       Ŀ
         Appendices  Page 84 
       
       
       Ŀ
         ASCII Character Set 
       
       
       This is the Mondo Font character set supported by RoboBOARD/FX:
       
       33 = !      61 = =      89 = Y       117 = u       146 = 
       34 = "      62 = >      90 = Z       118 = v       147 = 
       35 = #      63 = ?      91 = [       119 = w       148 = 
       36 = $      64 = @      92 = \       120 = x       149 = 
       37 = %      65 = A      93 = ]       121 = y       150 = 
       38 = &      66 = B      94 = ^       122 = z       151 = 
       39 = '      67 = C      95 = _       123 = {       152 = 
       40 = (      68 = D      96 = `       124 = |       153 = 
       41 = )      69 = E      97 = a       125 = }       154 = 
       42 = *      70 = F      98 = b       126 = ~       155 = 
       43 = +      71 = G      99 = c       128 =        156 = 
       44 = ,      72 = H      100 = d      129 =        157 = 
       45 = -      73 = I      101 = e      130 =        158 = 
       46 = .      74 = J      102 = f      131 =        159 = 
       47 = /      75 = K      103 = g      132 =        160 = 
       48 = 0      76 = L      104 = h      133 =        161 = 
       49 = 1      77 = M      105 = i      134 =        162 = 
       50 = 2      78 = N      106 = j      135 =        163 = 
       51 = 3      79 = O      107 = k      136 =        164 = 
       52 = 4      80 = P      108 = l      137 =        165 = 
       53 = 5      81 = Q      109 = m      138 =        168 = 
       54 = 6      82 = R      110 = n      139 =        173 = 
       55 = 7      83 = S      111 = o      140 =        225 = 
       56 = 8      84 = T      112 = p      141 =        241 = 
       57 = 9      85 = U      113 = q      142 =        242 = 
       58 = :      86 = V      114 = r      143 =        243 = 
       59 = ;      87 = W      115 = s      144 =        246 = 
       60 = <      88 = X      116 = t      145 =        248 = 
                                                          251 = 
       

       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       Ŀ
         ASCII Character Set   Page 85 
       
       
       This is the Bit Font character set supported by RoboBOARD/FX.
       
       32       64 @      96 `      128       160       192       224   
       33 !     65 A      97 a      129       161       193       225   
       34 "     66 B      98 b      130       162       194       226   
       35 #     67 C      99 c      131       163       195       227   
       36 $     68 D      100 d     132       164       196       228   
       37 %     69 E      101 e     133       165       197       229   
       38 &     70 F      102 f     134       166       198       230   
       39 '     71 G      103 g     135       167       199       231   
       40 (     72 H      104 h     136       168       200       232   
       41 )     73 I      105 i     137       169       201       233   
       42 *     74 J      106 j     138       170       202       234   
       43 +     75 K      107 k     139       171       203       235   
       44 ,     76 L      108 l     140       172       204       236   
       45 -     77 M      109 m     141       173       205       237   
       46 .     78 N      110 n     142       174       206       238   
       47 /     79 O      111 o     143       175       207       239   
       48 0     80 P      112 p     144       176       208       240   
       49 1     81 Q      113 q     145       177       209       241   
       50 2     82 R      114 r     146       178       210       242   
       51 3     83 S      115 s     147       179       211       243   
       52 4     84 T      116 t     148       180       212       244   
       53 5     85 U      117 u     149       181       213       245   
       54 6     86 V      118 v     150       182       214       246   
       55 7     87 W      119 w     151       183       215       247   
       56 8     88 X      120 x     152       184       216       248   
       57 9     89 Y      121 y     153       185       217       249   
       58 :     90 Z      122 z     154       186       218       250   
       59 ;     91 [      123 {     155       187       219       251   
       60 <     92 \      124 |     156       188       220       252   
       61 =     93 ]      125 }     157       189       221       253   
       62 >     94 ^      126 ~     158       190       222       254   
       63 ?     95 _      127      159       191       223       255    
       
       
       
       
       
       
       













       
       Ŀ
         Menu Tree  Page 86 
       
       
       This is  a standard menu configuration  for a one language system. 
       RoboBOARD/FX only looks in  the correct directory  or subdirectory 
       for file based data so it is not advisable to change the directory 
       structure.
       
