.TOPIC:
Contents
        VIRTUAL HYPERTEXT DOCUMENTATION - VDOC1.TXT
        Use mouse to click on topic or use ALT/ARROW/ENTER keys
        Ctrl-F4 to Exit
                                             
                   - Table of Contents -

VBBS Registration                 Order Form
License Agreement                 VBBS OS/2
VBBS Installation                 Menu's
Vconfig                           Security
New In This Version               Maintenance
Customizing VBBS                  Help Using Virtual Hypertext 
OFFICIAL File Distribution Sites  Contents VDOC2 & VDOC3 
Computer Etiquette                Multi-Mail Etiquette
Questions With Answers            Optimize VBBS

To MAXIMIZE Screen Click on the UP arrow in the Upper Right Corner
For A list of Additional Topic Areas, Click on Contents VDOC2 & VDOC3

.TOPIC:
Contents VDOC2 & VDOC3
        VDOC2 WARNING!
             You can NOT Click on the Topic Areas Below!
                To View These Topic Areas Click on the 
                VDOC2 Button in the top Right
                Corner of the Windowed Application
       
       CONTENTS - Networks, Modems, VSP, Scripts - VDOC2 

<Help Using Hypertext Help      <VirtualNET Help
<Networks Help                  <Hypertext Help Registration
<Modem Help                     <Updating Hypertext Documentation
<V-Script Help                  <Credits and Acknowledgements
<VSP Support List               <Multitasking Help


VDOC3 WARNING! You must be a REGISTERED VBBS Sysop to access VDOC3!  
        VDOC3 Topics are only available to REGISTERED VBBS Sysops.
        If you have registered your VBBS, then you may download        
        VDOC3.ZIP from the VBBS site where you have access to 
        Registered programs.
        
        CONTENTS - Registered Sysops Technical Topics - VDOC3
  
<Multi-NET Technical Support    <Dynamic Trouble Shooting Guide
<Vscript Technical Support      <Doors & Utilities Tech Support
<RIP Technical Support          <CD-Rom Technical Support
<Virtual Tools                  <Networks List Guidelines/Rules
<Collected Quotes From Roland   <[VSB] VBBS Support Boards

 * * *  You must be a REGISTERED VBBS Sysop to access VDOC3! * * *

.TOPIC:
OFFICIAL File Distribution Sites
                   OFFICIAL FILE DISTRIBUTION SITES

      All sites below have auto-sysop validation, special guest accounts,
      or free automatic downloads on the first call.  An asterisk (*) 
      denotes that the site is PC Pursuitable.  VBBS files and utilities
      are FREQable either through VirtualNET or Fidonet from sites below.

      Vnet      Fidonet     Phone         Name                      Modem
      --------  ----------  ------------  ------------------------- ------
      @1                    616-399-4818  Virtual Technologies      HST/DS
      @1                    616-399-8791  Virtual Technologies      V32bis
      @440      2:440/211   44-689824666  TransAtlantic BBS         V32bis
      @2103     1:397/5275  210-787-8974  The Business Board        V32bis
      @2103     1:397/5275  210-787-0088  The Business Board        V32bis
      @1610000  1:2607/700  215-759-1376  Bits & Bytes              V32bis
      @2180                 218-773-8330  The Love Galaxy           V32   *
      @1510007              510-831-3634  Public Image Limited      V32bis*
      @6160                 616-772-0347  The Dutch Ghetto          HST/DS
      @6190                 512-292-1301  Magic's Kingdom           V32
      @9990     1:3641/202  919-489-6110  Brian's Board             Z16.8 *
      @1203000              203-877-5856  The Rubber Room           V32bis
      @1205500              205-758-2683  Intoxicated State U.      V32bis
      @1205602              205-270-8489  The Forbidden Realm       V32bis
      @1210003              210-318-3883  Hezekiah's Tunnel II      V32bis
      @1214000  1:124/2215  214-230-5045  The Combat Zone           V32bis*
      @1508000              508-852-4641  The Gamemaster's Sanctum  V32bis
      @1508000              508-852-4179  The Gamemaster's Sanctum  2400
      @1512300              512-729-6777  South Texas Software      V32bis
      @1513000  1:110/645   513-235-2605  Cottage By The Stream     V32bis
      @1604000  1:351/1117  604-338-2316  The Anarchist's Vortex    V32bis
      @1614017  1:129/201   614-282-3409  The GWE BBS [ASV]         HST/DS
      @1614017  1:129/233   614-282-1917  The GWE BBS [ASV]         HST/DS
      @1614017  1:129/234   614-282-5900  The GWE BBS [ASV]         HST/DS
      @1614032              614-678-8492  Tessum Business Services  V32bis
      @1617000              617-891-4298  Vanishing Point           V32bis*
      @1618002              618-277-6398  The Peanut Gallery        V32bis
      @1704000  1:379/6.2   704-523-0162  System 1 Information      V32bis
      @1708012              708-808-1065  MULTIMEDIA E.O.E.S. BBS   V32bis
      @1803007  1:376/142   803-776-0323  Jesus IS Lord BBS         V32bis
      @1806000  1:3816/139  806-372-4212  Baloo's Den               2400  
      @1619001              619-670-9825  Superbyte!                V32bis
      @1904069  1:3653/1997 904-563-6083  illusions                 HST/DS
      @1919999  1:3641/207  919-683-1661  Shark's Bar & Grill       V32bis*

                Click on BACK to Return or CONTENTS

.TOPIC:
New In This Version
New in this version:

The following advancements are planned and/or under development
to appear in future versions of VBBS-DOS and VBBS-OS2.
I'll be adding to this list as time goes by, and if you have something
you'd like added, please drop me an email. :-)

 1. RIP (Remote Imaging Protocol) graphics support
 2. Multi-line short descriptions in file area
 3. VBBS-to-VBBS hot-link real-time networking
 4. Better Searching and Filtering Options
 5. UTI for Postlink Networking (eg. RIME)
 6. QWK Networking
 7. Improvements planned to allow better FIDO networking
 8. Double-digit database groups (Up to 32000 Database Groups Possible)
 9. Multi-Lingual Externalized Prompts with optional vscript redirection
10. VBBS Hypertext Documentation
11. VBBS Registered Sysops Technical Support Hypertext Documentation

.TOPIC:
Help Using Virtual Hypertext

Selecting a Help link:
----------------------
With a mouse - click on phrases outlined by two triangles.
With the keyboard - Press TAB or Shift-TAB to select a link.
   Press ENTER to jump to that topic.

Scrolling the Help window:
--------------------------
With a mouse - click on the horizontal or vertical scroll
   bars.
With the keyboard - press the cursor navigation keys.

Closing the Help window:
------------------------
With a mouse - double click on the window's control box icon.
With the keyboard - press Ctrl-F4.

Command Buttons:
----------------
Applications may use one or more of the following command
buttons.  Use a mouse to click a button or press the letter
mentioned below.

Contents - displays a table of contents for the application's
   Help.  ALT-C

Search -  opens a dialog box that lists all available Help
   topics.  Select a topic from the list box and press ENTER.
   ALT-S

Back - jumps to the last Help topic viewed. ALT-B

History - lists the last 20 Help topics viewed.  Jump to a
    topic by selecting from the list box and pressing ENTER.
    ALT-T

Copy - Copies the contents of the current Help topic into
   an edit area.  Select the text you want copied to the
   Clipboard and choose Copy.  Choosing Copy without selecting
   any text in the edit area copies the entire Help topic to
   the Clipboard.
   ALT-P

-----------------
Print - Click on the Print Bar to print the topic area text on your 
        printer.  If you do not have a mouse, hold the ALT key then
        I on your keyboard -- Remember ALT-I for I want a hard copy.

Print ALL - (ALT-A) prints ALL the VBBS Hypertext Documentation in
        it's RAW form, including topic codes.  To get only the text,
        use the Print Bar (ALT-I) command and print each topic area.
------------------
EXIT - (ALT-F4) Closes all files and forms and ends program.  Same 
        as clicking in the upper left corner and closing window.


.TOPIC:
The WFC Menu
The WFC, Waiting For Call Screen        
                VBBS uses a highly-informational WFC.COM screen.  This
         screen not only provides system statistics, the time, available
         drive space, system status and the BBS name; it is also custom-
         izable using any ANSI drawing program (such as TheDraw) that 
         saves screens in the .COM format.
                Note that if your drive space on a given drive drops be-
         low a certain percentage of its capacity, that line will change
         color to let you know that you need to free up some space on
         that drive.

                Options available from the WFC screen include:

         [F]  Fast Login Local           Fast login from the console (make
                                         sure you establish the sysop ac-
                                         count first!).
         [L]  Login Local                Logs a user into the system from
                                         the console (use this to estab-
                                         lish the sysop account!).
         [S]  Shell to DOS               Shells to DOS environment within
                                         VBBS; type EXIT to return to the BBS.
         [U]  User Editor                Allows editing of user information.
         [V]  VConfig                    Brings up the VCONFIG utility.
         [I]  System Info                Displays information about your bbs.
         [C]  Today's Callers            Lists callers since midnight.
         [W]  Who's Online               Shows status of each COM port.
         [/]  Dial NET to Client         Allows a forced NET callout to a
                                         system listed in your remote con-
                                         figuration (if any).
         [N]  Dial NET to Server         Forces a network connect to your
                                         server as defined in VCONFIG.
         [E]  E-Mail                     Allows you to write E-mail to both
                                         local and network addresses from
                                         the WFC screen.
         [M]  Feedback                   Allows you to check the sysop
                                         mailbox from WFC.
         [Scr Lock] Sysop Avail.         Toggles sysop page on/off; may
                                         also be set in VCONFIG to be 
                                         the [A] key.
         [Esc]  Exit BBS                 Quit VBBS and return to DOS.

         [F1] through [F10]              Calls up the functions you have
                                         defined for function keys in
                                         VCONFIG; if you haven't set them
                                         up, don't worry about it yet

         ͻ    The WFC screen is set up so that most of the sysop's rou-
         ͼ    tine chores may be handled without ever loggin on to the
                BBS.  This, coupled with efficient configuration of the
                <F1> through <F10> keys, can be a real time-saver.  It's
                worth the time spent in initial setup to have access to 
                everything you need from WFC.




.TOPIC:
VBBS Registration
                      VBBS REGISTRATION

This is a DEMO version of the Virtual Bulletin Board System,
copyright (c) 1993 Roland De Graaf and distributed by Virtual
Technologies.  VBBS is not Public Domain software, Freeware,
nor Shareware.  You may use an unregistered VBBS for evaluation
purposes only for no more than sixty (60) days.  After this period
you must register VBBS or discontinue usage. On registering,
you enter into a License Agreement with Virtual Technologies
for continued usage of the program. Before ordering, please read
the License Agreement.

By registering VBBS the following additional features are enabled:

Defineable # of QWK Messages     (Preset to 50 in demo)
Ability to Post on Secured Subs  (Not activated in demo)
No Nag Message or Delay          (Active in demo)
DIRECTmail and FREQing           (Disabled in demo)
Multi-Network Utility Support    (Limited to 60 days in demo)


CREDIT CARDS:  Visa and MasterCard accepted

VOICE ORDERS:  Contact Virtual Technologies   (210) 787-2443

The Voice Order Line is open Mon.-Fri 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM CST.
This telephone number is for CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY.
Credit Card Orders Offer The FASTEST Registration Available.

FAX ORDERS: (210)787-2443  (210)787-8974
            Purchase Orders accepted

ONLINE CREDIT CARD REGISTRATION:

Please call The Business Board at (210)787-8974   14.4 v32bis

MAIL ORDER:

To order by Check, Money Order, Credit Card, or Purchase Order,
please remit order form and payment to:

                        VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES     See Order Form
                        P.O. BOX 1423
                        ALAMO - TX 78516

Please make all checks payable to Virtual Technologies.

VBBS LICENSING SCHEDULE:

                     QB4.5 Dos Version   PDS7.1 OS/2 Beta Version*

    VBBS 4-Channel       $ 99.00               $ 99.00
    VBBS 8-Channel       $129.00               $129.00
    VBBS 16-Channel      $199.00               $199.00
    VBBS 32-Channel      $275.00               $275.00
    VBBS 64-Channel      $399.00               $399.00
    Other Versions       *********Please Call*********
    Virtual Developers
    ToolKit for DOS      $ 49.00                N/A

* Sysops previously registered for the QB4.5 DOS version of
  VBBS may upgrade to the PDS7.1 OS/2 beta version with the same
  number of channels for only $49 !!!  Please hurry, because
  this special offer is only valid during beta testing!


NOTE:

. Registration of either version of VBBS above is for lifetime
  and entitles you to access upgrades of the specific version
  registered.

. Registration of the QB4.5 DOS version entitles you to access
  source code to compile the VBBS.EXE, VBBS-AUX.EXE, and VQWK.EXE
  modules of this version only.

. We reserve the right to charge a nominal fee to cover shipping
  and handling for upgrades at our discretion.

. Source code to the PDS OS/2 version is not distributed, nor
  included with registration.

. Source code to network utility software is not distributed for
  any version. Network membership is not implicit with purchase.

. Special trade-in allowances are made when upgrading at our
  discretion.  Please contact us at (210)787-2443 for specific
  information on upgrading.

. Dealer and block order inquiries are invited.

OTHER INFORMATION:

. Voice Order Line open Mon.-Fri 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM CST only.

. Prices, terms, availability and specifications subject to
  change without notice.

. NO Surcharge for credit card purchases. Sorry, we currently
  accept only VISA and MasterCard credit cards.

. Any product refunds are in the form of store credit only.

. Returns require prior authorization. No return on used or
  mis-ordered products.

. Naturally, we do not charge your credit card account until
  the product is ready to ship.

. Due to copyright laws, opened software is non-returnable.

. Sorry, we cannot guarantee hardware or software compatibility.

. For your protection, we check for stolen credit cards.

. Other Charges: Add 6% for orders outside of North America.
  There are no additional or hidden charges. No CODs accepted.

.TOPIC:
Order Form
      Form                  VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES             Fax:
      1093                      P.O. BOX 1423            210-787-2443
                              ALAMO - TX  78516          210-787-8974
                                                      

      Name    ____________________________ Purchase Order ___________

      Company ____________________________ Voice Phone  (___)___-____

      Title   ____________________________ Data Phone   (___)___-____

      Address ____________________________ Fax Number   (___)___-____

      City    ____________________________ State/Province ___________

      Country ____________________________ Zip/Postal Code___________

      Shipping Address(if different) ________________________________

      _______________________________________________________________

      E-Mail Address _____________________ BBS Name _________________

      SOFTWARE ORDER*
                                 QB4.5 DOS               PDS7.1 Beta
                        Quantity Version        Quantity OS/2 Version
                          ----   ---------       ----    ------------
      VBBS 4-Channel      ____   $ 99.00         ____    $ 99.00
      VBBS 8-Channel      ____   $129.00         ____    $129.00
      VBBS 16-Channel     ____   $199.00         ____    $199.00
      VBBS 32-Channel     ____   $275.00         ____    $275.00
      VBBS 64-Channel     ____   $399.00         ____    $399.00
      Virtual ToolKit     ____   $ 49.00

      Texas Residents:                           Subtotal   $________
      - add 7.25% State Sales Tax
                                                 Sales Tax  $________
      North America Shipping:
      Free First Class Mail                      Shipping   $________
      UPS- add $5.50   Priority Mail- $2.90       
      Overseas Shipping- add 6%                  TOTAL      $________

      Please check your METHOD OF PAYMENT:

      Money Order____  Check**____  MasterCard____ VISA____ P.O.____

      Please include complete charge card NUMBER and EXPIRATION DATE.

      __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Exp.Date _______


      Signature___________________________________ Date:_____________


      *  Please call for upgrade pricing and special versions not listed.
         All prices subject to change without notice.
      ** Please make checks payable to Virtual Technologies and allow up 
         to two weeks for bank clearing.

.TOPIC:
VBBS Installation
               Initial installation of VBBS is quite straightforward.  It
         is perhaps the easiest BBS software in the world to install!

         Before You Install VBBS
         
                Before you install VBBS, you need to make sure you have
         copies of the following programs and that they are in a directory
         specified in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file's PATH statement:

           PKZIP and PKUNZIP archive programs 

         -->  IMPORTANT NOTE: VNet only uses version 1.10 of PKZip
                              at this time.  Make sure you have this
                              version if you wish to participate in the
                              VNet and other networks under VBBS.

           ZModem transfer protocol (usually named DSZxxxx.xxx)

            Other programs that would be useful in the day to day
         operations of your BBS might include:

           TheDraw 4.50 or later (for creating your own menus)
           ARJ 2.11 or later (an alternative archive program)
           DCOM 3.44 or later (DOS shell to speed file moving/copying)

         -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  These programs are NOT supplied with the
                               original VBBS archive; you have to get
                               them on your own.  Fortunately, many BBSes
                               have them available for download.

   See New Installations or See Upgrading Existing Installations

.TOPIC:                        
New Installations
         To install VBBS as a NEW installation, follow these in-
         structions: See FIRST-TIME STARTUP

         1)  Create a temporary directory on your hard drive and make it
             your current directory.

         2)  Using PKUNZIP, extract the contents of VBBS62-1.ZIP and
             VBBS62-2.ZIP into the temporary directory.

         3)  Run INSTALL.EXE; when asked if this is a NEW installation,
             answer "yes".

         4)  As the VCONFIG.EXE program is presented, verify the configu-
             ration, particularly in the MAIN configuration and -- MOST
             importantly -- in the CHANNEL configuration.  All single-
             node VBBS installations use the same command line:
             BBS 1

             This names channel 1 as the primary channel.  After this,
             you only need to correctly identify your modem port number
             and baud rate in the channel 1 configuration.
             
             See also New User Signup
             See also Vconfig

.TOPIC:
Upgrading Existing Installations
         -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  VBBS 6.20 upgrades VBBS version 6.10 ONLY!
                                Sysops of previous versions will need to
                                either upgrade to version 6.00 prior to
                                moving to version 6.20, or install 6.20 as
                                NEW.

               To upgrade to version 6.20 from version 6.10, follow these
         instructions:

         1)  MAKE BACKUP COPIES of the following:

           a) files in your database directory (\VBBS\DB)
           b) files in your data directory (\VBBS\DATA)
           c) your .CFG files

         2)  Delete ALL occurrences of the file CONTROL.DAT from your sys-
             tem.

         3)  Move VBBS62-1.ZIP & VBBS62-2.ZIP into a separate directory
             and unZIP them there.

         4)  Run the INSTALL.EXE program; when it asks if this is a NEW
             installation, respond "no", then name the correct path to
             your actual VBBS directory.  Your .CFG files will NOT be
             overwritten.

