sbbsunix.txt 16.46 KiB
Synchronet for Unix
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
By: Rob Swindell (digital man)
http://www.synchro.net
$Id$
The information in this file is current as of the date above. The answers and
instructions in this file may change over time, so be sure to get the current
version of this file at ftp://ftp.synchro.net/sbbsunix.txt
or ViewCVS at
http://cvs.synchro.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/docs/sbbsunix.txt
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
=====================================
Q. What flavors of Unix (and Unix-like operating systems) are supported?
A. Currently, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, QNX and Solaris-x86.
Q. What distributions of Linux are supported?
A. Should work with any GNU/Linux-x86 distribution (e.g. RedHat, Mandrake,
Debian, Slackware, etc.).
Q. Linking error: undefined reference: '__ctype_b'
A: This is an issue linking the JavaScript library for Linux (libjs.a) on
RedHat Linux 9 and Mandrake Linux 9 using glibc v2.3.2-11+.
This issue has been resolved with the addition of libjs.so and libnspr4.so
to the CVS repository (in the lib/mozilla directory). If you're having this
problem, run "cvs update" in your lib and src/sbbs3 directories and
rebuild.
Another solution is to use the lib[moz]js.so file included with your Linux
distribution (if it is). See installation steps 1.E and 1.F for more
details.
Q. Are non-x86 (Alpha, SPARC, 68k, PowerPC, etc) processors supported?
A. Not currently. Synchronet assumes a little-endian processor. It *may* work
on other little-endian processors (e.g. Alpha), but hasn't been tested.
Big-endian support is currently being developed for the v3.20 time-frame.
Q. Will Synchronet ever support big-endian and/or 64-bit processors?
A. Yes, that is the plan.
Q. Where do I get Synchronet for Unix?
A. There are no binary distributions at this time, so you must get the source
code from the Synchronet CVS repository (cvs.synchro.net).
See the step-by-step instructions below for details.
Q. Will there be binary releases?
A. Yes, some day soon. Or maybe a binary installer that will come with source
code and build it for you.
Q. Can I mix Synchronet for Unix and Synchronet for Win32 or DOS or OS/2 nodes
on the same BBS?
A. Yes. As long as all the nodes can access the same live data files (via LAN)
you can have as many instances of Synchronet on as many different platforms
as you wish.
Q. Does Synchronet for Unix support external DOS programs/doors?
A. Currently, only the FreeBSD build has doscmd support "built-in" (and this
"support" requires Deuce's version of doscmd with FOSSIL emulation):
http://nix.synchro.net/doscmd.gz
Other platforms can use DOSEMU or whatever is available for running DOS
programs.
There's a patch for "building-in" DOSEMU support with Synchronet for Linux: http://forge.icequake.net/syncmods/index.html
and a FAQ for using DOSEMU with Synchronet for Linux (without a patch):
http://www.exeonline.com/bbs/howto-doors.txt
Q. What external programs/doors does Synchronet for Unix support?
A. External programs can either use standard I/O (e.g. bash, pico, Lord/X,
PimpWars) or socket I/O (e.g. Synchronet XSDK doors).
Q. Does Synchronet for Unix require X-Windows?
A. No, Synchronet for Unix is currently a console-based application.
Q. Are there any plans to make an X-Windows front-end for Synchronet?
A. Yes, but it will be optional.
Step-by-step Instructions
=========================
Note: These instructions assume you are already logged in as 'root'.
Note: Skip to step 8 if you are updating an existing Synchronet installation.
1. Get the required installation and source code modules from CVS:
A. Create the Synchronet BBS directory on your file system:
mkdir /sbbs
B. Change to this directory:
cd /sbbs
*> Optional Shortcut:
*> At this point you can copy the file from this url:
*> http://cvs.synchro.net/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/~checkout~/install/GNUmakefile
*> into the /sbbs directory, run "gmake install", and then skip ahead to
*> step 5.
