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New document describes how to get technical support for Synchronet.

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<h1 align="center">Synchronet Technical Support</h1>
<h3>Support is on a Voluntary Basis</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Just as Synchronet is developed by volunteers, it is supported by volunteers.</p>
<p>No one is obligated to help anyone else with Synchronet. However, Synchronet
sysops, users, and (especially) developers, are usually interested (and often feel
compelled) in helping
other sysops, users, and developers understand and overcome technical issues, of all kinds, related to
Synchronet. These <i>&quot;support-givers&quot;</i> are strictly volunteers, spontaneously giving of their
free time, to help others enjoy Synchronet as much as possible.</p>
<p>The primary Synchronet <i>support-giver </i>is also the primary developer and
author of this document, <a href="http://synchro.net/author.html">Rob Swindell</a>
(AKA <i>digital man</i>). Generally speaking, the information provided by me can
be trusted to be the most accurate and researched. I do my best to provide
complete and accurate answers to questions, and no one is more intimate with the
inner-workings of Synchronet than I. However, I discourage direct e-mail support
as we want others to be able to learn from the questions and experiences of
others, as well as give an opportunity for other Synchronet <i>support-givers</i>
to field questions as much as possible.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Where to Find Support</h3>
<ol>
<li><b>Documentation (RTFM)</b><br>
If you already have Synchronet
installed, then read the files or perform a text search in the Synchronet <tt>
<a href="ftp://ftp.synchro.net/docs">docs</a></tt> directory.<br>
<br>
If you
haven't already, read the <a href="http://synchro.net/docs/sysop.html">HTML
Sysop Documentation</a>. It is somewhat out-dated at this time (updated as of
v3.00c-Win32), but still
contains most of the relevant information needed to configure and run a
Synchronet v3 BBS. <br>
<br>
Read the <a href="http://synchro.net/answers.html">answers</a> to frequently
asked questions (FAQs).<br>
<br>
Many Synchronet documents were written by different people at different
times during the 10-year history of Synchronet and are of a different style
and quality.<br>
<br>
If you have trouble understanding a portion of a document, try reading the
rest of the document to put it in context, or re-read the portion out-loud to
yourself, a friend, or family member (which forces you to slow down your
reading, hopefully).<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Discussion Groups<br>
</b>There are a number of Synchronet-related discussion groups that are very
active and you can anticipate a response quickly.<br>
They include:<br>
<br><ul><tt>
<li><a href="news:alt.bbs.synchronet">USENET</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; alt.bbs.synchronet<li><a href="ftp://ftp.synchro.net/docs/dove-net.txt">DOVE-Net</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Synchronet Discussion, Synchronet Sysops, and Synchronet Programming<br>
<li><a href="http://www.fidonet.org/">FidoNet</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; SYNCHRONET, SYNC_SYSOPS, and SYNC_PROGRAMMING<br>
<li><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/synchronet/">Yahoo!
Group</a> Synchronet BBS Discussion Group</tt></ul><br>
Before posting a message on one of these discussion groups, it is expected
that you will first search through the previously posted messages for messages
related to the issue you have questions about. Your question may have already
been answered recently. Several times even.<br>
<br>
If you post a message, it is expected that you will read any replies to your
message and post a reply with answers to any follow-up questions from <i>
support-givers</i> or the results of any suggested actions by <i>
support-givers</i>. More details about the recommended content of your message
will follow later in this document.<br>
<br>
You can access the main Synchronet support discussion groups, that are gated
between DOVE-Net, USENET, and FidoNet, on <i>Vertrauen</i> via
<a href="news://vert.synchro.net/">NNTP</a>,
<a href="telnet://vert.synchro.net">Telnet</a>, or
<a href="gopher://vert.synchro.net">Gopher</a>. You will need to create and
login with a valid user account (e.g. not Guest/Anonymous) in order to post
messages.<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Real-time Chat/Instant Messaging<br>
</b>The best place to find instant answers to questions is in the <tt>#bbs</tt> or <tt>#synchronet</tt>
channels on the BBSnet IRC server: <tt>irc.thebbs.org:6667</tt> or the new
Synchronet IRC network at <tt>irc.synchro.net:6667</tt>.<br>
<br>
Synchronet Inter-BBS Instant Messaging technology is in its infancy at this
time and requires direct real-time one-on-one communication between you and a
<i>support-giver </i>of your choosing using a fairly cumbersome user
interface. It's best to not using Synchronet's IM technology for technical
support at this time. Synchronet <i>support-givers</i> are generally
not reachable using other Instant Message technologies.<br>
<br>
Unfortunately, there is no permanent record of the support given in IRC or
Instant Messaging, so there is little chance of anyone else benefiting from
the support given there. Also, you have to consider yourself lucky to find a
knowledgeable <i>support-giver</i> available for chat at the exact time you
need help. For these reasons, it is preferred that you use a discussion group
