Welcome to the world of TCP/IP This distribution of the JNOS program has been prepared by Robin, G8ECJ, for potential users in the Thames Valley area in an attempt to ease the problems often experienced by new users to the TCP/IP world. The main bugbear is the seemingly endless number of files that require configuring before you can go on air and start to learn how to use it. In other words you have to be able to run before you can walk. One pre-requisite for this installation is that under normal operation the standard DOS commands can be executed from the DOS command line. In other words, please make sure that your computer is set up with the 'PATH' command pointing at your DOS directory. If this is gobbledegook to you, ask a friend to check it out for you. 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� 쿙OTE: If you are installing this 'by the side of' an existing copy � � of this or previous releases of NOSINST jnos/wnos then PLEASE EDIT your � � autoexec.bat file to remove the path to the old directory as some of � � the programs have the same name and everyone could very easily end up � � getting very confused. � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� What I've done here is to gather the best parts of several packages and put them together to allow you to install it in as simple a fashion as possible. 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� 쿙OTE: Due to a lack of 'hubs' in this area (and many others!) a small � �'mod' is required to the installation. Answer 'yes' to the question 'use � 쿴ub' (F6 key) and fill in the name and IP number of the hub but when the � 쿶nstallation is complete and you are back at the DOS prompt, manually � 쿬opy the file 'domain.txt' from the 'files' directory on the floppy to � 퀃he new directory on your hard disk. � � (eg. copy a:\files\domain.txt c:\nos) � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� This package will come to you either as a single zip file or on a 1.44M floppy disk. To get the system up and running, either unzip the file to a temp directory or if a floppy type 'a:' or 'b:' (depending on which drive your floppy is) and run the program 'nosinst'. If you are reading this as a result of typing GO then no need. As soon as you press ESC the program will be run and it will give you the opportunity to install everything. This 'nosinst' program, written by Dave g4poi, is what makes this package so easy to use. Follow the instructions on the screen and all the necessary files will be copied, created or edited to customise this package for your station. One point worth mentioning here, is the on-line HELP facility that Dave has built into his program. If you require information about any of the fields on the screen, make sure you are not inputting data to a field (press return to make sure you're not) and you can get either brief or full info by using function key or function key. To read the news, use 'nntp kick ' at the F10 command screen of JNOS, where is your hub hostname. This will go and collect any news that is available. When this has completed (use the 'socket' command to make sure) exit from JNOS when convenient and type 'news' at the DOS prompt. I DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING TO RUN SNEWS FROM THE DOS SHELL IN JNOS. THATS A GOOD WAY TO LOOSE THE WHOLE NEWS DATEBASE!!! A sample file is included so that if you just type 'news', it will be processed and you can see what facilities are available. Hard disk requirements are: Basic system 1.5M Documentation 1.5M Recommended workspace 2.0M The system that is installed is as follows: JNOS release 1.11e - this is the main TCP/ip program view release v92.05.04 - this is the mail reader/writer SNEWS release 1.30 - this is the news reader Q release 2.15 - this is a shareware editor PINDEX release 2.01 - this makes an index file of what is in your public directory Also included is the option to use a Baycom modem at 1200baud or a g4xyw modem at 9600baud. These are driven by a separate program (TSR) which is loaded into the PC memory before the JNOS program. To simplify this operation, 2 batch files are included to start up for these modems, bay.bat and xyw.bat. The JNOS software has been built for a minimum specification of a 80386. Almost any 386 will work for the Baycom modem but the g4xyw modem requires at least a 386dx40 before it starts to work and a 486dx4-100 to get a reasonable performance. You may wish to copy the '.BAT' file that you use to start your system to your c:\ directory so that it is available as soon as you start up your computer. It will certainly make starting up the TCP/IP program that much easier. The batch files tcp.bat, news.bat, expire.bat, mail.bat and index.bat are to run the software with a TNC, read and write news, expire old news, read and write mail and generate an index of your public files respectively. Common TNC problems Nearly all versions of NOS (WNOS, JNOS etc) use the TNC