C. Get the required installation modules from the CVS repository:
export CVSROOT=:pserver:anonymous@cvs.synchro.net:/cvsroot/sbbs
cvs login
(no password - just hit enter)
cvs co run-sbbs3
D. Get the required source code modules from the CVS repository:
cvs co src-sbbs3
*> Optional Shortcut (existing JavaScript library):
*> If your Unix distribution includes the file /usr/lib/libjs.so or
*> /usr/lib/libmozjs.so, you can save a lot of time by using this
*> library instead of the one supplied in the Synchronet CVS repository.
*> If you have /usr/lib/libmozjs.so (instead of libjs.so), you can either:
*> Create a symlink or copy of this file with the name /usr/lib/libjs.so
*> or specify "JSLIB=mozjs" on the "gmake" command-line mentioned later.
*> If your system already has the JavaScript library, skip ahead to step 2.
E. Get the required JavaScript library for your platform and build type:
cvs co lib/mozilla/js/linux.debug
or:
cvs co lib/mozilla/js/linux.release
or:
cvs co lib/mozilla/js/freebsd.debug
etc.
Note: If you want to get the full source code to the Mozilla JavaScript
library to build it yourself, the cvs repository is:
:pserver:anonymous@cvs-mirror.mozilla.org:/cvsroot
the module name is mozilla/js/src.
F. Get the required NSPR library for your platform and build type:
cvs co lib/mozilla/nspr/linux.debug
or: cvs co lib/mozilla/nspr/linux.release
or:
cvs co lib/mozilla/nspr/freebsd.debug
etc.
Note: This step is not necessary if your system already has the file
/usr/lib/libnspr4.so
G. Create symbolic links to the Mozilla Libraries (JavaScript and NSPR) in
your /usr/lib directory:
cd /usr/lib; ln -s /sbbs/lib/mozilla/*/linux.debug/*.so .
or: Add these two directories to your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment
variable.
2. Build Synchronet:
Prerequisite: curses
You must have either the curses or ncurses headers and library files
installed on your system, or you must remove the USE_CURSES definition
from the various GNUmakefiles in the src/sbbs3 tree. If you have the
files /usr/include/curses.h and /usr/lib/libcurses.a then you're ready
to continue.
A. Change to this directory:
cd /sbbs/src/sbbs3
B. Build the main executable (and utilities):
gmake
(please report build errors to rob@synchro.net)
Note: Warnings (if any) can be safely ignored
Note: If you're linking with /usr/lib/libmozjs.so, don't forget to add
"JSLIB=mozjs" to the gmake command-line
Note: To debug compile/link command-line problems, adding "VERBOSE=1"
to the gmake command-line can be very helpful
C. Change to this directory:
cd /sbbs/src/sbbs3/scfg
D. Build the Synchronet configuration utility (SCFG):
gmake
(please report build errors to rob@synchro.net)
Note: Warnings (if any) can be safely ignored
E. Congratulate yourself on a job well-done.
3. Prepare the "exec" directory:
A. Change to this directory:
cd /sbbs/exec
B. Copy (or create symbolic links to) the following files:
/sbbs/src/sbbs3/gcc.linux.exe.debug/*
/sbbs/src/sbbs3/scfg/gcc.linux.exe.debug/scfg
/sbbs/src/sbbs3/scfg/gcc.linux.exe.debug/scfghelp.ixb
/sbbs/src/sbbs3/scfg/gcc.linux.exe.debug/scfghelp.dat
(the paths will be different for other platforms or release builds)
C. Copy (or create symbolic links to) the following shared libraries:
/sbbs/src/sbbs3/gcc.linux.lib.debug/lib*.so
(the paths will be different for other platforms or release builds)
Note: Another option is to create the symbolic links in your /usr/lib
directory:
cd /usr/lib; ln -s /sbbs/src/sbbs3/gcc.linux.lib.debug/*.so .