for support questions.</li>
</ol>
<h3>How to Ask Questions</h3>
<ol>
<li><b>Be polite.</b><br>
Remember, we're just volunteers, so be nice. Don't be demanding, rude,
hostile, or
inconsiderate.<br>
This isn't to say we require excessive use of &quot;please and thank you&quot;, just
don't abuse us.<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Use proper spelling and grammar.<br>
</b>I (and most, if not all, Synchronet <i>support-givers</i>) speak English
and unfortunately, only English. If you do not have command of the English
language, please do your best to learn from previous questions/answers from
others before posting a message that will likely be difficult for <i>
support-givers</i> to
comprehend.<br>
<br>
Many people don't find it necessary to type messages in complete sentences or use
proper punctuation, but that can make it difficult for a reader to understand
exactly what you're asking. If getting a complete and accurate answer is
important to you, don't be lazy when typing your question. Example: Questions
should end in a question-mark (?).<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Don't be emotional.<br>
</b>There is no point to starting off a question by explaining how frustrated
or pissed-off you are, or explaining how helpless you feel. The issue is (or
had better be) a technical one, not an emotional one, so it's best to just
leave emotions out of it completely.<br>
If you feel the necessity to express emotion, use common emoticons. :-)<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Be patient.<br>
</b>Remember that this is a hobby for us too and we may not read or reply to
messages right away, for a variety of reasons. There is no point expressing
how &quot;urgent&quot;, &quot;critical&quot;,&nbsp; or &quot;important&quot; your question or problem is; we
reply to all messages when we read them and have an answer or follow-up
question of relevance. Sometimes networked discussion groups do not work 100%
correctly, a message is dropped or held in a queue for an excessive period of
time. If you do not get a reply to your message within 5-7 days, post the same
message again, perhaps adding a comment explaining that you have not seen a
reply. If you don't get a reply within 5-7 days after that, try posting the
same message in a different Synchronet-related discussion group. You will get
an answer.<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Give complete, detailed information.<br>
</b>If you're getting an error message of any kind, post the exact,
complete error message from a screen capture, or copy/paste from a log
file (e.g. <tt>data/error.log</tt>). Don't forget to edit-out any passwords or
other sensitive information from logs or screen captures.<br>
<br>
Include the frequency of the problem (e.g. only once, every time,
intermittently).<br>
<br>
The exact steps required to reproduce a problem can be extremely helpful in
finding the root cause/solution to a problem.<br>
<br>
Specify what version and revision of Synchronet you're running (e.g.
&quot;v3.10L-win32&quot;). It is often helpful to know what operating system version
and/or distribution you're using (e.g. &quot;Windows XP Pro&quot; or &quot;RedHat Linux 9&quot;).
<br>
<br>
Details about your computer (brand, model, CPU type, speed, hard disk or RAM
size) are rarely useful in determining the cause of any Synchronet-related
problem. These details are best left out unless specifically asked for by a <i>
support-giver</i>.<br>
<br>
The more complete the information you provide in your initial question, the
more likely you are to get a complete and accurate answer to your question
without requiring follow-up question/answers.<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Stay on-topic.<br>
</b>Try to keep your questions to one issue per message thread/topic/subject. This makes it easier
to follow-up on later and keep the thread focused on solving one particular
issue. <br>
<br>
Post any follow-up messages by replying to your original message or a
reply from a <i>support-giver</i> (i.e. do not start a new topic for a
follow-up message). Do not change the message subject when replying to a
support message.<br>
<br>
Please do not mix &quot;suggestions&quot; with &quot;support questions&quot;, if you can help it.<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Answer any follow-up questions asked of you.<br>
</b>This may be the most important suggestion I can make. When a <i>
support-giver</i> replies to your message with one or more questions, <b>
answer</b> <b>each</b> and <b>every</b> question <b>completely</b>. Nothing
frustrates me more than trying to help someone that has no problem asking
questions but will not answer any questions asked of them.<br>
<br>
Quote the pertinent parts of previous messages when replying. (i.e. when
posting an answer to a question, be sure to quote the original question as
well).<br>
&nbsp;</li>
<li><b>Share the final results for others to learn from.<br>
</b>When you've taken any recommend actions, don't forget to post a follow-up
message with the results of those actions.<br>
If you see someone else asking the same question later, don't hesitate to
become a <i>support-giver</i> yourself and tell them of any solutions or
results you've encountered yourself.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Examples of Bad Support Questions</h3>
<p>&quot;hey man my bbs took a crap again.&quot;</p>
<p align="right"><font face="Arial" size="1" , "Helvetica">Copyright © 2003 Rob
Swindell <br>
&nbsp;$Id$</font></p>
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