         5)  Verify the settings in VCONFIG and change channel 1 in the
             CHANNEL configuration to reflect your modem port.  Base and
             IRQ addresses are set automatically.

         -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  The INSTALL.EXE program for version 6.20,
                               when used to upgrade existing installa-
                               tions, copies ONLY the new .EXE file to
                               your VBBS directory.  It does NOT over-
                               write menus, script files, text files, or
                               function blocks. 

         6)  Once INSTALL.EXE has finished, you may need to copy or manu-
             ally edit some files.  Files to consider replacing or editing
             are noted in the 610_READ.ME! file. Some are:
             *.ANS     *.ASC     *.TXT     *.PDM     *.FB

         7)  After the upgrade to 6.20, you should go into VCONFIG to
             SORT your database configuration and COMPILE network info.
.TOPIC:
Vconfig
                Using the VCONFIG.EXE configuration utility, you can con-
         figure the inner workings of VBBS just the way you want them.  It
         DOES take some time to do this, but the end result is well worth
         the time spent.  One nice feature of VBBS is that once you're
         finished with the configuration, it provides diagnostics to help
         you make sure all files and paths are correct.

          -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  MOST of the essential configurations are
                                properly set at default settings, meaning
                                they are set up for you already.  The fol-
                                lowing is the ONLY configuration actually
                                REQUIRED in most installations in order to
                                effect a first-time startup:

                                In MAIN configuration:  BBS name, sysop
                                name/handle, system password.

                                In CHANNEL configuration:  set channel 1
                               to proper modem port and baud rate.

               It's easy to use VCONFIG at any time to do additional
         setup and further configuration -- adding new message bases or
         file areas, changing the limits on existing message bases, etc.

         VCONFIG has 17 main functions available at its main menu:
              Click on Details for details of each option                    

.TOPIC:
Details
                                  ĴVCONFIG 6.20Ŀ
 Click Below On Function to View                                      
1. Main Configuration              1. Main Configuration            
2. Channel Configuration           2. Channel Configuration         
3. Database Configuration          3. Database Configuration        
4. Paths Configuration             4. Paths Configuration           
5. Download Protocols              5. Download Protocols            
6. Upload Protocols                6. Upload Protocols              
7. Network Configuration           7. Network Configuration         
8. Events Configuration            8. Events Configuration          
9. Control Panel Configuration     9. Control Panel Configuration   
A. Doors Configuration             A. Doors Configuration           
B. Voting Booth                    B. Voting Booth                  
C. Random Messages                 C. Random Messages               
D. Archive View Configuration      D. Archive View Configuration    
E. Text Sections Configuration     E. Text Sections Confuration     
F. Multi-Feedback Configuration    F. Multi-Feedback Configuration  
G. Print Registration Form         G. Print Registration Form       
H. VBBS Diagnostics                H. VBBS Diagnostics              
                                                                      
                                  [ ][ ][Enter]=[Select][Esc]=Quit

.TOPIC:         
Command Line Options         
Command Line Options              
              When running VBBS, a RAM-resident VBBS.EXE controls the
         program.  It should be used as the ONLY means of starting VBBS,
         as it transfers needed information into the program.
              The basic syntax for bringing VBBS online is
                        BBS <channel number>
         where <channel number> is a number from 0 to 4 (for the share-
         ware version).  For larger multi-line installations (after the
         software is registered), it could be a number from 0 to as high
         as 64.
         Note that ALL single-node installations use the command line
                  BBS 1    
                  The BBS 0 specifies LOCAL MODE operation only, using 
                  the console keyboard and bypassing WFC initialization.

         Command line options include:

         /AC           Use this option when running VBBS as a door, or
                       from a matrix logon.  It has VBBS maintain sepa-
                       rate user data (etc.) and maintains the doored
                       VBBS as an independent system.
         /H            Used with the /AC option, forces VBBS to hang up
                       when the user logs off.
         /Bxxxxx       Used with the /AC option, passes the baud rate
                       of the modem connection to VBBS.
         /CHAIN        Command for logging user to VBBS being run as a
                       door from inside another VBBS system, or any
                       BBS software using the CHAIN.TXT format (such
                       as WWIV).  This option will use VBBS' user re-
                       cord and will NOT prompt the already-online user
                       to log on to the doored VBBS separately.  BBS
                       softwares that do not produce CHAIN.TXT can
                       still use this option by using a door converter
                       to obtain the CHAIN.TXT format.
                       See also WFC screen

.TOPIC:
FIRST-TIME STARTUP
         Before You Log In the First Time
         
                Before you do your first login to VBBS, there are a few
         final checks you need to make:

         1)  Make sure the following files are available to VBBS via a
             PATH= statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

             DSZ.COM  (or DSZ.EXE)
             VLIST.EXE (not needed immediately if you're using the
                       DOS command TYPE as described in another
                       section.)
             PKZIP.EXE
             PKUNZIP.EXE

         For example, you might have these files in a directory on
         your hard drive called BBSUTIL; the PATH= statement might
         read

             PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\BBSUTIL

             For more information on the PATH= statement, please refer to
             your DOS documentation.

          2)  Make sure the device driver ANSI.SYS is loaded with the ap-
              propriate statement in your CONFIG.SYS file:

              DEVICE=ANSI.SYS

              This enables your computer to handle the ANSI displays VBBS
              uses and generates.  For more information on the DEVICE=
              statement, please refer to your DOS documentation.

              There are many alternative drivers available - particularly
              ZANSI.SYS and NNANSI.SYS -- that handle ANSI graphics
              MUCH faster than  DOS' default ANSI.SYS. These programs
              are available on BBSes all over the country.

       Logging In the First Time
       

            By executing the statement

            BBS 1

       on a single-node installation, you will bring up VBBS in the WFC
       [Waiting For Call] mode.  This is the online control panel for
       VBBS, and when you see this screen, the BBS is said to be in a
       "waiting for call" state.  Congratulations; you're now the proud
       "parent" of a bouncing baby BBS!  :-)

       --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  From the WFC screen, you will see that the
                            [F] key does something called "Fast Local
                            Login"; DO NOT use this until you have
                            created the sysop account (see below)!

       The reason you don't do a fast login is that your VBBS is new,
       and your user information file (USERFILE.DAT) is empty; there
       is no account there that a [F]ast local login can find as belon-
       ging to the sysop.

      Creating the Sysop Account
      

           From the WFC screen, type [L] to do a local login.  You
      will see the LOGIN.MNU screen from the Virtual Technologies BBS
      (the author's BBS); you will, of course, need to change this be-
      fore bringing your own BBS online.
           Immediately following the LOGIN.MNU screen will be the
      login prompt.  Type NEW (capitalization for clarity only; it's
      not case-sensitive) to create the first entry in your user data
      file.  You will then see the file NEWUSER.TXT, followed by
      prompts to fill in your user information.
           Once you have finished entering this information, press
      the F2 key; this will bring up the user editor.  Once there,
      type the following:

          G
          255 [Enter]
          M
          1440 [Enter]

      This gives you a SL of 255 (sysop access) and a maximum time
      per day of 1440 minutes (24 hours); while you likely won't ever
      need to stay on the BBS the entire 24 hours, it's nice to have
      the luxury.

            While you're in the user editor, you may also edit any
      information there by pressing the letter of the appropriate
      field and entering the correct information.  Some sysops use
      this opportunity to set all their access flags and such (so they
      cannot be accidentally "locked out" of any section of the BBS);
      see "The User Editor" for more information.

      --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you encounter any program errors at this
                           point, it is likely that you have mistyped
                           a path in the Paths Configuration, moved a
                           file to the wrong directory, for forgotten
                           to compile any scripts you may be using.
                           Use the DIAGNOSTICS option in VCONFIG to
                           try to isolate any problems.
             
             See also New User Signup
             See also Vconfig
                           

.TOPIC:
New User Signup
         When a user logs on as NEW on your system, he or she is
         first presented with the NEWUSER.TXT file (which you definitely
         should create before opening your BBS to the public) stored in
         the \TXT directory defined in your PATHS Configuration.  The
         NEWUSER.TXT file should provide enough information to get new
         users started; it may also include anything else you wish.
                If you configured a "New User Password" in VCONFIG, the
         new user will be asked to provide the password before the system
         allows him or her to continue (for most "public-access" BBSs,
         this is generally not done).
                At the end of the NEWUSER.TXT screen, the new user is
         prompted to provide some basic information about himself or her-
         self.  Depending on whether or not your system allows "aliases"
         or "handles", the user will be prompted to provide a "handle" or
         real name to use on the board.  VBBS checks what the user types
         in against other entries in the USERFILE.DAT to make sure that
         duplicate names are not used.  

         ͻ    If there are handles or names that you would prefer not
         ͼ    to allow on your system, you may include them in a text
                file called TRASHCAN.TXT in your \TXT directory.  This
                file is created using an ASCII text editor and has one
                handle/name/word per line.  Most sysops use this to pre-
                vent users from having profanities as handles.

                As the signup continues, the user is prompted for his ad-
         dress, voice and data phone numbers, birthdate, password, and
         other information pertaining to default settings used on the BBS.
         The information provided goes into the USERFILE.DAT file.
                If you have chosen to allow auto-validation of visiting
         sysops, VBBS will ask the user if he or she is a sysop.  If
         the user answers "yes", he or she will be prompted for informa-
         tion concerning his or her BBS and will then be given the SL
         and time you have defined for visiting sysops in VCONFIG.

         ͻ    Again, there have been instances in which a user has
         ͼ    given false information in order to gain sysop access
                to a BBS; use caution when allowing auto-validation.

                If you have configured "yes" for automatic call-back
         verification, VBBS will prompt the user (according to the area
         code and prefix criteria you have established) to prepare to
         receive an incoming call from your board, at which point VBBS
         hangs up, calls the data phone number left by the user, and
         confirms its authenticity by prompting the user answering the
         callback to provide the password for the new account (see "The
         Call-back Verifier" for more information).
             See Call-back Verifier

                New users are assigned the SL and time allowed on the
         system according to what you have set up in VCONFIG.  


         New User Feedback and Validation
         

                Generally, you do not want to give a new user too high 
         an access level to your system until you are sure the informa-
         tion provided you is accurate.  It is often desirable to have 
         a new user leave a short introduction of himself or herself in
         addition to the information given in the basic signup process.
                To have the system prompt for such "new-user feedback",
         set the appropriate option in VCONFIG "on" and edit the file
         LEAVEFB.TXT in your \TXT directory to ask for the sorts of in-
         formation you'd like to have (of course, you don't want to get
         TOO personal here, because that tends to catch new users off-
         guard).  

         ͻ    It should be noted that a new user may choose to abort
         ͼ    the feedback letter and go straight into the system
                without leaving any message to the sysop.  There are
                several ways of combatting this rudeness:

                1)  Using an ASCII text editor, create a file in your 
                    \TXT directory called NEWUMAIL.TXT.  It should in-
                    clude some basic information about your system and 
                    its standard operating procedures (but should not 
                    be too long).  It will appear as a message from the 
                    sysop in the new user's mailbox.  If the new user 
                    reads the NEWUMAIL.TXT file, the system will send 
                    you "oneliner" indicating that the message was read;
                    sometimes, this is the only way a sysop knows a new 
                    user has logged on, short of doing a complete user 
                    listing.  If the user chooses to not read this 
                    E-mail, no "oneliner" is delivered.
         
                2)  Should you happen to notice that a new user has 
                    signed up but has not left you any message announ-
                    cing his presence, send him an E-mail, asking if 
                    there was any particular reason the feedback was 
                    aborted.  Many users are somewhat embarrassed to 
                    draw this kind of "negative attention" to themselves
                    and will promptly reply the next time they log on.
                    They may not leave the information you requested in 
                    LEAVEFB.TXT, but that's another story ...

                3)  Simply ignore the new account until you receive 
                    feedback from the user.  If new users have only 
                    limited access to your system, the offending user 
                    will either tire of logging on and not being able 
                    to do anything (and then send feedback), or will
                    simply not call any more.  This is, of course, 
                    combatting rudeness with rudeness, and is one way
                    your BBS can earn a bad reputation among users. 
                    Word-of-mouth is still a powerful positive or nega-
                    tive advertising tool, even among BBS users).

                4)  Install one of the various script modifications avail-
                    able that will truly FORCE the new user to leave feed-
                    back or have the account deleted.  These may, of 
                    course, be edited (with an ASCII editor) to convey 
                    exactly the tone you wish, and while it may seem a 
                    "brute-force" method of getting the information you 
                    ask for, it IS effective.
 
                If the new user DOES leave feedback (or even a regular 
         E-mail), the sysop need only hit [V] from the E-mail submenu and
         then enter the user's account in the user editor.  Once there,
         the sysop can assign the user an appropriate security level and
         time allowed on the system, set any access flags/ratio exemp-
         tions/other variables as needed.

                There are MANY options as to how you present your BBS to
         new users, even without the use of scripts and/or source-code 
         modifications.  Your login screen(s), LEAVEFB.TXT, NEWUMAIL.TXT,
         and other informational screens make that all-important first 
         impression.  First-time callers, and ESPECIALLY new BBSers, ap-
         preciate friendliness and courtesy from the sysop, and USUALLY
         respond in kind.

         NEW USER DEFAULTS
         
                One of the most important things a new user (including a
         new sysop) should do is set his or her defaults.  Pressing [D] at
         the Main Menu brings up a list of settings, which are described
         below. New users are shown their default after registration also.

         1) Video Mode           The user may choose ASCII, ANSI, or En-
                                  hanced ANSI (which enables pull-down 
                                  menus) as the default.  If a user wishes
                                  to use Enhanced ANSI, he or she MUST 
                                  select it here; otherwise, ANSI auto-de-
                                  tection determines default. The RIP
                                  (Remote Image Processing) option is
                                  also chosen here.
         2) Expert Toggle        Expert mode disables the menu-at-every-
                                  prompt mode.
         3) Page Breaks          Number of lines per page.  A setting of 
                                  0 produces continuous screen scrolling;
                                  24 is default.
         4) Password             Change password, if desired.
         5) Autoposts            Toggles Autopost display at login.
         6) Ctrl-A User Macro    User may create up to 2 macros, each con-
         7) Ctrl-B User Macro     taining up to 79 characters (including
                                  ANSI control characters).
         8) ANSI Color Setup     User may customize screen colors to suit
                                 to suit personal tastes.
         9) Full Screen Editor   Toggles between the full-screen editor 
                                  (FSE) and a line editor; ASCII users get
                                  the line editor.
         A) Mailbox              Forward E-mail to another user or network
                                  system, if desired.
         B) Security             Displays a list of things the user has a
                                  high enough SL to do.
         C) Long Distance Cost   Allows user to keep track of LD usage and
                                  billing by defining cost per minute and 
                                  knowing the billing cycle.
         D) Sort File Lists      Toggles between alphabetically- and nu-
                                  merically-sorted file listings.
         E) User Time Bank       User may deposit unused time for later
                                  withdrawal.  Maximum time is set in 
                                  VCONFIG (q.v.).
         F) File List Display    Toggles between single- and double-line 
                                  file listing.
         Q) Quit                 Saves changes and quits to Main Menu.
 
                The sysop should encourage new users to take time to set
         their defaults early on; ANSI users should be encouraged to use
         the full-screen editor for its superior cursor control and edi-
         ting features.

         THE USER EDITOR
         
                The user editor allows the sysop to view and edit users'
         information, validate and/or delete users.  The user information
         is divided into several fields, each of which is described below.

            User Number         User's account number.
         a) User Handle         User's handle (if used/allowed).
         b) User Real Name      User's real name.
         c) Address             Street or P.O. box address
         d) City
         e) State
         f) Zip
         g) Security Level      User's SL; acceptable values are 1-255
                                 (255 is sysop access); new-user SLs are
                                 set in VCONFIG.
         h) Access Flags        Flags used for specific database access,
                                 given as a letter A-Z.  Certain data-
                                 bases (such as sysops-only databases)
                                 may be given an access flag; only those
                                 users with the corresponding flag in
                                 this field may access those databases.
                                 The sysop should toggle all of these
                                 flags ON for his or her account by 
                                 pressing [H] and typing the alphabet;
                                 this ensures that he or she cannot 
                                 accidentally be locked out of any 
                                 database.

         i) Flags               General flags used outside of databases,
                                 given as a letter A-Z.  VBBS currently
                                 uses four flags "out of the package":

                                   A -- Login autoposts on/off
                                   F -- If set, user uses full-screen
                                         editor
                                   N -- User has received new-user
                                         message
                                   X -- Menus in expert mode

                                 Flags may be set or reset manually in
                                 the user editor, or via scripts.
         j) Password            User's password.
         k) Phone 1             User's voice phone number.
         l) Phone 2             User's data phone number
         m) MaxTime             Maximum time allowed on per day.
         n) Credits             User's credit total (gold)
         o) Verify Birthday     User's birthday.  If toggled, will ask
                                 user to re-enter birthday at login.
         p) Ratio Exempt?       Allows you to exempt the user from up-
                                 load/download ratio (if any).
         q) U/L                 Files/kilobytes uploaded.
         r) D/L                 Files/kilobytes downloaded.
  
         Ex1 - Ex8              User's $extra variables 1 through 8
         Page                   User's default page length.
         Vid                    User's default video mode.
         Calls                  Number of calls to your BBS the user has
                                 made to date.
         Time                   Total time the user has spent on your BBS
                                 to date.
         Last                   The date the user last called your BBS.
         Posts                  Number of public posts the user has left
                                 to date.
         Email                  Number of E-mails the user has sent to
                                 date.


                You may edit the information in fields a) through r) and
         Ex1 through Ex8; the rest is pretty much "read-only" user-selec-
         ted defaults or record-keeping information.

                There are several commands to help the sysop get around
         in the user editor:

         [/]            Prompts for a user number, handle, or real name 
                         and searches on the information given.  In case 
                         of duplicate information (e.g., two users with 
                         the first name "Mike"), it will ask if the user 
                         shown is the correct one.
         [Enter]        Move to next record.
         [-]            Move to previous record.
         [!]            Delete user's account.  Sets SL to 0 and opens
                         the account number for reassignment.  If you
                         open several slots, a new user will be given
                         the lowest-numbered slot available; the user
                         list is NOT "packed" (renumbered) after dele-
                         tions.
         [Esc]          Quit to sysop menu or WFC, whichever the editor
                         was invoked from.


                The user editor is a powerful tool for managing your
         user base -- spotting bogus accounts, changing users' access
         to various areas of the BBS, verifying information, and so on.
         There are several utilities available that make use of the in-
         formation stored in USERFILE.DAT; see "Virtual Tools" for more
         information.