OR: set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable to point to your
gcc.<os>.lib.<build> directory:
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/sbbs/src/sbbs3/gcc.linux.lib.debug
D. Build the required Baja {tm} modules:
gmake
4. Prepare the "xtrn" directory:
A. Change to this directory:
cd /sbbs/xtrn/sbj
B. Build Synchronet Blackjack:
gmake
C. Change to this directory:
cd /sbbs/xtrn/sbl
D. Build Synchronet BBS List:
gmake
5. Configure the BBS:
A. Run SCFG:
/sbbs/exec/scfg /sbbs/ctrl
(if you have problems with the curses interface, try running
"scfg -d" instead)
Tip: Set the SBBSCTRL environment variable and you won't have to specify
the path to the "ctrl" directory on the command-line:
export SBBSCTRL=/sbbs/ctrl
B. Change SCFG->Networks->QWK->Hubs->VERT:
Pack Command Line zip -j -D %f %s
Unpack Command Line unzip -o -j %f %s -d %g
Call-out Command Line *qnet-ftp VERT vert.synchro.net YOURPASS
(see docs/dove-net.txt for more details)
C. You should also consider configuring important details about your BBS
(like the name) in SCFG->System.
6. Running Synchronet:
1. Set the SBBSCTRL environment variable to point to your "ctrl" directory:
export SBBSCTRL=/sbbs/ctrl
2. Run the main executable (with default settings/options):
/sbbs/exec/sbbs
3. To view available command-line options, run:
/sbbs/exec/sbbs help | more
4. To view default settings (node and port numbers), run:
/sbbs/exec/sbbs defaults
5. To change the default settings, edit the file:
/sbbs/ctrl/sbbs.ini
6. For more details, see /sbbs/docs/sbbscon.txt
7. Debugging:
A. Run the GNU debugger:
gdb /sbbs/exec/sbbs
B. Run Synchronet:
run
C. After segfault, display back-trace:
bt
D. Copy and paste in e-mail to rob@synchro.net
8. Updating/synchronizing the source code with the CVS repository:
A. Change to your Synchronet installation directory:
cd /sbbs
B. Back-up your working exec directory:
cp -a exec exec.bak
C. Get the latest changes from CVS:
export CVSROOT=:pserver:anonymous@cvs.synchro.net:/cvsroot/sbbs
cvs login
(no password - just hit enter)
cvs update docs exec xtrn src lib include
D. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 (only).
E. Shutdown and re-run sbbs.
F. You're done. :-)
Default Configuration (SCFG) Screen-shots
=========================================
[Viewable File Type]
1: File Extension zip
2: Command Line unzip -C -l %s
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Viewable File Type]
1: File Extension tgz
2: Command Line tar -tzf %s
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Viewable File Type]
1: File Extension tar
2: Command Line tar -tf %s
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Testable File Type]
1: File Extension zip
2: Command Line unzip -t %f
3: Working String Testing ZIP Integrity...
4: Access Requirements UNIX
[Testable File Type]
1: File Extension zip
2: Command Line zip -z %f < %zzipmsg.txt
3: Working String Adding ZIP Comment...
4: Access Requirements UNIX
[Testable File Type]
1: File Extension tgz
2: Command Line tar -tzf %s
3: Working String Testing TGZ Integrity...
4: Access Requirements UNIX
[Testable File Type]
1: File Extension tar
2: Command Line tar -tf %s
3: Working String Testing TAR Integrity...