       C:\Ŀ                           - Root Directory
            ROBOFX                    - RoboBOARD/FX main working dir
              ROBODATA            - SubDir for config files and
                                        data files
                 CFGRES              - Config Resource Script files
                 FILES               - Files RootDir (configurable)
                     NEWFILES  - NEWFILES dir (configurable)
                 MAIL                - HUDSON MAIL dir (configurable)
                 ENGLISH             - Default Language Root Dir
                     GRAPHICS  - Menus and Bulletin pictures 
                                       for language
                          MENUS     - Menu Control Files
                          RESOURCE  - Interface language resources 
                          TEMPLATE  - Input Templates for language
                 FXDRAW              - FXDRAW operating directory
                     ICONS     - FXDRAW ICONS directory.
                 TEMP                - Temp dir (configurable)
            
       
       
       Ŀ
         File Types 
       
       C:\ROBOFX
       
       RoboBOARD/FX Executables and Overlay files.
       
       ROBOCFG.EXE  - RoboBOARD/FX configuration executable.
       ROBOFX.EXE   - RoboBOARD/FX executable.
       ROBOFX.OVR   - RoboBOARD/FX overlay.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\ROBODATA
       
       RoboBOARD/FX configuration Data files and.
       
       FILEBASE.DAT - List of file areas/base. 
       MSGBASE.DAT  - List of message bases.
       NEWFILES.FBS - A file base named NEWFILES.
       NODE1.DAT    - Settings for Node 1.
       NODE2.DAT    - Settings for Node 2.
       ROBOCFG.DAT  - RoboBOARD/FX Global Settings ie: SysOp Name and BBS
       Name.
       ROBOFILE.FBS - A file area/base named ROBOFILE.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\CFGRES
       
       RoboBOARD/FX configuration resource files used to manage the BBS.
       
       FILE.IDX     - Index Files have an IDX extension.
       FILE.BLB     - Database Blob Files have a BLB extension. 
       Ŀ
         File Types Con't  Page 87 
       

       FILE.CRS     - Configuration Resource Script files have a CRS 
                      extension.
       FILE.ICO     - Icon files have an ICO extension.
       SYS_7X16.BIT - Bit Font.
       SYS_8X16.BIT - Bit Font.
       TINY_6X6.BIT - Bit Font.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\FILES
       
       This is a  suggested  pointer Directory  to  File Areas/Bases that 
       would follow the structure of C:\ROBOFX\FILES\NEWFILES.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\FILES\NEWFILES
       
       This is a  required directory  where  RoboBOARD/FX  will place new 
       files until they have been Virus Scanned and SysOp verified.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\TEMP
       
       RoboBOARD/FX  writes temporary files  to this directory,  and they 
       are written over as required.   Some file extensions seen in  this 
       directory will be, IDX, $$$, TED, TXT, TMP and DAT.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH
       
       This is a required pointer Directory to Language specific files.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH\MENUS
       
       Menu  configuration  files  have  a  MNU extension.  All files are 
       English Language files.
       
       FILES.MNU
       MAIN.MNU
       MESSAGES.MNU
       
       
       C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH\GRAPHICS
       
       The files stored in this directory are graphics files.
       
       FILES.IDX    - FILES database index file.
       FILES.BLB    - FILES database blob file.
       FILES.TFX    - FILES raw Tel-FX drawing file.
       FILES.ANS    - FILES ANSI equivalent screen. 
       PRELOG.ASC   - Pre logon ASCII banner.
       
       C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH\RESOURCE
       
       RoboBOARD/FX language based resource files used by the BBS.
       
       FILEBASE.IDX - Database Index file.
       FILEBASE.BLB - Database Blob. 
       SYS_ACC.PLT  - Template file. 
       Ŀ
         File Types Con't  Page 88 
       
       
       C:\ROBOFX\USA\TEMPLATE  
       
       User definable Template files are stored in this directory.
       
       LOGON.PLT
       NEWUSER.PLT
       
       C:\ROBOFX\FXDRAW
       
       FXdraw Executables and resource files are stored in this directory
       
       CLASSIC.FNT  - Roman Classic Mondo Font source file.
       CLASSIC.SAM  - Roman Classic 'ABCabc' sample file.
       FXDRAW.EXE   - FXdraw executable file.  
       FXDRAW.OVR   - FXdraw overlay  
       SYS_7X16.BIT - Bit Font file.
       
       
       C:\ROBOFX\FXDRAW\ICONS
       
       FXdraw stores its Icon files in this directory.
       