         ONLINE FUNCTION KEYS
         
                When a user is online, the [F1] through [F10] keys func-
         tion differently from the way they do at the WFC screen.  The
         list of functions available when a user is online is given be-
         low:

         [F1]           Enter/exit Chat mode.
         [Shift-F1]     Enter split-screen Chat mode; [Esc] exits.
         [F2]           Call up user editor; user sees a <Wait> prompt
                         on his or her screen.  By exiting the [F2] user
                         editor as another user, the sysop can "change
                         into" that user.
        [F3]           Add 1 minute to the user's session.
         [Shift-F3]     Subtract 1 minute from the user's session.
         [F4]           Increase user's SL by 5.
         [Shift-F4]     Decrease user's SL by 5.  It should be noted that
                         the [F4] and [Shift-F4] changes appear to be
                         permanent; if you wish to give a user a higher
                         SL temporarily, your best bet would be to go
                         into the user editor using the [F2] key.
         [F5]           Drop to DOS (VBBS stays in memory).
         [Shift-F5]     Drop to DOS (VBBS shrinks out as per a door pro-
                         gram).
         [F6]           Pseudo-DOS multitasker; allows sysop to run small
                         DOS commands from the console while the user is
                         online and using the BBS.  One of the most un-
                         derrated features of VBBS.
         [F8]           Sysop alert; sets the computer to beep when the
                         current user online logs off.
         [F9]           Invoke the "Download Any File" convenience fea-
                         ture.
         [F10]          Boot user off the system, "cold".
         [Ctrl-F10]     Display STORM.TXT (found in the \TXT directory),
                         warning of inclement weather conditions, THEN
                         boot the user off the system.
         [Shift-F10]    Spurt some simulated "line noise" at the user,
                         and boot him or her off the system.  Makes the
                         user think a bad connection terminated the ses-
                         sion.

.TOPIC:
Call-back Verifier
            Use Call-Back Verifier
            
            If set to YES, VBBS will look for the ALLOW.CBV and
            RESTRICT.CBV files you will have created in your \DATA
            directory (see the "Callback Verifier" section for de-
            tails).  The installed callback verifier will prompt a new
            user to put his modem into a waiting-for-call state so
            VBBS can place a call to his terminal.  VBBS will request
            password confirmation from the answering system, thereby
            confirming the accuracy of the phone number left for that
            account.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Due to the dial-out nature of this feature,
                              VBBS sysops assume individual responsibility
                              concerning its use when activated.

            Call Back Ver. Security Level
            Call Back Ver. Time Limit
            
            These settings tell VBBS the SL and time limit to assign
            to the new user's account once the callback verifier has
            done its work.

.TOPIC:
Menu's

The WFC Menu                           Customizing Menus
Vconfig                            
The Default Main Menu              


.TOPIC:         
The Default Main Menu
                VBBS could easily be distributed with a blank menu -- in-
         stead, a default menu and function-block set, reflecting the con-
         figuration of the software on the author's BBS, is included in
         the original archive.  You are, of course, free to modify the
         menus and function blocks to your BBS' personality and your in-
         dividual tastes; see "Customizing VBBS" for more information on
         that subject.

                The default Main Menu contains five basic sections, the
         commands for which are listed below:

         
         MESSAGING FUNCTIONS            E-MAIL FUNCTIONS
                     
           L)  List Bases                 M)  Mailbox Scan
           P)  Post Message               Y)  Read Mail You've Sent
           N)  New Message Scan           E)  Write E-mail
           R)  Read Sequential            F)  Feedback to the Sysop
           S)  Scan Brief                 Q)  Multimail
           J)  Join/Ignore Bases
           >)  Next Base
           <)  Previous Base
           #)  Change to Base #
           $)  Change Topic Area

         BBS SUB-SYSTEMS                OTHER FUNCTIONS
                         
           T)  File Transfers             K)  Today's Callers
           B)  Bulletins/Textfiles        U)  User Listing
           S)  System Info                I)  System Info
           V)  Voting Booth               C)  Page Sysop
           D)  Defaults                   W)  Who's Online
           O)  On-Line Programs           Z)  Multiuser Teleconference
           A)  Autoposts                  X)  Network Info
           !)  QWK Functions              *)  Sysop Menu (255 SL only)
                                          G)  Logoff
         
         SYSOP MENU
         
           M)  Read All Mail
           E)  Edit File
           U)  User Editor
           S)  Security
           C)  Force Cleanup
           V)  Validate Posts
           Q)  Quit


                The individual functions are explained in the appropriate 
         annex for this chapter.  Please follow the guidelines explicitly when
         first setting up VBBS.  This will demonstrate the basics first hand
         which will provide you with all the background you need to completely
         customize you BBS. 

.TOPIC:         
Customizing VBBS
         The configurability of VBBS can not be overstated.
         See also Taglines          See also Menu's 
         Also, use SEARCH to find <Function Blocks>        
                Because of the way VBBS is structured, it's possible to
         configure the program to look and feel like some other BBS soft-
         ware; you can borrow features from several different BBS soft-
         wares to create your own design.  You might just take a vacation
         from reality one night and decide to make VBBS look just like
         GEnie or some other CIS.  Aside from the obvious limitations on
         actual storage space, you could accomplish the "look-alike" to
         the point where a user could not tell the difference!  By using
         scripts (and the source code, if you've registered for it), you
         can do many things that simply aren't possible with other BBS
         softwares.
                Unlike source code, which normally contains strict rules
         on code segment distribution (VBBS included), VSCRIPT-based ap-
         lications, function blocks, and menus may be distributed freely
         in full, or even in entire configuration sets.
                See also VDOC2 <Vscripts>
                See also VDOC3 <Vscripts Technical Support> 

                Customization and modification of VBBS comes in several
         forms: changing the menus to suit your personal tastes and set-
         up, rearranging function-block commands, installing scripts for
         special applications, and even modifying the source code (if
         you've registered at the source level).
                Menus and function blocks are closely interrelated, so
         if you find yourself flipping back and forth between the sec-
         tions on the two, don't worry; it's normal.
                For the remainder of this manual, the term "script" will
         apply exclusively to programs utilizing the VSCRIPT script lan-
         guage; the term "mod" will refer exclusively to modifications
         made at the source-code level.  It should be pointed out here
         that you do not need to register VBBS to write scripts or ex-
         change scripts with other sysops via VirtualNET; registration
         is required to obtain the VBBS source code for the QB4.5
         version.
                There are other good reasons to register VBBS; we'll get
         to those presently.

        
         "Heart-Code ANSI"
         

                If you've read this far, you've run across the term
         "heart-code ANSI" a time or two.  Since customization often in-
         volves changing colors and menus and adding system taglines,
         this is probably a good place to explain what "heart-code ANSI"
         is.

                If you've ever used the DOS "type" command to look at a
         file you've created using TheDraw or some other ANSI drawing
         program, you know it consists mainly of "garbage" resembling
         Chinese characters.

         This is the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) code
         for introducing color changes into text files so that the colors
         will show up onscreen; in order to display these color changes,
         you need to have the statement

                DEVICE=ANSI.SYS
 
         somewhere in your CONFIG.SYS file (remember, though, about the
         ANSI bomb -- see "First-Time Startup" for details on alternate
         ANSI drivers).

                A while back, a number of BBS programs began
         using a method of color changing called "heart-code ANSI",
         in which color changes were represented by a heart character
         followed by an alphanumeric character.  The heart-code system
         has the benefit of taking only two bytes to accomplish what
         takes 4-6 bytes in "raw" ANSI, thereby reducing the size of
         network transfers, especially where large numbers of color
         changes are involved. The heart-code colorization system has
         become the standard for many BBS softwares.
                When you're starting out with heart-code ANSI, it's a
         good idea to go into the VBBS FSE and press [Ctrl-P][?], and
         look at the color combinations that appear at the bottom of
         the screen.  The same set of color combinations can be seen
         when you go into your [D]efaults setup and start changing
         your screen display colors; you might consider printing out
         that screen using [Shift-Print Screen].

         ͻ    Using heart-code ANSI takes some getting used to, but
         ͼ    with practice, it's not terribly more difficult than
                the "raw" ANSI produced by TheDraw or other ANSI draw
                programs.  Heart-code ANSI is best for menus, taglines,
                and other features that have patterned or infrequent
                color changes.

                The easiest way to produce a heart-code menu or tagline 
         is to first use an ANSI drawing program to make the menu/tag-
         line, then save it as a straight ASCII text file.  Then, pull
         it into the VBBS FSE and use [Ctrl-P] codes to change the co-
         lors. Specific utility programs are also available, such as
         VDraw, which are easy to use and highly flexible.
                To introduce a heart-code color change into an ASCII
         text file, turn Num Lock ON; while holding down the [Alt] key, 
         type in either "3" or "259" (whichever works) FROM THE NUMERIC 
         KEYPAD.  A heart character should appear on your screen.  The 
         second keystroke should be a number from 0-9 or a letter from
         A-Z, depending on what color you want to produce.
         See Customizing Menus

.TOPIC:
Function Blocks 
Function Blocks              
              At the heart of VBBS' command structure is the FUNCTION
         BLOCK, which is in turn represented by a menu.  A function block
         is an easy-to-modify ASCII file which allows the sysop to define 
         every single function of any menu -- what each key does, whether 
         it is calling an internal function, an external VSCRIPT, external
         .EXE file (shrinking or not shrinking VBBS out of memory as de-
         sired), or calling another function block.
                Creating and editing function blocks may be done with any
         ASCII text editor; the resulting files should be placed in the 
         VBBS \V or \VSCRIPT directory you have set up in VCONFIG.  

         For example, for your FILES.FB, the first line of the function
         block might now read FILE1.  This would instruct VBBS to display 
         a menu file called FILE1.MNU, FILE1.ANS, FILE1.ASC, or FILE1.PDM
         (depending on which menuing scheme you're using and the user's 
         default display setting).  Similarly, your START.FB might call
         up the MAIN.xxx menu file, while your SYSOP.FB might call up the
         SYSOP1.xxx menu file.
                The second line holds the letter designators of any topic
         areas that "go with" the function block.  For example, if you
         have message topic areas A, B, C, and D, the second line of your
         START.FB should read

                ABCD

         Otherwise, your users would only see ONE topic area; the "A"
         topic that came preconfigured as a default.  Many new sysops for-
         get to add these other topic designators in; it's not difficult
         to overlook this, even though it IS crucial.

                Each subsequent line of a function block enables a "hot-
         key" to perform a particular command or function.  Lines in the
         "body" of a function block MUST follow this particular format
         and appear in strict columns:

                k xxx y cccccccccccc

         An explanation is given below.

         Part   Column(s)  Explanation
             
         k          1      The letter or symbol serving as the hot-key
         xxx       3-5     The minimum SL needed to access the function 
                             (must be three digits, like "050" or "007")
         y          7      The command type (a digit 0-5; more on that 
                             below)
         cccccc     9+     The name of the routine/script/.EXE command 
                             line, etc.; this section is of variable 
                             length, depending on what you're trying to 
                             do.

                The "y" in the command line represents a digit from 0
         through 5 that tells VBBS how to execute the command, according
         to the following list:

         Digit  Command-type Description                               
           
           0    Null (no operation)
           1    Internal command (like SENDEMAIL)
           2    Script
           3    DOS function (don't shrink VBBS out of memory)
           4    DOS function (shrink VBBS out of memory)
           5    Transfer control to a different function block


                A sample function block to handle E-mail might look some-
         thing like this (without the parts inside angle-brackets):

                EMAIL           <name of menu file>
                                <no database attached; E-mail's automatic>
                e 001 1 sendemail
                m 001 1 reademailto
                f 001 1 feedback
                s 001 1 reademailsent
                q 000 5 start   <on quitting, return to START.FB>

         The Default START.FB
         
                VBBS could easily have been distributed with a blank menu;
         instead, a default START.FB is included which reflects the con-
         figuration of the software on the author's BBS, "Virtual Techno-
         logies".  Note the columnation at the beginning of each line and
         the topic-area designator on the second line.  Other points of
         interest include:  1) the 255 SL required to transfer control to 
         the SYSOP.FB function block; 2) the VBBS-AUX commands that shrink
         the BBS out of memory to execute the associated program; and 3)
         the nonalphabetic characters used as hot-keys.

                MAIN
                A
                $ 001 1 choosetopic
                > 001 1 nextbase
                < 001 1 prevbase
                c 001 1 selectbase
                j 001 1 setquickscan
                s 001 1 scanmsg
                n 001 1 readnewmsg
                r 001 1 readseqmsg
                p 001 1 post
                e 001 1 sendemail
                y 001 1 reademailfrom
                m 001 1 reademailto
                q 001 1 quickmail
                f 001 1 feedback
                o 001 1 door
                z 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 telecon
                d 001 1 account
                l 001 1 pagesysop
                t 001 5 files
                b 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 textfiles
                k 001 1 listcallers
                u 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 listusers
                a 001 1 autopost
                v 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 vote
                i 001 1 sysinfo
                w 001 1 who
                x 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 listnet
                * 255 5 sysop
                g 000 1 logoffyn

                Making changes is as simple as pulling the START.FB file
         into a text editor (even the VBBS FSE, from WITHIN the board!)
         and adding in the desired function(s).  For example, you might
         add in the following line to invoke a script that shows a user
         his/her credit total:

                # 001 2 crcheck

         Notice that all this is presented in lower-case; function blocks
         are NOT case-sensitive, so the number of commands you may have
         is limited to 26 letters + 10 digits + however many punctuation
         and nonalphabetic characters you can come up with (of course, if
         any FB ever gets that big, you'll probably want to split it into
         smaller chunks anyway).

         ͻ    If you start breaking your function blocks into smaller
         ͼ    pieces, it's important to choose letter commands -- "hot
                keys" -- in such a way that commands will be consistent
                across menus.  For example, if you have the [M] key set
                to jump to the Message Menu in one function block, try
                to make it do the same thing in ALL function blocks.
                This may not be easy, but your users will appreciate not
                having to learn a different set of hotkeys at each menu.
 

         The Default FILES.FB and SYSOP.FB
                
                There are two other default function blocks: FILES.FB,
         which governs the file transfer section(s), and SYSOP.FB, which
         contains the commands for the sysop function block.  These func-
         tion blocks are shown below:

         FILE1                          SYSOP1
         F
         g 000 1 logoffyn               m 255 1 readallemail
         m 001 1 dlmasterlist           e 255 1 editfile
         u 001 1 remoteupload           u 255 1 useredit
         d 001 1 downloadfile           s 255 4 vbbs-aux %1 security
         r 001 1 reviewfile             v 255 1 validate
         c 001 1 selectbase             c 255 1 cleanup
         j 001 1 setnewfilesscan        q 000 5 start
         l 001 1 listfiles
         n 001 1 newfiles
         s 001 1 searchall
         b 001 1 batchdl
         f 001 1 findfiles
         > 001 1 nextbase
         < 001 1 prevbase
         p 001 1 topdownloads
         y 001 1 ratio
         z 255 1 sysopupload
         x 255 1 reviewuploads
         q 000 5 start


         One change to FILES.FB you might want to try right off the bat
         -- if you have more than one files area and want to fiddle with
         the function blocks (and if Roland hasn't added it in as a de-
         fault command yet) -- is to add in this line:

                $ 001 1 choosetopic

         No compilation is necessary ... just save it, and the the [$]
         command to move between files topic areas is enabled, just like
         in the message bases!  Make sure, though, that you add the com-
         mand in your menus so your users can take advantage of it.

                Rearranging the commands in function blocks isn't that
         difficult -- it's just a matter of making sure you don't leave
         out any commands.  For example, I have separate function blocks
         for the Main Menu (12 whole commands!), E-mail, transfers, and
         subsystems, coupled with the ability to jump between FBs with
         one keystroke.  Of course, my menu structure is quite different
         from the default setup -- but that's the beauty of VBBS.  It
         didn't blink an eye when I installed the changes!
                One caveat, however: your main function block MUST be
         called START.FB.  It is the function block that takes over when
         the START.V script finishes running.
  
         Scripts and Mods
         

                As stated earlier, the term "scripts" refers to programs
         written using VSCRIPT and compiled using the program VCOM.EXE;
         "mods" refers to source-code modifications (just a reminder).

                The VSCRIPT language is one of the most powerful features
         of VBBS (if not THE most powerful).  It's a small programming
         language, somewhat similar to the REXX script language, that 
         incorporates many of VBBS' functions into single command state-
         ments (with or without command-line arguments).  All it takes 
         is your favorite ASCII text editor or word processor and some 
         familiarity with the VSCRIPT language (that's a separate part 
         of the documentation), and you can be customizing your BBS via
         scripts in no time.
               There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of VSCRIPT-
         based applications available through VirtualNET (more about that
         later).  Some enterprising programmers have created casino games,
         alternate mail and voting routines, scripts to welcome new users
         and take them on a tour of the BBS, show user information ... 
         it's difficult to describe the variety of scripts that have been 
         written by sysops and users alike!  

                The QB4.5 DOS version of VBBS may also be modified through
         direct changes to the source code, a process known as "source
         modding" or simply "modding".  This DOES require that you have
         a copy of Microsoft's QuickBASIC compiler (version 4.5 or later).
         The "QBASIC" that comes with MS-DOS is NOT sufficient for this
         purpose.
                
                VBBS employs a mixed programming environment using assem-
         bly-language routines for fast COM port and program I/O, while
         using QuickBASIC as an affordable and easy-to-modify environment.  
         This is in sharp contrast to many other BBS softwares, which re-
         quire a knowledge of Pascal or C and their associated compilers.
         It should be noted here, however, that in order to keep the 
         source-code files from being too large, there are very few com-
         ments in the default program.
                For the OS/2 version of VBBS, the executeables are
         precompiled under Microsoft's PDS (Professional Development
         System) compiler which produces a even faster-executing .EXE
         (3-10%) and will provide a greater degree of power in the
         program, such as increased string space.  Source code is not
         available for this version.

         ͻ    Some helpful hints to make your source modding easier:
         ͼ
                1) Make backup copies of the existing source code.  It
                   might save you truckloads of grief later.
                2) Print out the source code (make a pot of coffee or
                   something while you do ... it takes a while) and read
                   through it BEFORE you start modding.  The files are
                   simply too complex to try to keep up with on a screen-
                   by-screen basis.  Highlighting's much easier, too; my
                   source-code printout has so much red ink on it that it
                   looks like a bad high-school English paper.
                3) Make sure you're thoroughly familiar with the functions
                   and commands of VBBS; this will make it easier to spot
                   their associated source routines.
  
