders.
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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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InterMail Software Inc. Voice 1-305-436-1587
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10620 Washington Street #101 Fax 1-305-436-5587
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Hollywood, FL 33025-3552 BBS 1-305-436-1884
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USA Fido 1:369/102
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InterMailNet 211:211/0
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