       COMMANDS.ICO
       FXDRAW.ICO
       FXLOGO.ICO
       
       C:\ROBOFX\MAIL  
       
       The RoboBOARD/FX echo mail directory.
       
       LASTREAD.BBS
       MSGHDR.BBS
       MSGIDX.BBS
       MSGINFO.BBS
       MSGTOIDX.BBS
       MSGTXT.BBS
       
       Ŀ
         Inline Text Tokens 
       
       
       RoboBOARD/FX  provides support for a number of  INLINE text tokens
       which allow  you yet another easy  way  to customize your  system.  
       These  token  names  are  found  by  the  Tel-FX  text handler and 
       replaced  by  standard values  or  values  that  RoboBOARD/FX  has 
       programmed into the terminal.   Inline Text Tokens can be used in, 
       file descriptions using RoboCFG,  Templates, ASCII Text Bulletins, 
       Graphical Bulletins  created using FXdraw  and all other Graphical 
       screens created in FXdraw.
       




       
       Ŀ
         Inline Text Tokens Con't  Page 89 
       
       These tokens affect the colour of any text which follows them:
       
        Dark Colours        Intense Colours
       
        Black        {0}    DarkGray      {8}
        Blue         {1}    LightBlue     {9}
        Green        {2}    LightGreen   {10}
        Cyan         {3}    LightCyan    {11}
        Red          {4}    LightRed     {12}
        Magenta      {5}    LightMagenta {13}
        Brown        {6}    Yellow       {14}
        LightGray    {7}    White        {15}
        Default      {*}
       
       These tokens are replaced by System variables:
       
       {VER}     - Displays RoboBOARD/FX Program & Version ID.
       {BBSNAME} - BBS Name
       {SYSNAME} - SysOp Name
       {NODE}    - Displays the Node Number
       {TCALLS}  - Displays the systems Total Calls.
       {DCALLS}  - Displays the System Calls Today
       {SFRATIO} - Displays the System file ratio (UUUU:DDDD).
       {SKRATIO} - Displays the System kilo ratio (UUUU:DDDD).
       {BAUD}    - Displays the Connect Baud (if available).
       {LOCK}    - Displays the locked Port Rate.
       {DEVICE}  - Displays the I/O device.
       {PORT}    - Displays the Port Number
       {UNAME}   - Displays the users name.
       {UFNAME}  - Displays the users first name.
       {ULNAME}  - Displays the users last name.
       {UALIAS}  - Displays the users alias.
       {UAGE}    - Displays the users age.
       {UBIRTH}  - Displays the users Birthday.
       {UCALLS}  - Displays the number of calls the user has made.
       {UEXP}    - Users expiry Date.
       {UFIRST}  - Displays the users first call (MM/DD/YY).
       {ULAST}   - Displays the users last call (MM/DD/YY).
       {UFRATIO} - Displays the users file ratio (UUUU:DDDD).
       {UKRATIO} - Displays the users kilo ratio (UUUU:DDDD).
       {UHPHONE} - Displays the users Home Phone.
       {UDPHONE} - Displays the users Data Phone.
       {UFDOWN}  - Displays the number of files the user has downloaded.
       {UFUP}    - Displays the number of files the user has uploaded.
       {UKDOWN}  - Displays the number of Kb the user has downloaded.
       {UKUP}    - Displays the number of Kb the user has uploaded.
       {UTIME}   - The amount of time the user has left.
       {UBANK}   - The amount of time in the users Time Bank account.
       {USTREET} - The users Street.
       {UCITY}   - The users City & State (or Province).
       {ULAND}   - The users Country.
       {UPOST}   - The users ZIP or POSTAL CODE.
       {DATE}    - Displays date in short form (MM/DD/YY)
       {FDATE}   - Displays fancy date (MM DD, YYYY)
       {TIME}    - Displays the time in am/pm format (HH:MMam)
       {TIME24}  - Displays the time in 24 hour format (HH:MM) 
       Ŀ
         System Screens  Page 90 
       
       RoboBOARD/FX has had a number of Screen Names built into it. These
       screens,  if found,  will be displayed at specific moments  during 
       BBS operation. RoboBOARD/FX installs with several of these screens 
       already created.  In  Graphics mode  screens  will display  for  5 
       seconds before  they  are  removed.  If a button  is  placed  in a 
       window,  RoboBOARD/FX  will wait until  that button (regardless of 
       value) is pressed.  In text mode screens will always delay.  There 
       are three screen types  supported by  RoboBOARD/FX  at the moment.
       They are  .TFX files (Tel-FX raw files),  .ANS (Colour ANSI),  and 
       .ASC (Mono ANSI or ASCII). If a screen is missing for a particular 
       video mode or language then it will be ignored (or not displayed).
       