         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Access to the VBBS source code is obtained 
                              under specific licensing agreement.  You 
                              may not possess any portion of the source 
                              without having obtained a license to do so 
                              from the VBBS author, and in no case shall 
                              more than 100 lines of VBBS code be con-
                              tained within a published modification at
                              any time.
                See also VDOC2 <Vscripts> 
                See also VDOC3 <Vscript Technical Support>

         Scripts and Mods on VirtualNET
         

                Once your BBS is a VirtualNET node, there are several
         message subs dedicated to VBBS scripts and mods.  Two are:

                       VBBS Script Technical Support
                       VBBS Source Technical Support
         
.TOPIC:
Customizing Menus
         Customizing Menus
         
                The VBBS archive includes a default set of function blocks
         (see below) and their accompanying menus.  After running the de-
         faults for a while, however, most sysops want to customize their
         menus to more accurately reflect their personal tastes and give
         their BBS a distinctive look.
                Default VBBS has four different types of menu files:

                        .MNU files (the default)
                        .ANS and .ASC files
                        .PDM files
                        .RIP files

                On startup, VBBS looks for menu files with the .MNU ex-
         tension.  The .MNU files included with VBBS are done in heart-
         code ANSI, and serve "double duty".  If the user's video display
         will support ANSI graphics, the color changes will be included,
         but if it won't (user's defaults set to ASCII), VBBS will strip
         out the color changes for display to that user.  The main bene-
         fit of this system is that by using the heart-code .MNU files, 
         only one set of menu files is needed for both ANSI and ASCII 
         users.  Another point in favor of the .MNU files is that they
         seem to display a little bit faster -- this is probably due to
         the fact that it takes only two bytes to make a color change.

                The second set of menu formats -- .ANS and .ASC files --
         is what VBBS will look for if it doesn't find .MNU files.  The
         .ANS format is "raw" ANSI, such as that produced by TheDraw;
         an .ASC extension represents an ASCII (text) menu.  The advan-
         tages to having these files in lieu of .MNU files is that they

           1) are a little bit quicker to produce, i.e., you draw a 
              menu directly in ANSI, save it twice (in .ANS format 
              and in .ASC format), and you're done.
           2) are easier to make, especially if you have very com-
              plex menus and color changes; the heart-code system 
              can be a little daunting if your menus are ornate.

         The downside of this method is that you must have two copies of
         each menu, one for ANSI users and one for ASCII users; if a user
         with ASCII defaults gets an .ANS menu, he/she will receive gar-
         bage characters and probably won't call back.

                The final set of files are VBBS' "pull-down" menus, which
         have a .PDM extension.  These are for users who have selected
         "Enhanced ANSI" as their screen display default.  These are ac-
         tually ASCII text files that VBBS colorizes as part of the de-
         fault color selection.  A user may opt to use .PDMs at any sys-
         tem prompt by pressing the [Esc] key -- and you should try it
         to see how they work.  The default FILES.PDM file is shown
         below:
 
                Directory
                 C Change Directory [C]
                 L List Files       [L]
                 S Search All Dirs  [S]
                 N New Files List   [N]
                 F Find Description [F]
                Transfer
                 D Download Files  [D]
                 U Upload Files    [U]
                 B Batch Functions [B]
                 R Review Files    [R]
                 Y Your Stats      [Y]
                Other
                 J New File Scandate       [J]
                 P Popular Downloads       [P]
                 M Download Master List    [M]
                 Q Quit to Main Menu       [Q]
                 G Log Off                 [G]

         These files are preconfigured, but easily changed using any text
         editor.  They don't need to be changed, though, unless you re-
         group or add commands within the function blocks.  But --

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Any changes you make in your .MNU or
                              .ANS/.ASC menus should also be made in
                              your .PDM files.

                Creating your own .MNU menus is simple enough: after 
         making backups of the original menu files (just in case), use 
         your favorite drawing program (or even a text editor capable of 
         handling "extended ASCII" characters, although this is a LOT 
         more work) to make an ASCII menu file.  To add the color 
         changes you want, pull the file into the VBBS FSE and use 
         heart codes to add color (as described earlier).

         ͻ    Menus are a great means of customizing your BBS.  They're
         ͼ    also the primary method by which a user interacts with
                your BBS, so you want to design menus that are as func-
                tional as possible.  Please note that complete script/
                function block/menu/pdm packages emulating the look and
                feel of several other bbs softwares have been developed.
                The most notable of these is MVMEN by David Bell with
                emulations of WWIV, Remote Access, WildCat, Renegade, and
                others, in addition to multi-language VBBS modules.


.TOPIC:
Taglines
         System Taglines
         
                Many sysops whose BBSs are part of VirtualNET like to
         "personalize" posts originating from their system by adding a
         system tagline to the posts.
                System taglines are optional; if they are used, however,
         they must follow several guidelines:

                1) They must include the name of the BBS, its geo-
                   graphic location, VirtualNET node number, and
                   version of VBBS being used;
                2) They must be 3 lines or less AND 300 bytes or
                   less (i.e., a 3-line, 350-byte tagline is NOT
                   acceptable);
                3) They must be colorized using ONLY heart-code 
                   ANSI (no "raw" ANSI allowed).

                Creating a system tagline is similar to creating a new
         menu; you make and save an ASCII version of the tagline, then
         bring it into the VBBS FSE to colorize it with heart codes.
         Since any experimental color changes are also saved with the
         tagline, it's usually a good idea to use your ASCII text edi-
         tor to delete any unnecessary color changes after you've got
         your tagline looking the way you want it.
                Taglines reside in your \TXT directory under the name(s)
         TAGLINE.xxx, where "xxx" is a number from 1 to 999.  It should
         be noted that single- or double-digit extensions to these files
         should be just that, i.e., TAGLINE.1 or TAGLINE.22, and not
         TAGLINE.001 or TAGLINE.022.

         ͻ    A word or two on system taglines:  they should be as dis-
         ͼ    tinctive as possible without being gaudy or distracting
                from the body of the message.  "Eyesore" taglines are 
                sometimes the butt of jokes on networks.  In addition,
                some sysops try to cram every bit of information they
                can about their systems into their taglines; this is 
                frequently viewed as being distracting, and in general, 
                a "less-is-more" approach is best advised.
.TOPIC:
Optimize VBBS
                Running a BBS -- and VBBS is no exception here -- is a
         major source of hard-drive wear and tear.  This is not to put
         down any BBS software; it's just the nature of the beast.  There
         are several steps you can take to optimize VBBS so as to minimize
         hard-drive abuse.

         "Defragging" Your Hard Drive
         

                One piece of maintenance you should run periodically is a
         program designed to de-fragment files on your hard drive.  Daily
         maintenance erases the oldest messages on your hard drive, lea-
         ving "gaps" where those messages used to be.  After several days
         of this, a map of your hard drive utilization can look like some-
         one took a shotgun to it -- empty sectors/clusters scattered all
         through your data.
                "Defragging" your hard drive puts your data into contigu-
         ous (adjacent) sectors/clusters, thereby reducing the amount of
         time it takes the read/write heads to access a particular piece
         of information.  Utilities such as Norton's SPEEDISK accomplish
         this quite well; be prepared, though, to spend several minutes
         watching the process when you run it the first time.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Just to be on the safe side, you SHOULD NOT
                              run a disk defragmentation program from
                              within VBBS or from WFC; always EXIT the
                              BBS prior to running the program.

         Using a RAMdrive
         

                Another means of optimization is to place the most fre-
         quently accessed files -- menus and such -- into a RAMdrive
         (virtual disk).  By loading the most frequently accessed files
         into RAM, many systems will realize system speedup ranging from
         modest to substantial.
                VBBS textfiles and menus within the \TXT directory pro-
         bably benefit most from being placed in a RAMdrive; these would
         be the .MNU, .ANS/.ASC, and .TXT files.  Because they are acces-
         sed often, having them in RAM can substantially decrease hard-
         drive access.  Another group of files suitable for placing in a
         RAMdrive are your script files -- the .V, .COD and .LIT files.
         This speeds the process of loading the scripts, since no disk
         access is performed.
                To install a RAMdrive, include the following in your
         CONFIG.SYS file:

                DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS 80 /E

         This command line creates an 80-kilobyte RAMdrive; the "/E"
         switch tells DOS to place the RAMdrive in EXTENDED memory.
         In addition, the default limit on the number of files that can
         be placed in a RAMdrive (as would be the case in the above ex-
         ample) is 64; if you want to place more files than that in the
         RAMdrive, you need a command line similar to this:

                DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS 128 128 /E

         The above command line would create a 128K RAMdrive with a maxi-
         mum of 128 files in extended memory.  For more information,
         please consult your DOS manual or reference book.
                To make the best use of a RAMdrive, you need to be run-
         ning a 286 or 386 computer with at least 1 Mb of RAM and the
         DOS device HIMEM.SYS (an extended memory manager) loaded.  If
         you're running a 386, you might consider QEMM386 as your exten-
         ded memory manager.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  It is recommended that you do NOT assign
                              your VBBS \TEMP directory to a RAMdrive.
         
.TOPIC:
Security
         ͻ
          SECURITY                                                       
         ͼ

                VBBS provides a high level of security.  One of the most
         significant security features of VBBS is that it will not allow a
         remote user to drop to DOS through internal functions.  If you
         would like to enable a remote drop-to-DOS capability, you will
         need to install DOORWAY or DoorMaster (both shareware programs)
         as a door from VBBS.  This is generally a much safer method, and
         in the case of using DOORWAY, provedes a much more powerful re-
         mote interface than a built-in remote DOS access routine could.
         By using a program such as this, you may also run VBBS utilities
         such as VCONFIG remotely.
                In VCONFIG, you have the option of allowing remote sysops.
         Allowing a remote sysop will let a user with a SL of 255 who 
         knows the system password to access the sysop functions of VBBS.
         Pressing [S] from the sysop menu will show all users on the sys-
         tem who have security level access.  Although a user may view
         an archive, there is no function that will allow him or her to
         extract an archive.  As with all BBS software, it is recommended
         that you register DSZ (ZModem) for maximum security.
                VBBS uses a \SYSOP directory which stores all files up-
         loaded to the system and files sent that were attached to E-mail.
         Here, the sysop has the ability to view, scan and move the files
         and file listings to the appropriate directory after review.  Be
         sure to leave the maximum settings for this database at 0 (zero)
         and make sure that DSZ.COM is in your path (a common mistake
         when setting up for the first time).
                VBBS features a special exclusion file, EXCLUDE.TXT, in
         which you define whole filenames, partial filenames, or DOS
         extensions that you wish VBBS to NOT allow upload of (such as
         .GIF).  It is highly recommended that you do NOT delete any of
         the lines in the default EXCLUDE.TXT provided.

                VBBS allows you to automatically check for archive
         integrity and viruses. See Atuomatic New Upload Verification
         in the VCONFIG portion of this document for details.

.TOPIC:
Maintenance
                Much of your system's maintenance is performed automatic-
         ally by VBBS each day.  Database "packing" occurs as the primary
         event where your system's databases are compacted and old mes-
         sages are removed according to the limits you set in VCONFIG.
         System logs are then compacted as well and the daily log cycles
         into another log file that shows a log of the last five days of
         system activity.  Many sysops run other maintenance as well.  
         Backing up certain important system files each day is common.
                There are several VBBS-specific utilities as well as
         several general-use utilities that can be valuable for the VBBS
         sysop.  Some of these utilities, such as those by Neil J. Mar-
         shall and other VBBS freeware utility programmers, perform such
         tasks as searching out duplicate posts and files, removing users
         who have not called for a specific time, printing reports, etc.
                There are several shareware utilities available that will
         allow you to automate periodic batchfile events so that they run
         on a daily or weekly (or other interval) basis.

.TOPIC:
1. Main Configuration
        See also:Screen Two and Screen Three

                             Screen One
         1) BBS Name
            
            This is where you enter your BBS' name, so that VBBS can
            display it as needed.

         2) Sysop Name
            
            This field contains your name or handle, or the name or
            handle of the primary system operator.

         3) Timeout
            
            This numeric value determines how long a user may remain
            inactive (not typing anything) before being automatically
            logged off the BBS.  The value is expressed in seconds,
            and the user will receive a "beep" warning at the midpoint
            of the interval.

            For example, a setting of 360 would allow for 6 minutes of
            inactivity; the user would receive a warning after 3 min-
            utes, and would be logged off after 3 more minutes of in-
            activity.

         4) Start-Up Script
            
            This is the first script that is run after a user logs on.
            For the default VBBS setup, this is START, which reflects
            the small START.V script included in the VBBS archive.

         5) PAUSE string
            
            This allows you to customize your "press any key to con-
            tinue" prompt.

         6) Idle Modem
            
            This setting defines what, if anything, to do with the
            modem when the BBS is busy doing certain offline func-
            tions, such as unpacking network mail, running external
            events, doing daily maintenance, etc.  The choices are
            "Modem Off-Hook" and "Do Nothing".

            If you select "Modem Off-Hook", then VBBS will "busy out"
            your phone line as needed for offline functions.  When the
            offline function is completed, VBBS will re-initialize the 
            modem and resume servicing callers.  Note that setting the 
            MODEM off-hook does NOT set an attached PHONE off-hook; if
            a call comes in while the modem is off-hook, the phone
            will still ring (and this can be QUITE annoying).

         7) Registration #
            
            This is where you enter your VBBS registration number,
            when you get one.  The only way to get a valid registra-
            tion number is to register VBBS with the author (see "Re-
            gistration" and the section on VCONFIG's "Print Regis-
            tration Form" option for more details).

         8) New User Password
            
            In this field, you may specify your system's new-user
            passowrd.  Leaving this field blank disables the new-
            user password entirely.  The presence of a password in
            this field will require that a first-time remote caller
            actually know what the password is.

         9) Blank WFC Screen
            
            This setting configures the VBBS automatic WFC (Waiting
            For Call) screen blanker.  Like the "Timeout" option,
            this value is expressed in seconds; a value of 300 in
            this field would blank out the WFC screen after 5 min-
            utes.  A value of 0 in this field disables screen blan-
            king entirely.

         A) Reserve Space
            
            This setting, expressed in kilobytes (KB), instructs VBBS
            to reserve some of your hard-drive space so that suffi-
            cient space to operate the BBS is always available on your
            hard drive.  When the free space on your upload drive
            drops below this value, uploads will not be allowed onto
            the board; this is for your protection.

            A value of 0 in this field disables this feature.

         B) Using WATCH.COM
            
            WATCH.COM is a small shareware utility that senses unan-
            swered telephone rings to your system and will reboot the
            computer after so many rings, or arbitrarily every few
            hours.

            This is a YES or NO setting; if YES, VBBS will issue com-
            mands to WATCH.COM as needed.  If NO, the feature is dis-
            abled.

         C) Allow Handles
            
            This setting determines whether a user's primary means of
            identification on your system is a "handle" or his real
            name.  Note that some networks and networked message bases
            do not allow the use of handles.

         D) Daily Clean-Up
            
            This setting specifies the time VBBS will run automatic
            database cleanup.  The time must be entered in HH:MM for-
            mat using military time.  A setting of 00:00 disables
            this feature, but this is not recommended unless you make
            some provision for some kind of cleanup utility as an ex-
            ternal event.
 
         ͻ    Not setting a cleanup time is a common mistake among new
         ͼ    sysops; if you notice the messages piling up and your
                hard-drive space diminishing rapidly, this is a good place
                to start looking for the source of the problem.

         E) Allow 255 Remote
            
            This feature may be used as an extra security measure to
            prevent someone from ever gaining sysop access via remote.
            If you need to access the sysop functions of your BBS re-
            motely, or wish to give a co-sysop or other individual
            that privilege, then choose YES for this setting.

         F) System Password
            
            This field contains your system password and is an op-
            tional level of security.  All users with a security level
            (SL) of 255, or sysop security, will be prompted for the
            system password when logging in.

         G) Registration Code
            
            When you register VBBS you will be sent a letter with
            your registration code.  Enter that code in this field
            EXACTLY as it is shown on the card.  Put the letter in
            a safe place where you'll KNOW where it is.

            The combined entry of a valid registration number and your
            registration code "unlocks" your copy of VBBS and enables
            full operation (see "Registration" for details).

         H) Use FOSSIL Driver
            
            This setting lets you tell VBBS to use a FOSSIL driver.
            FOSSIL drivers are especially useful in certain multi-user
            applications of VBBS, although they are not required.  If
            this is set to NO, VBBS will use its own internal COM rou-
            tines. This is the preferred setting. See the MODEMS portion
            of this document for help setting up a fossil driver.

         I) Sysop Page Control
            
            This option allows you to select between two different
            methods of detecting sysop availability.  The most popular
            choice is to let the lighted [Scroll Lock] key toggle sys-
            op availability.  Sysops with non-standard keyboards may
            set this to toggle by hitting the [A] key at the WFC
            screen.  Note that the [Scroll Lock] key may be toggled
            at any time anywhere in the system.

         J) WFC Drive List
            
            This is the list of hard drives you want displayed on the
            WFC screen.  The drive letter, size, free space, and per-
            centage of space free will be displayed; if free space
            drops below a particular percentage, that display line
            will change color.
 
         K) # Active Channels
            
            This setting lets you optimize VBBS for the number of si-
            multaneous online users (active ports) that you are set up
            for on your multi-user VBBS installation.  If you have two
            lines running into your multi-user VBBS, set this to 2; if
            you have four lines, set it to 4, and so on.

            Single-line VBBS installations should set this value to 1.

         L) Log Detail Level
            
            This defines the level of detail that VBBS maintains in
            its BBS.LOG file.  There are two settings:  NORMAL, which
            shows the typical actions of a user (logon time, door
            calls, etc.); and EXTENDED, which also shows the indivi-
            dual keystrokes the user makes at the various menus within
            the system.

         ͻ    The EXTENDED level is useful for tracking users' progress
         ͼ    within the BBS; it can be particularly helpful in identi-
                fying users who head straight for the game or transfer
                sections.

         Z) SCREEN TWO
            
            Takes you to the second screen of MAIN configuration.
.TOPIC:
Screen Two
     See also: Screen Three or Click on BACK to return to Screen One    

                        Screen Two
         1) Net Low Time
         2) Net High Time
            
            These two settings let you specify a period of time for
            network transfers.  During net time, users calling the BBS
            will receive the text message you've configured in NETONLY.TXT
            (Text Directory)  and be logged off.  (Note: SysOp may log in.)
            This is a way to open up a busy BBS for network calls,
            typically late at night. Use of this feature may be required in
            some networks.