4: Access Requirements UNIX
[Extractable File Type]
1: File Extension zip
2: Command Line unzip -C -o -j %f %s -d %g3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Extractable File Type]
1: File Extension tgz
2: Command Line tar -xzf %f %s -C %g
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Extractable File Type]
1: File Extension tar
2: Command Line tar -xf %f %s -C %g
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Compressable File Type]
1: File Extension zip
2: Command Line zip -j -D %f %s
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Compressable File Type]
1: File Extension tgz
2: Command Line tar -czf %f %s
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[Compressable File Type]
1: File Extension tar
2: Command Line tar -cf %f %s
3: Access Requirements UNIX
[File Transfer Protocol]
1: Mnemonic (Command Key) X
2: Protocol Name Xmodem (SZ)
3: Access Requirements UNIX
4: Upload Command Line rz --xmodem
5: Download Command Line sz --xmodem %f
6: Batch Upload Command Line
7: Batch Download Command Line
8: Bi-dir Command Line
9: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
10: Supports DSZLOG No
[File Transfer Protocol]
1: Mnemonic (Command Key) Y
2: Protocol Name Ymodem (SZ)
3: Access Requirements UNIX
4: Upload Command Line rz --ymodem
5: Download Command Line sz --ymodem %f
6: Batch Upload Command Line rz --ymodem
7: Batch Download Command Line sz --ymodem %s
8: Bi-dir Command Line
9: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
10: Supports DSZLOG No
[File Transfer Protocol]
1: Mnemonic (Command Key) Z
2: Protocol Name Zmodem (SZ)
3: Access Requirements UNIX
4: Upload Command Line rz -p -R
5: Download Command Line sz %f
6: Batch Upload Command Line rz -p -R
7: Batch Download Command Line sz %s
8: Bi-dir Command Line
9: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
10: Supports DSZLOG No
[File Transfer Protocol]
1: Mnemonic (Command Key) K
2: Protocol Name Kermit (G-Kermit)
3: Access Requirements UNIX
4: Upload Command Line gkermit -q -P -r -a %f
5: Download Command Line gkermit -q -P -s %f
6: Batch Upload Command Line 7: Batch Download Command Line gkermit -q -P -s %s
8: Bi-dir Command Line
9: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
10: Supports DSZLOG No
[Native (32-bit) Program List]
1: cmd.exe
2: sh
3: csh
4: bash
5: node
6: zip
7: unzip
[Pico (Pine Composer) Editor]
1: Name Pico (Pine Composer)
2: Internal Code PICO
3: Remote Command Line pico -t -o %g %f
4: Access Requirements UNIX
5: Intercept Standard I/O Yes
6: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
7: Use Shell to Execute No
8: Quoted Text Prompt User
9: QuickBBS Style (MSGTMP) No
10: Expand Line Feeds to CRLF Yes
11: Strip FidoNet Kludge Lines No
12: BBS Drop File Type None
[Synchronet BBS List]
1: Name Synchronet BBS List
2: Internal Code SBL
3: Start-up Directory ../xtrn/sbl
4: Command Line sbl%.
5: Clean-up Command Line
6: Execution Cost None
7: Access Requirements
8: Execution Requirements
9: Multiple Concurrent Users Yes
10: Intercept Standard I/O No
11: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
12: Use Shell to Execute No
13: Modify User Data No
14: Execute on Event No
15: BBS Drop File Type Synchronet XTRN.DAT
16: Place Drop File In Node Directory
[Synchronet Blackjack!]
1: Name Synchronet Blackjack!
2: Internal Code SBJ
3: Start-up Directory ../xtrn/sbj
4: Command Line sbj%. /l
5: Clean-up Command Line sbjclean%.
6: Execution Cost None
7: Access Requirements
8: Execution Requirements
9: Multiple Concurrent Users Yes
10: Intercept Standard I/O No
11: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
12: Use Shell to Execute No
13: Modify User Data Yes
14: Execute on Event No
15: BBS Drop File Type Synchronet XTRN.DAT
16: Place Drop File In Node Directory
[Synchronet Configuration]
1: Name Synchronet Configuration
2: Internal Code SCFG
3: Start-up Directory
4: Command Line %!scfg -d -l%r
5: Clean-up Command Line 6: Execution Cost None
7: Access Requirements SYSOP
8: Execution Requirements
9: Multiple Concurrent Users No
10: Intercept Standard I/O Yes
11: Native (32-bit) Executable Yes
12: Use Shell to Execute No
13: Modify User Data No
14: Execute on Event No
15: BBS Drop File Type None
16: Place Drop File In Node Directory
SBBSecho zip/unzip configuration (ctrl/sbbsecho.cfg)
================================
PACKER ZIP 0 504B
PACK zip -j %f %s
UNPACK unzip -o -j %f -d %s
Send comments/questions to rob@synchro.net
/* End of sbbsunix.txt */