in KISS mode. To do so then requires that the TNC actually support KISS mode and that you can select and de-select this mode. In the configuration file 'autoexec.nos' you will find (at around line 40) two different sets of 'comm' commands. These are for TNC-2 and KAM TNCs. Choose the pair for your TNC and delete the other two using an editor such as 'Qedit' (supplied as part of this installation). Before you exit the JNOS program typing 'param tnc0 255' will reset the TNC back to its normal mode of operation. (If you choose an interface name other than 'tnc0' then use that instead). Common commands to get you started Note that all commands are in lower case NOT CAPITALS. The single quotes used here are NOT part of the command - don't type them yourself! Most commands can be abrieviated - the main requirement is to ensure that what you have typed is unique for the command you require. eg. 'ttylink' can be entered as 'tty' or 'telnet' as 't'. You may carry out several conversations (sessions) at once and you may move from one to the next using the function keys F1 to F8. The keys F9 and F10 give you a trace and command screen respectively. Trace shows you what is happening on the channel, the command screen is used to start and stop sessions. In addition to the sessions you have started manually, automatic mail reception and delivery will be taking place, as will news collection. Remember that other people can connect to your BBS and FTP system so please get into the habit of using the 'socket' command to see who is accessing your system, especially before switching off or shutting the system down. 'help' To get help on any of the commands that are available from the F10 command screen. Use '?' (question mark) to get a list of all the commands. Once the help display comes up you can press for another screen full, for another line or 'q' to quit. 'bbs' To connect to your own BBS to read and write mail from/to other users. Note that mail must be sent to 'user@host'. This usually means something like g8ecj@gb7ipd.ampr.org. Since this is rather long winded, the file called ALIAS exists to make life a lot easier. How to use it is detailed in the documentation files. 'telnet' To connect to somebody elses BBS to read and write mail. Not often used as you can do most things from your own BBS. Eg. 'telnet gb7ipd' or 'telnet 44.131.161.230' (either host name or IP address can be used here). 'ttylink'To connect to the screen of another user. eg. 'ttylink gb7ipd' will send the call to my screen provided I have my system set as attended. 'telnet 3600' To connect to the convers (world wide chatlines) of a host service. This is usually only carried by the HUB in your area and then only when there is sufficient data bandwidth. Some versions of NOS have convers capabilities, you may wish to use one persons system for a local net! ('tty 3600' can also be used for split screen operation). 'ftp' To connect to another host to upload and download files. eg. 'ftp gb7ipd'. You log on in a similar way to the BBS and can use commands such as 'dir', 'get', 'put' to move files about (note that TCP/ip can handle binary files NO PROBLEM!). There is more information about this in the file 'FTPTUTOR.TXT' 'close' This command is used to clear down a session to another user. Make a note of the session number the conversation is being carried out on and use that as a parameter eg. 'close 3' to shut down session 3. (Please only use the 'reset' command as a last resort!) 'socket' This command is used to see who is connected to you and vice versa. The first column will have a socket number, the next is the type of connection, the PCB you can ignore for now, Remote socket says who it is you are connect to and Owner you can ignore the number here but it has a description of the facility (eg. smtp, nntp, ftp etc) that is being used. To get more details about a session, use 'socket ' where is from the first column of the 'socket' command alone. 'mail' This command is used on its own (ie. no callsign) and temporarily exits from JNOS and starts up the mailer program VIEW. This program makes management of your mail much easier than using the internal BBS. Note that whilst running VIEW, JNOS is suspended (unless you use the 'multitask command' and all current sessions will freeze. If the mailer program flashes up on the screen and then exits, it means it couldn't find enough memory to run. You may also use a 'MAIL' command from DOS (ie. a batch file of this name has been provided for you). Inevitably there will be some cases where things just don't work properly. This is due in the main to the IBM PC world being full of compatibles that aren't!!!! I hope yours won't be the exception but, if it is, don't forget that there are lots of people out there who can help and the on-line help facility can often assist as a reminder. Do have fun with this and pass a copy onto a friend. 73 de Robin g8ecj@gb7ipd.ampr.org 44.131.161.230