            The "net low time" is the beginning of the net period; the
            "net high time" is the end of the net period.  The times
            must be entered in HH:MM format using military time; if
            both are set to 00:00, the feature is disabled.

         3) Net Redial Attempts
            
            This specifies the number of network redial attempts VBBS
            should make.

         ͻ    If you are a "leaf node" (i.e., no one connects to your
         ͼ    system for their network packets) and your server's BBS
                isn't particularly busy, chances are you won't have to
                set this very high (5 attempts usually connects me with
                my server).  If your net connect is a very busy BBS, you
                may need to set this as high as 50 or more.  Keep in mind
                that while your system is calling out, users can't call
                in.

         4) Network Poll Delay at WFC
            
            This setting configures how often VBBS checks to see if
            it needs to perform some type of automatic network dial-
            out.  It is expressed in seconds (i.e., a value of 600
            would represent 10 minutes).

         5) Dialing String
            
            This setting specifies the proper dialing string for your
            modem.  This will, in most cases, be either ATDT (for tone
            dialing) or ATDP (for pulse dialing).

         6) New User Security
         7) New User Time
            
            These settings define the security level (SL) and time
            limit given to a new user on your BBS.
         
         ͻ    Make sure that you give new users a high enough SL and
         ͼ    enough time to at least explore your BBS for a bit.  If
                they can't do ANYTHING on their first call, their first
                call might be their LAST.

         8) Min. Sec. Lvl. Autopost
         9) MSL Email Others
         A) MSL Email Sysop Attached File
         B) MSL Email Others Attached File
         C) MSL MultiMail
         D) MSL Email Carbon-Copy
            
           These settings define the minimum security level (MSL) a
            user needs to access certain functions of the BBS.  A
            typical BBS might allow a new user to E-mail others, but
            restrict the other functions to validated users; some
            boards restrict multi-mail and carbon-copy mail to the
            sysop and co-sysop only.

         ͻ    A mistake beginning sysops sometimes make is setting these
         ͼ    too high for anyone to access; make sure the MSLs are low
                enough for users to access at least SOME of them.

         E) Upload/Download Ratio
            
            This setting specifies the optional system upload/down-
            load ratio; if enabled, it requires that users upload
            files in order to be able to download them.  To calculate
            the value to enter in this field, use the following for-
            mula:

            decimal ratio = (required uploads) / (allowed downloads)

            For example, to require that a user upload 1K for every
            5K downloaded (a ratio of 1:5), you would convert the
            fraction 1/5 into a decimal and enter the value .2 in
            the ratio field.  Other values are possible; some of the
            more common ones are

                .1   (1:10 ratio)     .05  (1:20 ratio)
                .25  (1: 4 ratio)      .5  (1: 2 ratio)

            Ratios like 1:3, 1:6, 1:7 and so on are probably better
            dealt with through a credits system (see Screen Three
            for details); as with some of the other settings, a
            value of 0 in this field disables ratios entirely.

         F) Allow Auto-Sysop Validation
         G) Auto-Sysop Security Level
         H) Auto-Sysop Time Limit
            
            This feature is useful to those whose callers include a
            good number of other sysops.  With it, you can allow them
            to  boost their own SL and time limit a little.

            This feature can either be ON or OFF.  If setting (F) is
            set to NO, sysop auto-validation is disabled completely.

        ͻ    It should be noted that there have been instances where
        ͼ    non-sysop users have given false information and gained
               visiting-sysop status on some systems.  There are, how-
               ever, several source-code modifications (if you have
               registered at the source level) and scripts to combat
               this problem.

         I) QWK Message Limit
            
            This setting defines the maximum number of QWK messages
            to put into one QWK packet.  Unregistered copies of VBBS
            are limited to 50 messages per packet; entering the re-
            gistration number and registration code on Screen One
            enables full QWK-limit configurability.

        ͻ    Suggesting a good number to enter in this field is dif-
        ͼ    ficult to do; if you have a large number of active net-
               worked message bases, you will probably want to set this
               high (say, 500 or so).  This is a trial-and-error set-
               ting, but easily changed.

         J) Enter System Password for WFC Sysop Commands
            
            If this is set to YES, then the system password is re-
            quired to access certain functions from WFC.  It's use-
            ful if your BBS needs to be secure locally -- if you
            have a lot of your users dropping by, or if you have
            small children lurking about the computer, for example.
            It can, however, be somewhat annoying if you make fre-
            quent use of the WFC commands when tinkering with the
            BBS (in which case you may want to at least temporarily
            disable it).

         K) Mail Hold Time (Days)
            
            This specifies the time, in days, that E-mail should be
            kept active on the system.  When an E-mail reaches the
            age limit, it is automatically purged from the BBS.  A
            value of 0 disables this feature, although this is not
            recommended (see below).

        ͻ    Encourage your users to clean up after themselves by
        ͼ    deleting (or extracting, THEN deleting) E-mail after
               they've read it.  Old, read E-mail DOES tend to pile up
               on the system and may create problems if hard-drive space
               is at a premium.  21 days is probably a good length of
               time to hold E-mail, although this may certainly be ad-
               justed.

         L) Max Time Bank
            
            This specifies the maximum number of minutes that a user
            may deposit into her time bank.  Setting this to 0 will
            disable the built-in time bank.

            In addition to the internal time bank, as with other func-
            tions, there are several time-bank VSCRIPTS available.

          Z) SCREEN THREE
             
             Takes you to Screen Three of MAIN configuration.
.TOPIC:
Screen Three
         Click On BACK to return to Vconfig Menu Details
         
                        Screen Three
         1) QWK Packet Name
            
            This is the name you wish to give to QWK packets being
            sent from your system.  It is recommended that you give
            this field a unique six-character name.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  DO NOT use a PERIOD or a ZERO within this
                              field.  Softwares tend to "choke" when you
                              do.

         2) Force Filename Entry Before Upload
            
            If set to NO, the user is given the choice as to whether
            to enter filenames and descriptions prior to upload or
            after it.  If set to YES, the user is forced to enter
            filenames and descriptions before the upload.  When file-
            names and descriptions are entered before the upload,
            the file bases are checked for duplication.

         ͻ    You should tell your users that once they're through en-
         ͼ    tering filenames and descriptions, pressing [Enter] at
                the prompt will get them into the actual upload process.

         3) Inverse Bar on Input Fields
            
            If set to YES, an inverse-color bar will be drawn on cer-
            tain input fields, to show the user how much space she has
            to enter the information.  If set to NO, the bar is not
            displayed.

         4) Display Network in Subs Listings
            
            If set to NO, minimal network information is displayed
            when the user does an online database listing.  If set to
            YES, then full network information is displayed.

         ͻ    It should be noted that minimal info displays somewhat
         ͼ    faster than full network information.

         5) Run LOGOFF.BAT At User Logoff
            
            The possible settings for this option are NO, CHANNEL 1
            ONLY, and ALL CHANNELS.  This option allows you to con-
            figure utilities (virus scans, information updates, etc.)
            to be run when a user logs off.  Parameters passed to the
            batch file(s) are:

            %1 -- channel number
            %2 -- COM port number

         6) Number of Rings to Answer On
            
            This setting defines how many times the phone will be
            allowed to ring before VBBS answers.  For most installa-
            tions, a setting of 1 is proper.

         ͻ    If you have Caller ID on your system, you might want to
         ͼ    set this to 2 to give your equipment time to display the
                originating phone number.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you're running WATCH.COM or some other
                              auto-reboot program, don't forget to keep
                              this setting BELOW the threshold for re-
                              booting, else your system will spend all
                              its time rebooting instead of taking calls.

         7) Use Call-Back Verifier
            
            If set to YES, VBBS will look for the ALLOW.CBV and
            RESTRICT.CBV files you will have created in your \DATA
            directory (see the "Callback Verifier" section for de-
            tails).  The installed callback verifier will prompt a new
            user to put his modem into a waiting-for-call state so
            VBBS can place a call to his terminal.  VBBS will request
            password confirmation from the answering system, thereby
            confirming the accuracy of the phone number left for that
            account.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Due to the dial-out nature of this feature,
                              VBBS sysops assume individual responsibility
                              concerning its use when activated.

         8) Call Back Ver. Security Level
         9) Call Back Ver. Time Limit
            
            These settings tell VBBS the SL and time limit to assign
            to the new user's account once the callback verifier has
            done its work.

         A) Force New User to Leave Feedback
            
            If set to YES, the file LEAVEFB.TXT (which you create in
            your \TXT directory) is displayed to the new user, and
            she is prompted to leave feedback to the sysop.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  A new user may choose to abort the feed-
                              back, bypassing a "required" feedback.
                              There are several VSCRIPTS available that
                              will indeed FORCE a new user to leave the
                              feedback letter.

         B) Automatic New Upload Scanner
         
            If set to Scan & Warn,  VBBS will automatically scan
            uploaded files for viruses, alert you, and keep the file
            for your inspection.  If set to Scan & Delete , a suspect
            upload will be automatically deleted.  If set to Disabled,
            VBBS will not check uploaded files at all. The integral
            scanner program automatically identifies the archive
            format (ZIP, ARJ, LZH, and ARC) and also tests uploaded
            archives for integrity. In addition, it automatically
            adds your archive comment (ZIPCOMNT.TXT) and reads file
            descriptions provided in FILE_ID.DIZ format. Scanning may
            also be called from a script or function block. (Refer to
            the UPLOADSCAN function in the VSCRIPT.DOC.)  Note that
            you should place a copy of your virus scan program in a
            directory in your DOS path and name it scan.exe.  Since
            the virus scan program runs offline after an upload, many
            different virus detection programs may be used.  An UPLOAD.
            LOG in your VBBS directory is available for you to review
            the upload scan history.
 
         -->  IMPORTANT NOTE:  You should make a habit of reviewing the
                               UPLOAD.LOG daily and delete it when it
                               becomes too large. Also make sure that
                               you have placed copies of all of the
                               archivers above in a directory which is
                               in your DOS path.

         C) Modem Test Mode
            
            If you need to run diagnostics on your modem, this switch
            may help.  It will let you "see" what the modem is doing
            internally.

         D) Auto-Check for New Voting Polls
            
            If set to ON, VBBS checks to see if there are voting
            questions the user hasn't answered yet; if new questions
            are found, the user is prompted as to whether she wishes
            to vote.

         E) Allow DIRECTmail
            
            If set to ON, DIRECTmail is enabled (see "DIRECTmail" for
            more information).

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  For DIRECTmail to pass between two VBBS
                              systems, this feature must be enabled at
                              BOTH ends of the connection.

         ͻ    If you have a system tagline (see "System Taglines" for
         ͼ    details), it's usually a good idea to include the word
                "DIRECTmail" in it, to let other sysops know you have
                this feature enabled.

         F) Credits Awarded per Post
         G) Credits Awarded per Upload K
         H) Credit Cost per Download K

            This allows you to implement a system in which users "pay"
            to use certain features of the BBS.  For example, you may
            wish to require that users earn credits by posting mes-
            sages or uploading files in order to access online pro-
            grams or download files (see "Doors Configuration" for
            more information).

         I) MultiTasker Awareness
            
            If set to Desqview, VBBS and its auxiliary programs will
            make best use of CPU time in DESQview environments. If
            set to Windows or OS/2, time slices will be optimized for
            those environments.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Under the Windows or OS/2 setting, you may
                              need to alter the Advanced PIF setting in
                              your Windows PIF files for VBBS to find
                              optimal Background and Foreground priorities.
 
         J) All Uploads to Sysop Directory
            
            If set to ON, all new uploads are pathed to the \SYSOP
            directory, where they sit until the sysop manually moves
            them to their proper directories.  If set to OFF, uploads
            go directly into the directory in which they're uploaded.

         ͻ    This feature was added to expedite getting new uploads in-
         ͼ    to their proper directories.  If you use it, please make
                sure you have some kind of automatic virus-checking pro-
                gram installed.

         K) Built-in FIDOnet Detection
            
            If set to ON, VBBS' internal FIDOnet detection is enabled
            (see MULTINET for more information on FIDOnet).

         L) VCONFIG Menu Color
         M) VCONFIG Background
            
            Allows you to set the screen colors in VCONFIG.  Settings
            are saved until changed again.



.TOPIC:
2. Channel Configuration
                In this section of VCONFIG, you can configure the multi-
         user communications aspects of VBBS and define the correct modem
         port for single-line installations.

         ͻ    If you have only one line, you won't spend much time in
         ͼ    this section of VCONFIG.  You only need to tell VBBS which
                COM port to use for Channel 1.

                When you bring up the CHANNEL configuration screen, you
         will see a long list of channel numbers and their current charac-
         teristics.  To edit a particular line, use the arrow keys to move
         the highlight bar to the channel you want to edit, then press
         [Enter].  This will bring up a second screen with the following
         information:

         1) Serial Port
            
            This setting can range from COM1 to COM8 for communica-
            tions ports.  Whichever COM port you specify is what this
            channel will use.

            If set to LOCAL, then no COM port at all is used for this
            channel.  By using the LOCAL setting, VBBS could be used
            as the interoffice mail system on a LAN.

         2) Base Address (Hex)
         3) IRQ (Hex)
            
            For unique addressing, you may configure the port base ad-
            dress and IRQ directly.  Both entries should be entered in
            hexadecimal format.

         4) Baud Rate
            
            This field sets the baud rate of the COM port.

         5) Init String
            
            The modem commands needed to properly initialize your mo-
            dem for VBBS go here.  For initialization strings for sev-
            eral of the more popular modems, see MODEM.

         ͻ    There are several message bases on VirtualNET from which
         ͼ    you can get help in "tweaking" your init string to fit
                your exact setup.  These include the "VBBS Sysop Support
                Sub", "Modem Mania", and "High-Speed Modem Discussion".
                See SUBSLIST.NET for the latest listings.

         6) Locked Baud Rate
            
            If you are using a standard 2400-baud modem without error
            correction, this should be set to NO; if you are using a
            high-speed modem, or a modem with error correction, this
            should be set to YES.

         7) Hardware (RTS/CTS) Handshake
            
            If you are using a standard 2400-baud modem without error
            correction, this should be set to NO; if you are using a
            high-speed modem, or a modem with error correction, this
            should be set to YES. Select either a Normal handshake or
            Slow.

         8) Minimum Baud Rate Allowed
            
            This feature can be used to "lock out" users using slower
            modems, should you desire to do so.  This can be config-
            ured independently for each active channel.  For example,
            a sysop running a single-channel installation might wish
            to lock out 300-baud callers; she would enter a value of
            1200 in this field.  A value of 0 in this field disables
            the minimum-baud-rate feature.

            A text file called TOOSLOW.TXT (found in your \TXT direc-
            tory) is displayed to the user immediately upon connect
            if his modem is at a disallowed speed.  This ASCII text
            file may, of course, be customized to suit your needs.

         ͻ    If you're running more than one channel, one of which
         ͼ    uses a high-speed modem, you may wish to use the minimum-
                baud-rate feature to reserve the high-speed channel for
                the exclusive use of high-speed callers.

.TOPIC:
3. Database Configuration
                At the heart of VBBS are the DATABASES.  They are used for
         such functions as message bases, file directories, and various
         other creative functions that might be, for example, part of a
         custom script-based application.  Databases may be set up or al-
         tered in VCONFIG at any time, and the only limit to the number of
         databases you can have is the amount of storage space on your
         hard drive.

         ͻ   Most sysops spend the greater portion of their time spent
         ͼ   in VCONFIG adjusting existing databases and adding or de-
               leting databases, so this section of the documentation is
               of particular importance.  For this reason, we'll take a
               little extra time going over the principles behind data-
               bases, topic areas, and their use.

             There are three basic types of databases: message data-
         bases, file databases, and other databases.  All databases may
         be set up and grouped into TOPIC AREAS.  Each topic area needs
         its own DBGROUP identifier, which may be any letter from A to Z.

         ͻ    I'm holding off on discussing topic areas in detail until 
         ͼ    after we get through learning about databases and how to 
                configure them and we know what a "function block" is; 
                the whole picture fits together MUCH better when you know
                more about the individual parts.

                When you enter the DATABASE configuration screen, you
         are presented a scrolling menu of choices:

          Message Databases
          File Databases
          Custom Databases
          Sort Database Configuration
          Compile Network Info

         We'll take a moment to describe each option in detail.


         Message Databases
         
                Message bases, also known as "message subs" or simply
         "subs", are databases in which messages are stored.  Subs may be
         about a specific topic, or they may simply be "chat"-type subs
         in which people can write messages, or "post", about whatever is
         on their minds.
                In VBBS, message subs are automatically pathed to the
         \VBBS\DB directory when you run INSTALL.EXE.  If you want to put
         them somewhere else (I have mine on the larger of my two hard
         drives), you need to specify a separate path using the PATHS
         configuration (this is discussed in the next manual section).

         File Databases
        
                The file databases work in much the same way as the mes-
        sage bases, except that they store actual files instead of mes-
        sages.  The major difference between the way file and message 
        databases are set up is that while message bases are automatic-
        ally pathed to the \DB directory during the installation process, 
        each file database requires a unique, specific DOS path, which 
        you, the sysop, have to supply.
                Like message databases, file databases may be grouped in-
        to topic areas by giving each topic a unique letter DBGROUP
        identifier.


         Other Databases
         
         Custom databases may be created which are neither message
         or file databases.  These may contain special information
         called from VScripts.

         Configuring and Editing Databases in VCONFIG
         

         K) DB Group:
            
                This is a letter from A-Z, number 0-9, or extended
                ASCII character from 128-255  which designates which
                database topic group this database belong to.  See
                "Setting up Topic Areas" for details.

         1) File Name
            
                This is the eight-character-or-less name of the database
                file, entered in ALL CAPS.  It is also a good practice to
                avoid "odd" characters such as "#", "!", "%", and the
                like in these filenames, as they might confuse the soft-
                ware.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Even though message databases don't have 
                              an actual DOS directory, they have to have
                              unique filenames; this is for VBBS' data-
                              base configuration files.

         ͻ    The importance of giving databases UNIQUE filenames can't
         ͼ    be overemphasized.  Database entries that have the same
                DB name and DB path specify the SAME database!  Don't use
                a particular filename more than ONCE across all databases
                -- message, file, and custom.

         ͻ    New sysops sometimes forget and use a filename more than
         ͼ    once in their configuration; while this doesn't do any
                damage per se, it IS kind of embarrassing to have your
                file descriptions show up as posts on networked message
                bases.

         2) Files Path
            
                Enter a path in this field only if you are creating a
                file database or a custom database that uses messages or
                files.  If you're setting up a message database, leave
                this field blank; VBBS automatically paths message bases
                to the \DB directory.  Again, avoid "odd" characters and
                and lower-case letters.

