INSTALLING HS/LINK EXTERNAL PROTOCOL IN RBBS-PC VERSION 17.3C Please refer to the RBBS-PC documentation for detailed information on installation of external protocols. This information was tested with HS/Link betas posted on 12/04/91 and RBBS-PC v17.4/0912. The following installation steps should work for most folks: RBBS-PC uses a template file called PROTO.DEF for passing parameters to external protocols. This template file can either call a BATCH file or pass parameters directly to the protocol engine. Using either method ( BATCH or the direct passing of parameters directly to the engine will work. BATCH files are not needed with RBBS-PC's external protocol management template ( PROTO.DEF ). SETTING UP HS/Link: 1.) RBBS-PC's proto.def template file consists two lines for each Protocol. The first line of the entry for a provides the information to the remote user for selecting the protocol to use when requesting to transfer a file. 2.) The second line are the actual parameters passed between RBBS-PC and the protocol. The send parameters are begin after RBBS-PC reads its own instructions. BELOW is the actual PROTO.DEF entry cut and pasted from a working PROTO.DEF file. If you wish you can cut and paste this line into your own PROTO.DEF file: "H) HS/Link ...................[98% Eff.] "20,D,8,,B,4096,,0.98,,4=E=A,"C:\RBBS\XFER\HSLINK.EXE -@ -NF -HX -NU -P[PORT#] -b[BAUD] -S4096 [FILE]","C:\RBBS\XFER\HSLINK.EXE -@ -NF -HX -UC:\UPLOAD -P[PORT#] -b[BAUD] -S4096" (Note: the second line has no carriage returns but the parameters are broken up by commas and QUOTE Marks.) a. The first Quote ( by the H ) to the second quote sectors off the menu selection. b. Following the quote are the parameters passed to RBBS-PC. Read the RBBS-PC documentation for more detail on these parameters. c. RBBS-PC'S parameters for SENDing a file with HS/Link: "C:\RBBS\XFER\HSLINK.EXE -@ -NF -HX -NU -P[PORT#] -b[BAUD] -S4096 [FILE]" -@ runs HS/Link without accessing the HSLINK.CFG file -NF turns off the graphics screen ( though nice, I'm not around to watch and enjoy it so am not putting the screen to work. -HX turns of the Xon/XOFF feature. If using an error correcting modem such as a USR HST or DS this feature is not needed if you do not use an error correction modem leave this switch out. -NU Blocks uploads as RBBS-PC is not designed to handle simultaneous file transfers. -P[PORT#] tells HS/Link which port to use. -b[BAUD] passes the modem speed to HS/Link. HS/Link autodetects the speed but I like to keep it in there as I run a fossil driver and error correcting modem that takes care of all that adjustment. Church Chatters opens and locks its ports at 19200 -S4096 passes the buffer size to HS/Link. May require experimentation. You may want to go to a smaller buffer if you are not using the NS16550AFN chips. [FILE] this is self explanitory. The most important thing to your valued user! These parameters will pass the information to send a file to the remote user. RBBS is not designed to accept two way transfers tho there is a group of us testing an interface to take care of both batch uploading and two way transfers. This utility however, is not part of the officially released RBBS-PC code. Documentation on handling HS/Link with external utilities will be packaged with those utilities. d. RBBS-PC parameters to RECIEVE a file with HS/Link: "C:\RBBS\XFER\HSLINK.EXE -@ -NF -HX -UC:\UPLOAD -P[PORT#] -b[BAUD] -S4096" The only different parameters in this string are: -UC:\UPLOAD names the subdirectory you want to receive files to. -NU we do not want to block uploads here. This setup should work with any version of RBBS-PC using the PROTO.DEf protocol template file. Tom Hansen Church Chatters (tm) BBS (402)593-8863 USR HST 14.4K - Public Node 24hrs. (402)592-9266 USR HST 14.4k - Contributers Node ****************************************************************************** The following message was released on the Relay International Mail Exchanger in the RBBS conference by DAN SHORE: Announcing a new Feature/Interface for RBBS: 1. BATCH UPLOADING with DSZ Protocols 2. HS/Link Interface These New Features are currently in Beta Testing at the following "DGS Systems Group" BBS's, and is expected to be released to the general public in the next couple of weeks. THE SHORELINE BBS (301) 946-2771 HST CHURCH CHATTERS BBS (402) 593-8863 HST THE ELUSIVE DIAMOND (703) 323-6423 HST (703) 323-1782 HST THE WORLD OF GREYHAWK (410) 461-9943 Dual (410) 465-3891 Dual *************************************************************************** RBBS-PC is not designed to handle BATCH uploads. Though not part of the officially released RBBS-PC the above mentioned package but should further enhance the use of HS/Link with RBBS when it is released. It will handle HS/Link among many other protocols.