         3) Long Name
            
                This is the longer, more descriptive database name that
                is displayed to the user, like "Virtual BBS/NET Support".

         4) Private? (Y/N)
            
                This switch is for special uses only; you should set
                this to NO when creating public-access message and file
                databases.
 
         5) Max Entries
            
                Defines the desired size of the database (in messages or
                files, not bytes).  A value of 0 in this field allows un-
                limited message/file storage; a number in this field sets
                a limit on the number of messages/files.  

                When VBBS runs daily maintenance, it will "pack" the 
                database down to size by removing enough of the oldest 
                messages to bring the database back to the specified
                limit.  Beginning sysops sometimes wonder why they have
                84 messages in a database they've configured for 50
                messages; daily maintenance would, in this case, remove
                the 34 oldest messages, bringing the total back to 50.

         ͻ    For file databases, you should set the limit to 0 unless
         ͼ    hard-drive space is at a premium; if you put enough new
                files in a limited database to take it over the limit,
                VBBS will pack that file database just like any other.
                Fortunately, however, the files will NOT be erased; they
                will simply become unavailable for download.

         ͻ    Gauging the proper limit for a message database is largely
         ͼ    a matter of trial and error.  For "slow" message bases,
                you'll want to keep the limit fairly low to keep messages
                turning over.  For active subs -- like the sysop subs and
                the VirtualNET "star" subs -- you may want to set it as 
                high as 200 or 250.  It's NOT a good idea to enter a 0 in 
                this field for a message base; for example, on the Vir-
                tualNET Sysops' Sub, it would take less than a month to 
                accumulate over 3000 messages!

         6) Read SL
            
                This is the minimum security level needed to access (read)
                the database.  If the user's SL is less than this value,
                the database will not show up in his listing.

         7) Write SL
            
                This is the minimum security level needed to write (post)
                in the database.  If the user's SL is less than this
                value, the database will not allow input (or uploads)
                from her.

         8) Access Flag
            
                This setting defines what access flag (if any) must be
                set in the user's account to access the database.  This
                value may be NONE or a letter from A to Z.  If set to a
                letter, the user must have a matching access flag in his
                account information in order to access the database.  Ac-
                cess flags are set in the user editor (see "The User Edi-
                tor" for details).
  
         ͻ    Access flags are useful for restricting access to certain
         ͼ    databases to certain users.  For example, if you wanted
                to have a sysops-only sub, you could enter an 'S' in
                this field and give visiting sysops an 'S' access flag;
                they would be the only users who could access the data-
                base (unless, of course, there were other users who also
                had the same flag).

         9) Age Limit
            
                The minimum age a user must be in order to access the
                database.  For example, a value of 18 in this field would
                require that a user be at least 18 years old to have ac-
                cess to the database.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  A quick word about database access control 
                              and adult-oriented material ... while VBBS 
                              *does* offer a high level of security, NO 
                              software that restricts access to materials 
                              on the basis of age can protect a sysop 
                              from underage users who lie about their age 
                              in order to get adult-oriented materials.  

                              As sysop of your BBS, it is your responsi-
                              bility to be aware of federal, state, and
                              local laws regarding the distribution of 
                              and access to adult-oriented material.  In
                              no case will the author of VBBS or the au-
                              thors of the documentation be held respon-
                              sponsible for underage users gaining access 
                              to adult-oriented materials on your BBS.

         A) Tagline
            
                This instructs VBBS which tagline (if any) to append to
                messages posted in the database.  If set to zero or left
                blank, no tagline is added (see "System Taglines" for
                more information).

         B) Random Titles
            
                This setting specifies which random title file to use in
                messages, and is disabled if set to zero.  The range for
                this value is 1 to 999; specifying a value here instructs
                VBBS to look for the file RNDTITLE.xxx (where "xxx" is
                the entered value, without leading zeroes <for example,
                RNDTITLE.1, not RNDTITLE.001>) in your \TXT directory.  
                Entries in RNDTITLE.xxx may be made using an ASCII text 
                editor and should be made one per line in this file.

         ͻ    It should be noted that the current line of thinking on
         ͼ    networks is that message titles should be descriptive
                of the contents of the message, not simply not assigned
                at random.  Many users -- and especially other sysops
                 -- will simply skip oddly-titled messages when doing
                a new-message title scan.

         C) Name Used
            
                This setting defines the name used in the database.  The
                possible settings are HANDLE, REAL NAME, or ANONYMOUS.  

                Note that message bases marked "Anonymous" do not allow
                quoting of previous messages, and that the posting user's
                real name or handle will show up locally.  Remote users
                will see "-- ANONYMOUS --" or "-- Guess Who? --" on their
                screen.  In addition, there is some question as to whe-
                ther "Anonymous" posts remain anonymous on networked mes-
                sage bases.

         D) QWK Conference
            
                This setting defines the database's QWK conference num-
                ber as used by QWK-format offline mail readers.  The
                standard range for this value is from *2* to 255, and
                each QWK conference assignment MUST be unique to the
                particular database.  QWKable message bases are marked
                with a "!" in the subs listing.

         When you have configured a database to this point, VCONFIG will
         shift to the display of message bases in whichever topic area
         the database is included.  It will prompt you to tell it where 
         to insert the new database, even though there are still options
         which may need to be configured.  Don't panic.  This is an added
         level of organization that helps prevent the networks from being
         flooded with messages from subs that have accidentally been mis-
         configured.  It's not infallible, but it DOES help.  The addi-
         tional configuration options are described below.


         E) Database Co-Sysop
            
                Some sysops allow trusted users to moderate discussions on
                local message bases; this setting defines the co-sysop, 
                sub sysop, or moderator for the database.  Leaving this 
                field blank disables this feature; any nonzero value spe-
                cifies the user number of the moderator.  The moderator 
                information is displayed in the message sub listing.

         ͻ    Having a user serve as message-sub sysop can be a good
         ͼ    way of breathing a little life to a sub that's been "down
                in the dumps", especially if the user has strong opinions
                on the topic at hand.  Just make sure the user knows about
                any policies you might have regarding message content,
                etc.

         F) Req Net Validation
            
                If you wish to review posts before they are transmitted
                out to any networks, turn this option ON.  Post valida-
                tion is handled via the [V] option from the Sysop Menu
                within VBBS.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  This switch needs to be set to YES for the
                              VirtualNET non-moderated subs.
                              Net validation may also be required for
                              some VirtualNET "secured" subs; contact the
                              sub's host sysop via E-mail for specifics.
 
         G) Networks Configuration
            
                Selecting this option allows you to edit the network con-
                figuration for the database.  If you wish the database to
                be LOCAL ONLY, set this to NONE.

                If you wish the database to be networked, you must con-
                figure the network and network sub/conference identifier.
                VCONFIG will prompt you for the network, then for the
                identifier.  The format of the identifier will vary from
                network to network.

                For Type 1 (VNET.EXE-based) and Type 2 (VWW4.EXE-based)
                networks, the identifier is a number; for Type 3
                (VUUCP.EXE-based) and Type 4 (VFIDO.EXE-based) networks,
                the identifier is a string.  Type 5 (VNET2.EXE-based) net-
                works are still in the experimental stage as of this wri-
                ting, and more network utilities are in development such
                as VRIME and VQWKNET.

                You can configure a database to be on one network or on
                several networks.  Configuring a database to be on mul-
                tiple networks (there is theoretically no limit) creates
                a "gateway" between two or more networks (the common term
                is "gating").

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Prior to establishing a gateway connection,
                              you should obtain permission from any con-
                              ference or message base host/moderator sys-
                              ops involved.

                              The networking utilities VWW4.EXE, VUUCP.EXE,
                              and VFIDO.EXE are freely available to sysops
                              and are fully operational during the trial
                              period. They are automatically inactivated
                              if VBBS remains unregistered after 60
                              days.

         Database Considerations
         

                There are some things to keep in mind when setting up or
         reconfiguring databases:

         ͻ    Setting up more databases is easy -- simply add them into
         ͼ    topic area(s) where they belong.  Remember that when you
                add message databases, you need to SORT and COMPILE your
                configurations using the appropriate commands from the
                initial DATABASE Configuration screen.

         ͻ    Plan out your file databases ahead of time; too many file
         ͼ    databases can become unwieldy and hard to navigate (trust
                me on this one).


         ͻ    It's a good idea to periodically go through your message
         ͼ    subs and cull out the ones that aren't getting much traf-
                fic (and there WILL be some eventually).  Whether you re-
                place them with new subs or just make do with fewer subs
                is up to you; just remember to keep your users in mind
                when choosing which subs to carry.


.TOPIC:
4. Paths Configuration
                This is the section of VCONFIG in which you can configure
         and optimize VBBS' use of your hard-drive space.

         1) Main VBBS Directory  (\VBBS)
            
                The system executables (*.EXE) belong in this directory,
                along with WFC.COM and your configuration (*.CFG) files.
                This should be your current directory when you are exe-
                cuting the program.  A typical path might be

                        C:\VBBS

         2) Scripts Directory  (\V)
            
                This is where VBBS expects to find any script and func-
                tion-block files:

                   *.V     *.COD     *.LIT     *.FB

         3) Data Directory  (\DATA)
            
                Where VBBS expects to find system data files:

                   USERFILE.DAT     CONNECT .DAT     NET.1 ... NET.999
                   USERFILE.IDX     AREACODE.NET
                   STATVBBS.DAT     NET     .0

         4) System Text Files  (\TXT)
            
                Where VBBS expects to find system text files:

                   *.TXT     *.ANS    *.ASC     *.MNU     *.PDM

                Note that many online-game programs generate score files
                that may be placed in this directory and viewed using the
                [B]ulletins option from the Main Menu.

         5)  CONTROL.DAT Directory
             
                Specifies in which directory VBBS will maintain the tem-
                porary system file containing the current user's informa-
                tion.  Multi-user installations NEED to set up a RAMdrive
                for this file; the same is also *recommended* for single-
                line installations (see "Optimizing VBBS" for details on
                setting up a RAMdrive).

         6) Temporary Directory  (\TEMP)
            
                This is the directory VBBS will use for temporary storage
                of incoming network packets and files.  The directory you
                specify here should not be used for any other purpose,
                and it is NOT recommended that you use a RAMdrive for this
                directory (if the power goes, you could lose an entire net
                packet).

         7) Database Directory  (\DB)
            
                This is the directory where VBBS will store ALL database
                information, such as messages and file descriptions.

         8) Upload/E-Mail Directory  (\SYSOP)
            
                Specifies path for storage of E-mail with attached files
                and uploads from users (if you have all uploads going to
                the \SYSOP directory).

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  You may specify whatever paths you wish for
                              these directories (and will need to for di-
                              rectories you wish to place in a RAMdrive),
                              but it is much less confusing to use the
                              default paths set up by the INSTALL.EXE
                              program.

                              It is recommended that you run the system
                              diagnostics anytime you alter any of the
                              settings in this section of VCONFIG, to en-
                              sure that VBBS can find the files it needs
                              in order to operate properly.
.TOPIC:
5. Download Protocols
                PROTOCOLS are the means by which files are transferred to
         and from your system.  The original protocol was XModem, devel-
         oped by Ward Christensen; there are many more to choose from now.
         VBBS comes "out of the package" preconfigured to handle XModem,
         YModem, ZModem, ZModem-Batch, and HS-Link protocols and it own
         proprietary VXY protocol. Other protocols may added at your
         discretion.  Each protocol is configurable by:

         1) Which letter the user will press to select that protocol
         2) The name and description of the protocol
         3) DOS command line to run protocol.  Parameters passed are

                %1  COM port
                %2  baud rate
                %3  filename
                %4  handshake
                %5  UART rate
                %6  port base
                %7  port IRQ
                %8  channel number
                %9  upload directory

         4) Batch compatible? (Y/N)

                For most installations, the preconfigured protocols will
         be more than sufficient; should you wish to add other protocols,
         consult the protocol documentation for information on construc-
         ting the proper command line.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  It is HIGHLY recommended that you use the
                              FULL path when you specify the filename of
                              your transfer protocols; these programs are
                              notorious for their pickiness in this re-
                              gard.  For example, with ZModem, you might
                              use the following command line to set it up
                              to receive files (upload protocol):

                                 C:\VBBS\DSZ port %1 ha %4 restrict rz


.TOPIC:
6. Upload Protocols
          See 5. Download Protocols

.TOPIC:
7. Network Configuration
                Selecting this option brings you to a list of networks,
         which is derived from NETWORKS.LST, a master multi-net listing.
         NETWORKS.LST is updated periodically as needed and should be placed
         in your /NET subdirectory.

         What happens after you get to the first screen of the NETWORK
         Configuration depends on what type of network you're configu-
         ring.  

         Type 1 Networks (VirtualNET-Type)
         
                When you select this type of network, you will be prompted
                for the following information:

         1) Node Number         Your system's unique assigned network ad-
                                 dress, expressed as a number (e.g., 2056).
         2) Net Directory       The network directory to be used by this
                                 VNET-based network; each network you set
                                 up must have its own UNIQUE directory.
         3) Protocols Allowed   Options are Zmodem, Ymodem, HSlink, and
                                VXY protocols
         4) Protocol Prefer.    Protocol that will be used when your
                                system initiates network transfers.
         5) Server              Your server's node number.
         6) Server Phone #      Your server's phone number.
         7) Server Call         Whether call to server is LOCAL or LONG
                                 DISTANCE.
         8) Server Threshold    Number of kilobytes that must be pending
                                 before automatic callouts to a server are
                                 allowed.  Between the Server Call and
                                 Server Threshold settings, VBBS deter-
                                 mines if and when to call out to your
                                 server for a network transfer.  If your
                                 server is LOCAL, the system will call
                                 whenever the threshold is met or excee-
                                 ded; if LONG DISTANCE, the system will
                                 call, once per day, between the hours of
                                 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. if the threshold
                                 is met or exceeded.
         9) Server Macro        "Macro" file needed to log onto the ser-
                                 ver's BBS, if any.  Most of the time this
                                 is not needed, and can be left at <none>.
         A) Server Password     Network server's password (if used).

         B) ZIP Trigger Level   Default 50k for prezipping packets before
                                initiating network callout.
         C) Add/Edit/List       Used only if your system functions as the
            Clients              server for other systems.  More on this
                                 in a moment -- I can only indent so far.

         E. Edit Extended        Permits you to designate up to four
            Connections          different VirtualNET servers to connect
                                 to. You must create an EXTEND.0 file in
                                 your main VBBS directory listing the
                                 server node number and your own.

         U) Uninstall This      Allows you to drop participation in a net-
            Network              work.  VBBS will prompt for confirmation.

         
         If your system functions as server for one or more other systems,
         you need to configure each client separately using the C) option
         above.  When you select this option, you get a screen prompting
         for the following information:

         1) Client Node Number          6) Client Password
         2) Client Phone Number         7) Client Protocol
         3) Client Call                 8) Client Compression
         4) Client Threshold
         5) Client Macro                D) Delete This Client

         These data fields function exactly as do the "server" fields de-
         scribed above.

         If your system will connect to more than one VirtualNET server,
         selecting option E) Edit Extended Connections  will bring up the
         following menu:

         1. Node Number:
         2. Phone #:
         3. Call:
         4. Threshold:
         5. Macro:
         6. Password:

         D. Delete this Extended Connect


         Type 2 Networks (WWIVnet-type)
         
                When you select this type of network, you will be promp-
         ted for the following information:

         1) Node Number         Your WWIVnet node number.
         2) Data Directory      The FULL path to your WWIV \DATA direc-
                                 tory.
         3) Mode                This is either NET (for WWIVnet-style 
                                 networks) or LINK (for WWIVLink-style
                                 networks).
         4) EXE Directory       The directory containing the WWIV and 
                                VWW4 executable files.
         5) Dialout Init        Your modem's init string for calling 
            String               WWIV systems.
         Type 3 Networks (UUCP-type)
         
                When you select this type of network, you'll be prompted
         for the following information:

         1) System Name         Your UUCP system address.
         2) News Directory      Full path to your NEWS directory (for
                                 newsgroup usage).
         3) User Directory      Full path to your USER directory (for
                                 E-mail usage).

 
         Type 4 Networks (FIDO-type)
         
                When you choose this type of network, you'll be prompted
         for the following information:

         1) Fido Address        Your FIDOnet address in standard format.
         2) NetMail Directory   Full path to the directory into which 
                                 incoming FIDOnet packets will be placed.
         3) OutBound Direc-     Full path to the directory in which out-
            tory                 going net packets are stored.
         4) Archiver            FIDO archiver to use (e.g., PKZIP -U).
         5) UnArchiver          FIDO unarchiver to use (PKUNZIP, etc.).
         6) FIDO Front-End      This can be FRONTDOOR, BINKLEY, or STAND-
                                 ALONE (the default).
         7) Nodelist:           Name of the NODELIST
         8) Zones:              Options are 1-8
         D) Dial List           Allows editing of your dialing list.
         R) Routing             Specifies mail routing.
         A) AKA's               Allows for other Fido-type networks


         In each case, you may select [U] to uninstall the network; you
         will be prompted for confirmation.  For more information on the
         various networks available, see MULTINET.DOC and NETGUIDE.DOC,
         as well as the documentation for the various network interface
         softwares (see below).

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  In order to install networks of Types 2,
                              3, or 4, you will need the proper network
                              interface software (VWW4.EXE, VUUCP.EXE,
                              or VFIDO.EXE, respectively). These
                              programs are freely available to sysops,
                              and may be downloaded from any VBBS
                              support board.  They are fully functional
                              during the shareware trial period, but
                              are automatically disabled if VBBS is not
                              registered after this period.


.TOPIC:
8. Events Configuration
                VBBS allows up to 20 timed events per day.  Possibilities
         for these events include your daily external maintenance routine
         (usually done through a batch file or three), network dialouts,
         online game maintenance, etc.

         1) Time
            
                The time the event is to run, entered in HH:MM format
                using military time.  A time of 00:00 disables the event.

         2) Command Line
            
                The DOS command line or batch file to execute.  For exam-
                ple, you might enter

                   C:\VBBS\EXTERNAL.BAT

                for an external daily-cleanup routine.  Complete pathnames
                are not required if the routines are located in your main
                VBBS directory, but it's better to make sure.


         There are a number of external utilities specifically designed
         for use with VBBS; they are listed in UTIL.DOC.  For online-game
         maintenance, please consult the game documentation.


.TOPIC:
9. Control Panel Configuration
                In addition to the commands already configured in the WFC
         menu, VBBS allows you to assign the F1 through F10 keys for what-
         ever functions you desire.

         ͻ    If you find yourself continually dropping to DOS to run
         ͼ    the same program over and over, it's probably a good idea
                to assign a function key to handle it.

         The default VBBS setup suggests some possibilities for using the
         F-keys.  F1 through F4 come preconfigured, but that's easy to
         change if you so desire.

         F1     Looks for a batch file called TERMINAL.BAT, which you cre-
                 ate using an ASCII text editor.  This batch file should
                 contain the command line that will start up your communi-
                 cations program (Telix, etc.).  Here is an example:

                        C:\VBBS\TELIX.BAT

                 and put TELIX.BAT in the main VBBS directory, and all is
                 right with the world.
         F2     Calls up the system log, where information about the day's
                 callers and what they did is located.  Viewing the log
                 requires the DOS command line

                        TYPE C:\VBBS\DATA\BBS.LOG | MORE

                 (your actual path may vary, depending on what you've set
                 up in the PATHS configuration) or an external text-brow-
                 sing utility, such as LIST.COM.  Note that the DOS com-
                 mand line above does not allow you to back up through
                 the text, use arrow keys, or PgUp/PgDown; I thoroughly
                 recommend getting LIST.COM.
         F3     Same as F2, but brings up the network log (the filename
                 is NETWORK.LOG and should be in your \DATA directory).
         F4     Same as F2, but brings up the cumulative system statistics
                 (the filename is DAYSTATS.LOG and should be in your \DATA
                 directory).  This one is particularly useful for tracking 
                 usage cycles and upload/download trends.


                Other potential uses for the F-keys include invoking a
         shell program (such as DCOM or StereoShell), a text editor (the
         DOS 5.0 editor or similar), or other programs you frequently run
         outside of VBBS. Be aware that several add-on utilities have
         been specifically developed for VBBS to call up sub-menus from
         F-keys so that unlimited flexibility is available to you.


.TOPIC:
A. Doors Configuration
                VBBS will run almost all modern doors and online games
         created for use on BBSes, either straight from the command line
         or through the use of an external door converter, such as DOORWAY
         or DoorMaster.  Doors can be called from function blocks or from
         scripts, as well as this internal doors configuration.
                VBBS shrinks out of memory for all external programs, re-
         serving only a small amount of RAM for its "hooks" that allow
         the user to return to the BBS.  VBBS creates the CHAIN.TXT,
         DOOR.SYS, and DORINFOx.DEF "drop files" which contain user infor-
         mation for use by the door program; most doors will accept at
         least one of these formats.

                When you choose item [A] from the VCONFIG Main Menu, you
         will see a scrolling-window screen listing the door programs you
         have installed, along with the SL needed to access them.  Moving
         the highlight bar and pressing [Enter] selects that program's
         configuration entry.
                When configuring a door program in VCONFIG, you will be
         prompted for the following information:

         1) Program Name
            
                The name of the door program, as it will be presented to
                the user.  Try to keep it short; long names will be trun-
                cated (not good if you like to include version numbers).

         2) Command Line
            
                The name of the batch file or command line to execute the
                door program, along with any command-line parameters that
                need to be passed to the door.  Again, full pathnames are
                recommended.

         3) Security Lvl
            
                The MSL (remember *that* abbreviation?) needed to access
                the program.

         4) Access Flag
            
                If set, allows only those users with matching access flags
                to access the program.  Access flags are set in the user
                editor; for more information, see "The User Editor".

         ͻ    Access flags can be useful in "beta-testing" door programs
         ͼ    to see if you've installed them correctly.  Before announ-
                cing you've got a new online game, give a couple of your
                trusted users access to the game using access flags and
                get them to try to crash the game, tweaking your game set-
                up as necessary.  Once all the glitches are fixed, THEN
                drop the access flag requirement and announce your new on-
                liner.

         5) Single User
            
                Indicates whether the game is playable on single nodes or
                multi-nodally.  Single-line installations should leave
                this set to YES.

         6) Credit Cost
            
                Allows sysops running a credit system to charge credits
                for door program access.  This is configurable for each
                individual game.

         ͻ    Setting up a credit cost for games can either be a great
         ͼ    boost for your message-base traffic, or it can be a night-
                mare.  If you use this feature, make sure you don't set
                your credit costs so high that it takes an inordinate
                number of posts or uploads to earn enough credits to play 
                the games.  

         D) Delete This Entry
            
                Self-explanatory.


         ͻ    Getting door programs to run correctly, especially upon
         ͼ    exiting and re-entering the BBS, is probably the most
                difficult task a sysop faces.  Door games are rapidly
                becoming more complex, and as they do so, their indivi-
                dual requirements and quirks are doing likewise.

                In installing door programs, patience IS a virtue; many
                times, installation involves a good deal of trial and er-
                ror.  The importance of reading the door program's docu-
                mentation, especially with regard to installation, can
                not be overstressed.

                In addition, one of the auxiliary documentation files,
                VDOOR, contains sample batch files and command lines
                for some of the more popular online games.

.TOPIC:
B. Voting Booth
                VBBS' Voting Booth allows you to present your users with
         a perpetual survey in which they can "vote" on particular issues
         you define.  Frequently-asked questions deal with political can-
         didates, which online games should be registered/discontinued,
         reasons for calling the BBS, how users first heard of your BBS,
         how they like changes you've made, etc.

                When you select this option from the VCONFIG Main Menu,
         you will see a scrolling window containing the questions them-
         selves.  To select a question for editing, move the highlight
         bar to the correct entry and press [Enter].  The question and
         its responses will then be available for editing.
                To add a new voting question, press [F1] at the scrolling-
         window screen.  You may then type in a question and supply up to 
         eight responses from which your users may choose.
                The poll results are displayed as the number of users
         choosing a particular answer, along with the percentage of the
         total number of votes each choice received.

                In the default START.V, if new questions exist, when a
         user logs on, she is given the opportunity to vote.  If the user
         is up to date with the survey, the voting questions are ignored.
         You may use option [D] from Screen Three of the MAIN configura-
         tion to disable this automatic checking if you wish (see p. 15
         for details).

                There are several VSCRIPT-based voting programs avail-
         able, any of which may be used in lieu of the default voting 
         procedures.


.TOPIC:
C. Random Messages
                VBBS features an optional "random messages" function that
         can display one-, two-, or three-line messages right before the
         user initially sees the Main Menu.  Random messages are commonly
         used for quips and quotes or friendly advertisements for other
         BBSes in the area; you may, of course, use them for whatever pur-
         pose you wish (or not use them at all, if you so desire).
                To add a random message, press [F1] at the scrolling-
         window initial screen and type in your message.  DO NOT press
         [Enter], as that will delete the currently-highlighted random
         message.
                Random messages are displayed by including the RANDOM com-
         mand from anywhere within a VSCRIPT or function block.


.TOPIC:
D. Archive View Configuration
                VBBS allows you to view the contents of a compressed file
         within the file transfer directories.  The default VBBS comes
         configured for .ZIP, .ARC, .ARJ, .ZOO, and .LZH archives; you
         may add others if you wish by pressing [F1] at the initial scrol-
         ling window and adding the information when prompted.

                Note that in order to view the contents of an archive for-
         mat, you must have the appropriate archive program where the sys-
         tem can find it; including the full path to the program in the
         command line is usually the best way to do this.

.TOPIC:
E. Text Sections Configuration
                Text files from within various directories on your system
         may be configured here for display.  Types of text files commonly
         configured here include (but are not limited to):

                  game scoreboards
                  general information about your BBS
                  standard operating procedures / rules for your BBS
                  information about viruses
                  rules of "netiquette"

         and so on.
                To add a new entry to the text section configuration,
         press [F1] at the scrolling-window screen.  You will be prompted
         for the following information:

         1) Name
            
                The name of the text section, as it will appear to the
                user.

         2) Path
            
                The full pathname to the directory in which the text
                file(s) is located.

         3) Security Level
            
                The MSL needed to access this particular text section.

         4) Access Flag
            
                The access flag needed to access this particular section
                (please see "The User Editor" for more on access flags).

         To edit an entry, move the highlight bar to the desired entry
         and press [Enter].  You will have a chance to edit the above
         information.
                In VCONFIG, you can define any directory on your system as
         containing text for a defined subject area.  Text directories may
         be networked by using a script maintaining a database for text
         files.

.TOPIC:
F. Multi-Feedback Configuration
                Here you can configure the feedback capabilities of your
         VBBS installation.  This will allow users to E-mail you (or any
         co-sysops) quickly and easily.
                To add an entry into the multi-feedback list, press [F1]
         at the scrolling-window screen.  You will then be prompted for
         the following information:

         1) Description
            
                The name/title you want your users to see, like "The Great
                and Powerful Wizard of Oz", "Sysop", or whatever.

         2) Handle
            
                The addressee's user handle.  If your system does not al-
                low handles, put the addressee's real name here.

         3) User #
            
                The addressee's user number.  For most sysops, this will
                be '1'.

         4) Net Address
            
                The addressee's node number, regardless of network.  For
                example, my net address would read '2056', without a
                user number or an '@' symbol in front.  Since most feed-
                back is to a local sysop/co-sysop, most sysops will only
                need to enter their OWN node number here.

         5) Network #
            
                The network on which the addressee will be receiving his
                feedback.  The network number corresponds to the list in
                the NETWORKS configuration screen; for example, '2' would
                be on WWIVnet, '3' would be on WWIVLink, etc.  

         You may delete an entry by selecting it and pressing [D].  You
         will NOT be prompted for confirmation.

.TOPIC:
G. Print Registration Form
                Pressing [G] at the VCONFIG main menu sends the
         registration form  to your printer.  If you're setting up a
         new installation, please take the time to print out a copy of the
         form.  It contains the latest pricing information, as well as
         frequent "bonus deals" on registering, pricing information on the
         Virtual Developer's Toolkit, etc.

.TOPIC:
H. VBBS Diagnostics
                This useful feature helps you look for problems in your
         setup; with any luck, if you've followed the instructions this
         far, you won't have any problems.  If you DO receive an error
         message upon running VBBS, chances are this program will point
         out where the problem is.

         ͻ    It's also a good idea to run the diagnostics if you've
         ͼ    made any changes in the PATHS configuration, just to make
                sure VBBS can find everything it needs to run properly.

                If you get a "Path Missing" error, especially when the
                diagnostics are checking the file transfer areas, the
                most probable explanation is that the database has been
                set up in VCONFIG, but the DOS directory for that data-
                base does not exist yet.  If this is the case, you need
                to create that database's directory in DOS.

.TOPIC:
Computer Etiquette
         ͻ
          APPENDIX I        COMPUTER ETIQUETTE                           
         ͼ
                See Multi-Mail Etiquette
 
                The following are a few points of general BBS etiquette. If
         you wish to maintain your welcome on whatever system you happen to
         call, it would be to your advantage to observe these few rules.
 
         1. Don't habitually hang up on a system. Every Sysop is aware
            that accidental disconnections happen once in a while but we do
            tend to get annoyed with people who hang up every single time
            they call because they are either too lazy to terminate
            properly or they labor under the mistaken assumption that the
            10 seconds they save online is going to significantly alter
            their phone bill. "Call Waiting" is not an acceptable excuse
            for long. If you have it and intend to use the line to call BBS
            systems, you should either have it disconnected or find some
            other way to circumvent it.
 
         2. Don't do dumb things like leave yourself a message that says
            "Just testing to see if this thing works". Where do you think
            all those other messages came from if it didn't work? Also,
            don't leave whiney messages that say "Please leave me a mess-
            age". If ever there was a person to ignore, it's the one who
            begs someone to leave him a message. If you want to get
            messages, start by reading the ones that are already online and
            getting involved in the conversations that exist.
 
         3. Don't use the local equivalent of a chat command unless you
            really have some clear cut notion of what you want to say and
            why. Almost any Sysop is more than happy to answer questions or
            offer help concerning his system. Unfortunately, because about
            85% of the people who call want to chat and about 99% of those
            people have absolutely nothing to say besides "How old are
            you?" or something equally irrelevent, fewer Sysops even bother
            answering their pagers every day.
 
         4. When you are offered a place to leave comments when exiting
            a system, don't try to use this area to ask the Sysop
            questions. It is very rude to the other callers to expect the
            Sysop to carry on a half visible conversation with someone. If
            you have a question or statement to make and expect the Sysop
            to respond to it, it should always be made in the section where
            all the other messages are kept. This allows the Sysop to help
            many people with the same problem with the least amount of
            effort on his part.
 
         5. Before you log on with your favorite psuedonym, make sure
            that handles are allowed. Most Sysops don't want people using
            handles on the system. There is not enough room for them, they
            get silly games of one-upmanship started, it is much nicer to
            deal with a person on a personal basis, and last but not least,
            everyone should be willing to take full responsibility for his
            actions or comments instead of slinging mud from behind a
            phoney name.

                                             VBBS 6.20 Documentation -- I-2


            Also when signing on, why not sign on just like you would
            introduce yourself in your own society? How many of you
            usually introduce yourselves as Joe W Smutz the 3rd or 4th?
 
         6. Take the time to log on properly. There is no such place as
            RIV, HB, ANA or any of a thousand other abbreviations people
            use instead of their proper city. You may think that everyone
            knows what RIV is supposed to mean, but every BBS has people
            calling from all around the country and I assure you that
            someone from Podunk, Iowa has no idea what you're talking
            about.
 
         7. Don't go out of your way to make rude observations like
            "Gee, this system is slow". Every BBS is a tradeoff of
            features. You can generally assume that if someone is running a
            particular brand of software, that he is either happy with it
            or he'll decide to find another system he likes better. It does
            nobody any good when you make comments about something that you
            perceive to be a flaw when it is running the way the Sysop
            wants it to. Constructive criticism is somewhat more welcome.
            If you have an alternative method that seems to make good sense
            then run it up the flagpole.
 
         8. When leaving messages, stop and ask yourself whether it is
            necessary to make it private. Unless there is some particular
            reason that everyone shouldn't know what you're saying, don't
            make it private. We don't call them PUBLIC bulletin boards for
            nothing, folks. It's very irritating to other callers when
            there are huge blank spots in the messages that they can't read
            and it stifles interaction between callers.
 
         9. If your favorite BBS has a time limit, observe it. If it
            doesn't, set a limit for yourself and abide by it instead.
            Don't tie up a systems time, money, and patience as a new user
            and run right to the other numbers list. There is probably very
            little that's more annoying to any Sysop than to have his board
            completely passed over by you on your way to another board.
 
        10. Have the common courtesy to pay attention to what passes in
            front of your face. When a BBS displays your name and asks "Is
            this you?", don't say yes when you can see perfectly well that
            it is mispelled. Also, don't start asking questions about
            simple operation of a system until you have thouroghly read all
            of the instructions that are available to you. I assure you
            that it isn't any fun to answer a question for the thousandth
            time when the answer is prominently displayed in the system
            bulletins or instructions. Use some common sense when you ask
            your questions. The person who said "There's no such thing as a
            stupid question" obviously never operated a BBS.
 

                                             VBBS 6.20 Documentation -- I-3



        11. Don't be personally abusive. It doesn't matter whether you
            like a Sysop or think he's a jerk. The fact remains that he has
            a large investment in making his computer available, usually
            out of the goodness of his heart. If you don't like a Sysop or
            his system, just remember that you can change the channel any
            time you want. Besides, whether you are aware of it or not, if
            you make yourself enough of an annoyance to any Sysop, he can
            take the time to trace you down and make your life, or that of
            your parents, miserable.
 
        12. Keep firmly in mind that you are a guest on any BBS you
            happen to call. Don't think of logging on as one of your basic
            human rights. Every person that has ever put a computer system
            online for the use of other people has spent a lot of time and
            money to do so. While he doesn't expect nonstop pats on the
            back, it seems reasonable that he should at least be able to
            expect fair treatment from his callers. This includes following
            any of the rules for system use he has laid out without
            grumping about it. Every Sysop has his own idea of how he wants
            his system to be run. It is really none of your business why he
            wants to run it the way he does. Your business is to either
            abide by what he says, or call some other BBS where you feel
            that you can obey the rules.


                     ALWAYS REMEMBER... YOU ARE A GUEST !

                     Computer Etiquette, By Mel North


.TOPIC:
Multi-Mail Etiquette
Multi-Mail and Mass Etiquette

        Multi-Mail and Multi-Mail with attached files, should be
        limited to a MAXIMUM of 30 Nodes.  Using Multi-Mail to
        advertise your Network or BBS or Message Base, will only
        make other sysops angry, because they have to pay for the
        connect time to transfer this mail.  While your message
        may be small, let's say 25k, if 1000 sysops do the same
        thing every sysop will be transfering 25,000k of Multi-Mail.

        Please use the proper subs to advertise.  Please leave
        Multi-Mail to it's intended purpose, to contact CURRENT
        SUBSCRIBERS to a sub, or CURRENT subscribers to your network.
        Most Networks have a provision restricting the use of Multi-
        Mail.  One should not use Multi-Mail when it is expressly
        against network policy.  In many cases, doing so will result
        in your dismissal from the network.



.TOPIC:         
Questions With Answers
         ͻ
          APPENDIX A         QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS                       
         ͼ

               New SysOp's frequently have many questions about VBBS and
         getting it set up properly; these are usually handled in the var-
         ious support subs.  There are, however, questions that keep crop-
         ping up again and again as new SysOp's come online and into Vir-
         tualNET.  The following is a continuing compilation of the most-
         asked questions about VBBS, taken from the file MOSTASKD.DOC on
         the author's "Virtual Technologies" BBS; other material has been
         added as needed.

         

         Q: VBBS seems to be reinitializing the modem every 5 minutes.

         A: VBBS checks to see if it needs to dial out for network trans-
         fers every so often.  The interval is defined under the MAIN
         Configuration screen of VCONFIG.  The default is 300, which 
         is 5 minutes. You may wish to adjust this option to better 
         suit your needs.

         

         Q: I've added new networked subs, but they don't seem to be get-
         ting out, or anything coming in.

         A: Make sure you run "Compile Network Info" from the DATABASE
         Configuration screen in VCONFIG every time you make changes
         to the way your subs are networked.

         

         Q: I have trouble getting VBBS to answer the phone; The modem 
         picks up for 2 seconds, and then hangs back up before a con-
         nection can be made.

         A: Make sure S0=0 and E0 are part of your VBBS modem init string.
         Q: I have trouble getting VBBS to answer the phone; The modem 
         picks up, but when the connection is made, and the modem 
         passes the result back to VBBS, VBBS hangs up.

         A: This problem tends to be more frequent with some of the newer,
         low-cost V32/V32bis modems, but it can be easily fixed through 
         proper configuration of the modem.

         Some of the newer, low-cost V.32/V.32bis modems have different 
         ways of returning result codes.  The key is telling the modem 
         to report the correct format which is compatible with VBBS.


                                            VBBS 6.20 Documentation --  A-2


         For example, one of the modems I have here can be told to re-
         port the connect results 3 different ways:

            1) CONNECT <DTE Rate>

               In this format, VBBS connects OK, but the modem reports 
            the wrong baud rate back to the computer.  The DTE rate is 
            the rate at which the computer talks to the modem, and in 
            most cases, this never varies. 

            2) Super Extended Result Codes

               This format isn't compatible with anything.  In this for-
            mat, 3 or 4 separate lines are displayed, in a format like:

               CARRIER <DCE Rate>
               CONNECT <DTE Rate>
               PROTOCOL <Error control>

            3) CONNECT <DCE Rate>

               This is the one we want.  The DCE rate is the speed of the 
            modem-to-modem connection, which is what we want.  When 
            this format is used, VBBS will work just fine.

           To configure my modem to use the correct format (#3), I send it 
        ATW2.  The proper command for your modem may vary.  Check the 
        modem manual.

         

         Q: I've added new topic areas, but they don't show up when I 
         try to list them from the BBS.

         A: Line 2 of every FB file (Function Block) controls what topics
         (database groups) are enabled at the current FB prompt.

         For example, line 2 of the default START.FB that comes with 
         VBBS looks like:

            A

         It enables topic A only.  If you added message-base topics
         B, C, and D, your line 2 should look like:

            ABCD

         Line 2 of the default FILES.FB that comes with VBBS looks like:

            F

                                            VBBS 6.20 Documentation --  A-3


         It enables topic F only.  If you added more file-base topics,
         for example G, H, and I, your line 2 should look like:

            FGHI
   
         

         Q: When I try to display a network listing, it doesn't print 
         anything.

         A: Each network interface utility (VNET, VWW4, VUUCP, VFIDO) is 
         responsible for generating network listings for its type of 
         network.  Normally, generation of these lists is automatic, 
         whenever a new BBSLIST or NODELIST is received.  However, new 
         installations may need to "jump-start" their network listings
         as follows:

         VNET: Use the command

            VNET /A NETWORKID=#

         VWW4: Delete file BBSDATA.IDX in your WWIVnet DATA directory
         and use the command

            VWW4 B NETWORKID=#

         VUUCP: Not applicable.

         VFIDO: Use the command

            VFIDO /A NETWORKID=#  (normally 4)

            "#" in the above examples refers to the networks ID #, as
            given in the NETWORKS.LST network masterlist file.

         

         Q: The call-back verifier refuses to verify.

         A: The file that MUST be set up in order for the callback veri-
         fier to work is called ALLOWED.CBV, and it should be located 
         in the VBBS \DATA directory.

         The format for the file is ASCII, one entry per line, as fol-
         lows:

            XXX-YYY Z

        where XXX is the area code, YYY is the prefix, Z is a "speci-
        fier" that tells the CBV how to dial this area code-prefix com-
        bination.

                                             VBBS 6.20 Documentation -- A-4


         Specifier   Type of Call                How Dialed
                            

             +        Local                      YYY-????
             -        LD within Area Code        1-YYY-????
             $        LD outside Area Code       1-XXX-YYY-????
             /        Local outside Area Code    XXX-YYY-????

        RESTRICT.CBV specifies the list of RESTRICTED phone numbers that 
        may not be dialed; it is not essential that this file be set up,
        but if you're going to use the CBV, you NEED to set it up.  The
        individual SysOp's who use the CBV are responsible for any char-
        ges incurred by its use.

        

        Q: I want to make a neat tagline for my BBS.  How do I do it?

        A: First of all, keep in mind the limits on system taglines in
        VirtualNET:

           1) Maximum of 3 lines
           2) Maximum of 300 bytes
           3) Heart-code ANSI colors ONLY

        Go into an ANSI drawing program (like TheDraw) and draw the
        tagline you want; block-save it in ASCII format.  Then, en-
        ter VBBS and use the [E]dit Any File option from the SysOp
        Menu to bring the tagline file into the FSE.  There, you can
        use the [Ctrl-P] color-change feature to add color to the
        tagline.  Once you're satisfied with it, save the file.

        Because the FSE saves the heart-codes for ANY color changes
        you make inside it -- even experimental color changes -- you
        should bring the tagline back into the DOS 5.0 editor or some
        other text editor, where the heart-codes will become visible.
        Delete any unnecessary color-change codes.  Save the file
        again.

        To check to see if the tagline meets the byte limit, use the
        trusty DIR command:

           dir <tagfilename>

        If the size of the file is greater than 300 bytes, you need
        to edit it down some.

        ===============

        Q: When I run daily cleanup, my bbs crashes with a 'Hit any
           Key' message. What do I do?

        A: This indicates that one or more of your databases has been
           corrupted by a hard drive error.  Note the database name
           just prior to when the crash occured.  Then, go into the
           DB subdirectory and delete the respective .bin, .dat, and
           .qsc files for that database.  Cleanup will then funciton
           normally.


.TOPIC:
License Agreement
LICENSE AGREEMENT


TERM

This license is effective until terminated.  You may terminate it
at any time by destroying all copies of the Software covered by
this Agreement.  It will also terminate upon conditions set forth
elsewhere in this Agreement or if you fail to comply with any
term or condition of this Agreement.  You agree upon such termination
to destroy this Software, including all copies, functionally-equivalent
derivatives, and all portions and modifications thereof in any form.

LIMITED WARRANTY

This Software is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind, either
expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied
warranties of merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.
The entire risk as to the quality and performance of this Software
is with you, should the Software prove defective, you (not Virtual
Technologies) assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing,
repair, or correction.  Virtual Technologies does not warrant that
the functions contained in the Software will meet your requirements
or that the operation of the Software will be uninterrupted or
error free.  However, Virtual Technologies does warrant the diskette
on which the Software is furnished to be free from defects in
materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety
(90) days from the date of purchase.  Virtual Technologies entire
liability and your exclusive remedy shall the replacement of any
diskette not meeting Virtual Technlogies "Limited Warranty" and
which is returned to Virtual Technologies.  In no event will
Virtual Technologies be liable to you for any damages, including
any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential
damages arising out of the use or inability to use the Software
even if Virtual Technologies or its authorized representative has
been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim
by any other party. Some states do not allow the limitation or
exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the
above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.  This warranty
gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights which
vary from state to state or within foreign countries.

GENERAL

You may not sublicense, assign, or otherwise transfer this License
or Software except as expressly provided in this Agreement.  Any
attempt to otherwise sublicense, assign, or transfer any of the
rights, duties or obligations hereunder is expressly prohibited
and will terminate this Agreement.  All Agreements covering this
Software (including but not limited to any and all updates,
upgrades, and enhancements to this Software or any portion thereof,
bearing the same registration number) shall be deemed to be
counterparts of one and the same License Agreement instrument.

By installing or using this software, you acknowledge that you have
read this agreement, understand it, and agree to be bound by its
terms and conditions.  You further agree that it is the complete
exclusive statement of this Agreement between us, which supercedes
any proposal or prior agreement, oral or written, and any other
communications betrween us relating to the subject matter of this
Agreement.

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of
Michigan.

.TOPIC:
VBBS OS/2
                            VBBS-OS/2

    OVERVIEW

          Scope
          _____

          This document provides information specific to VBBS-OS2.
          Overall, VBBS DOS documentation applies to the OS/2
          version with respect to features and functions.  Where
          VBBS-OS/2 and the DOS documentation conflict, information
          provided below supercedes that given in other sections.

          Why VBBS-OS/2?
          ______________

          OS/2 is a powerful operating system, allowing multithreaded
          multitasking at the operating system level without kludgey OS
          shells.  OS/2 virtualizes ram; unlike DOS which swaps memory in
          and out of the "base" 640 ram that DOS addresses directly.  OS/2
          has superior (and faster) I/O control in multiuser applications.
          Now, with OS/2 2.0 adding functional DOS and WINDOWS support,
          REXX and more, OS/2 is a viable OS for many people with high end
          PC's.  In every way, OS/2 has been designed to be a superior
          multitasking environment to DOS.

          The one drawback to OS/2's performance has been the inefficient
          way it handles DOS and WINDOWS communications programs.  Because
          these programs require a great deal of CPU attention, they
          degrade OS/2 system performance significantly, compared to
          equivalent OS/2 programs.

          VBBS has been designed from the start to be a multiline
          communications program.  Written in assembly and Quick Basic, it
          is a very efficient program.  Since an OS/2 compiler is readily
          available for programs written in Quick Basic and most of the
          code could be a direct port, the marriage of VBBS and OS/2
          became the next logical step in the evolution of VBBS.  No other
          move could produced such dramatic performance results for single
          machine, multinode VBBS so easily at this point in time.

          From the users standpoint, VBBS-OS/2 is identical to VBBS-DOS.
          Every function is identical.


          OS/2 System Considerations
          __________________________

          HPFS vs. FAT

          Although HPFS is generally regarded as faster (higher
          performance) than FAT file systems, it is only advantageous
          under certain circumstances.  For a reason unknown at this time,
          VBBS disk intensive operations are at least twice as fast with
          FAT as they are with HPFS.  It is strongly recommended that HPFS
          NOT be used to run VBBS at this time.  Booting with HPFS is fine,
          as long as VBBS is run from a FAT partition or a NETWORK drive.

          Virtual Technologies is working with IBM to resolve the HPFS
          performance issue.  Up to date information on this progress will
          be posted in the VirtualNet sub "VBBS OS/2 Support",
          AUTOSUBSCRIBE sub type 472629.

          We recommend the following hard drive partitioning scheme if HPFS
          is to be used:

          BOOT MANAGER
          (1) 60 MB PRIMARY HPFS partition (Enough for OS/2, SWAPFILE, ETC.)
          (1) 1 MB PRIMARY FAT partition (Just enough to boot DOS)
          (1) Extended FAT partition  (To run applications such as VBBS from)

          NOTE:  Using this arrangement will result in EITHER primary
          partition (whichever is selected as active) being mapped as the C
          drive and the extended DOS partition will always be the D drive.

          OS/2 1.3

          Though not tested, VBBS-OS/2 should run fine in multinode
          situations on a single 80286 based machine, running OS/2 1.3
          with a minimum of four megabites of RAM and a 60 megabyte hard
          drive.  Many OS/2 old timers that do not use DOS applications
          still prefer OS/2 1.3 because of it's leaner system
          requirements.

          OS/2 2.x

          OS/2 2.x requires at least a 386sx to run.  To run VBBS-OS/2
          effectively, at least 8 megabites of RAM and a 125 megabyte hard
          drive should be used.   Though OS/2 2.x will run on lesser
          systems, performance and storage space will quickly become
          issues on systems configured in such a manner.

          Although VBBS-OS/2 should run fine on OS/2 1.3, it has been tested
          extensively only on OS/2 2.x.  As a result, there are some system
          settings that we can pass on as a result of our experience that may
          help you.

          CONFIG.SYS Settings:

          TIMESLICE=32      (Minimum timeslice OS/2 will use)
          MAXWAIT=1         (Number of wait units system will wait before
                             checking other tasks)

          SWAPPATH=C:\OS2\SYSTEM 4096 8192   (This controls the size of
                                              the swapfile.  If you have
                                              room on you HD, increasing
                                              the start size to 4 MB and
                                              the max size to 8 MB seems to
                                              help when running with 8
                                              MB DRAM)

          DEVICE=C:\OS2\VDISK.SYS 16 128 16   (This will create a Virtual
                                               disk to use for the
                                               CONTROL.DAT directory.  Place
                                               this at the end of your
                                               CONFIG.SYS file.)

          VBBS-OS/2 has been tested with OS/2 version 2.0 through each
          beta version of 2.1 and now the 2.1 GA release.  OS/2 2.1 is
          recommended because most users report superior stability.

          Digiboard

          OS/2 drivers are available for Digiboards from the manufacturer
          for both 1.3 and 2.0.
 
          Communications Ports

          OS/2 will not allow programs to share interrupts (except on
          properly configured Microchannel machines).  The easiest
          way to run two nodes would be to use a bus mouse, making
          comport 1 and comport 2 available for modem use.

    VBBS-OS/2 VCONFIG

          Installing and running VBBS-OS/2 is nearly identical to the
          procedure used for VBBS-DOS.

          The main difference is that the VBBS-OS/2 Control Panel has been
          stripped down.  Most WFC functions are not needed, since WFC
          functions can be handled as separate tasks.

          Channel configuration is handled identically to the DOS version,
          HOWEVER the OS/2 2.x GA release does NOT support locked com port
          speeds of over 19,200 baud with supplied COM.SYS drivers.
          Since VBBS-OS/2 is untested under OS/2 1.3 as of this writing,
          locking the com port at speeds over 19,200 baud is not recommended
          without experimentation. OS/2 1.3 and 2.0 have 16550 UART support.

          HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

          Communications performance can be greatly enhanced by locking
          the com port at 38400 instead of 19200.  Since the stock com
          drivers supplied with OS/2 do not allow this, replacement
          drivers must be used.  We recommend Ray Gwinn's SIO drivers.
          These are shareware, and curently registration is only $15.00
          for four ports.  Additional ports are supported at an
          additional cost.  They really are outstanding drivers, and
          well worth the money for all OS/2 communications, not just
          VBBS.  SIO is available at:

           The Rubber Room,       203-877-5856 and 203-876-0695
           Virtual Technologies,  616-399-8791 and 616-399-4818

          1.  Obtain a copy of Ray Gwinn's SIO102.ZIP.
          2.  Unzip it into a directory something like this:
              C:\SIO
          3.  Modify your config.sys file, removing the COM.SYS and
              VCOM.SYS drivers, and replacing them with SIO.SYS and
              VSIO.SYS.  EX:

              REM DEVICE=C:\OS2\COM.SYS
              REM DEVICE=C:\OS2\MDOS\VCOM.SYS
              DEVICE=C:\SIO\SIO.SYS
              DEVICE=C:\SIO\VSIO.SYS

          4.  No special paramters are necessary for normal operation of com
              ports 1 and 2.  However, com port can be configured however
              needed by specifying the port, base address and IRQ.

              EX:

              DEVICE=C:\SIO\SIO.SYS (1,3F8,4) (2,2F8,3)
              DEVICE=C:\SIO\VSIO.SYS


    RUNNING VBBS-OS/2

          VBBS-OS/2 is started similarly to VBBS-DOS.  Different
          channels are started by passing the channel number to VBBS.EXE
          as a parameter just as in the DOS version.  A CMD file is
          included to get started.  The shareware version supports two
          active nodes and one local node.  EX:

          BBS 0         Starts Local Channel;
          BBS 1         Starts Channel 1;
          BBS 2         Starts Channel 2;
          :
          :
          BBS 8         Starts Channel 8.

          VBBS runs only in full screen mode for optimum efficiency.

          Multiple VBBS nodes can be started under OS/2 in the startup
          sequence by including the following in the STARTUP.CMD file:

          --- Begin STARTUP.CMD ---

          start bbs 0
          start bbs 1
          start vsysmon

          --- End STARTUP.CMD ---

    VBBS-OS/2 MULTINET NETWORKING

          VBBS-OS/2 fully supports FIDO type and the new Vnet type networks
          using the VXY protocol.

          Care must be taken to make sure that if VBBS-DOS and VBBS-OS/2
          will share databases, that network configurations do NOT allow
          HSLINK, as this protocol is not currently available for
          VBBS/OS2.  A setting in VCONFIG allowing DSZ for Virtualnet
          type networks will enable VXY's ZMODEM.

    OS/2 AND LANS

          VBBS-OS/2 can be connected to other VBBS workstations (OS/2
          or DOS based) via Novell Netware, or IBM's LAN Server
          products.  VBBS-OS/2 has been tested using OS/2 2.x and
          Novell 3.11 very successfully.  The requestor for OS/2 2.x is
          available from Novell for about $40.00, and the requestor
          for 1.3 comes with Novell Netware.

    VBBS-OS/2 WORKING WITH VBBS-DOS

          VBBS-OS/2 has been fully tested and is VBBS-DOS compliant.
          VBBS-OS/2 can be installed directly over VBBS-DOS, taking the
          place of the DOS base program or it can be installed parallel to
          the DOS program, working with it using the same databases and
          control.v file.  VBBS has been tested with the following path
          configuration:

          VBBS-DOS Executables:

          \VBBS\DOS
 
          VBBS-OS/2 Executables:

          \VBBS\OS2

          All other paths shared by VBBS-DOS and VBBS-OS/2.

          Special considerations for VBBS-OS/2:

           *  If upgrading from VBBS-DOS, remember to remove DSZ and
              HSLINK protocol options in VCONFIG, as well as any other
              DOS protocols.

           *  Remove DOS Doors from the door configuration in VCONFIG.

              (NOTE:  Although it is possible to run DOS BBS doors from
              VBBS-OS/2 with OS/2 2.x, it is not recommended.  DOS DOORS
              slow overall system performance terribly, since almost none
              were written with OS/2 awareness in mind.

           *  Remove references to DOS programs called in scripts (SCAN,
              etc.) unless you have OS/2 equivelents.

           *  Remove ARJ, LHA and other miscellaneous archive utility
              configurations from VCONFIG.  A bound version (meaning it
              will run natively both in OS/2 and DOS) of PKZIP 1.10 is
              available at the Rubber Room BBS, 1@1203000 and at Virtual
              Technologies, 1@1 as PKZ102-2.EXE.

    SCRIPTS

          VBBS-OS/2 should now be able to share scripts with VBBS-DOS.
          No special provisions must be made for VBBS-OS/2 for properly
          written scripts.  VBBS-OS/2 does come with it's own OS/2 script
          compiler.

    DOORS

          It is known that the SIO.SYS and VSIO.SYS drivers replacing
          COM.SYS and VCOM.SYS, (written by Ray Gyinn) with OS/2 2.1 will
          make DOS doors run under OS/2 2.x.  To make this possible, modify
          the SIO command line, adding port speed and a - to the command line
          as follows:

          DEVICE=C:\SIO\SIO.SYS (1:38400,3F8,4, -) (2:38400,2F8,3, -)

          Even so, this is not recommended, as opening a DOS
          communications session will significantly impair system
          performance, virtually defeating the purpose of running OS/2 in
          the first place.  Additionally, a certain degree of reliability
          is traded off.

          Using only OS/2 Door programs is recommended.

    REGISTRATION

          Please note that VBBS-OS/2 requires a separate registration
          to become fully functional.  Registration numbers and
          codes for the DOS version will not work.  Please refer to
          VBBS Registration for order information.