       The following files may have a .TFX, .ANS or .ASC file extension:
       
       ACC_###   - This file is displayed before  WELCOME1.  With this 
                   file ### represents and ACCESS LEVEL between 0 & 999.
       
       BIRTHDAY  - This will be displayed to a user if the current date 
                   matches the Birthday field in RoboBOARD/FX.
       
       EASTER    - This screen is displayed on easter.  As  easter always 
                   travels this screen  will show up on the correct date. 
                   See the screen  MMDDYY  for more information regarding 
                   day-of-year screens.
       
       EXPIRED   - This screen is displayed if the  users access has 
                   expired since there last call.
       
       FILETIME  - This file is displayed if a user tries to upload or 
                   download files during a non-transfer time period.
       
       FIRST_2   - This file is displayed to the user on their first 2 
                   calls, this will be shown in place of FIRST_5 if it 
                   exists (but only for the first 2 calls).
       
       FIRST_5   - This file will displayed to the user on their first 5 
                   calls.
       
       GOODBYE   - This is displayed to a user as they exit your system.
       
       HOUR_##   - This file is displayed if ## matches the current hour 
                   on the system clock.
       
       LOCKOUT   - This file is displayed to users who have been locked 
                   out.
       
       NEWS#     - There may be up to 3 news screens, these are displayed 
                   after the welcome screen(s) and new mail search.
       
       TOAST     - This file is displayed to a user as they are being 
                   locked out of your system.
       
       WELCOME#  - There may be up to 3 welcome screens, these are 
                   displayed to the user immediately after logging on.
       
       
       Ŀ
         System Screens Con't  Page 91 
       

       NOTHERE   - This screen will show up if the user tries to upload 
                   file types which are not allowed on your system.
       
       MMDDYY    - This screen is shown to a user on a particular day of 
                   the year.  For example, Christmas, or a national 
                   holiday.  Please see the screen file called EASTER, 
                   this holiday travels.
       
       RATIO     - This file is displayed to users who attempt to exceed 
                   their transfer ratio.
       
       SHORTIME  - This file is displayed to a user if their time limit 
                   has been shortened by a pending event.
       
       DAYTIME   - This file is displayed to a user when they have 
                   exceeded there daily time limit.
              
       Ŀ
         Templates 
       
       
       At one point or another,  as SysOp  you may need a way  to acquire 
       custom input from your users.   For example, you may want to ask a 
       few questions that will tell you  what kind of users  you have  on 
       your system or possibly you would like to set up a simple ordering 
       interface. In RoboBOARD/FX this can be easily done using Templates.
       
       The RoboBOARD/FX template language allows you to gather input in a
       fashion that your users will find natural.  The  template language 
       also  allows you  to save your input  in  a  custom  file  format, 
       delimited with nearly any control characters you like.  That's not 
       all,  you can also route user input to the printer  or to multiple 
       files.
       
       This section is intended to demonstrate template functions and how 
       they are created. RoboBOARD/FX templates are very simple to create 
       and give you detailed control  over where templates  are placed on 
       the  screen, template size, text colour,  and input type.  
       
       About The Mysterious Template Format.
       
       A template file must follow a basic format:
       
       VARIABLES
       ...
       PLATE DISPLAY AND FORMATTING
       ...
       EXPORTS
       
       Ŀ Direct  access   to  a  number  of   RoboBOARD  system
       Variables variables  and  temporary variables  has been provided 
        using the RoboBOARD template language.   Most of these 
       variables are user variables or temporary text type variables, for  
       your use  in  questionnaire  templates. Variables  are  affiliated  
       
       Ŀ
         Templates Con't  Page 92 
       

       directly with template INPUT BOXes numbered 1-25.  If the variable  
       is a  RoboBOARD  variable that already has a value,  that value is 
       passed  directly  to  the  input  box.   Likewise if the value  is 
       changed, it will be passed back to RoboBOARD when the user is done 
       with the template.
       
       Variable clauses  are the  first entries  in a template file,  the 
       syntax is as follows:
       
       *VAR, < Input Box # (1-25) >, < Variable identifier >
       
       Lets say that the first input box in the  template window asks for 
       the USERs NAME,  then  the  variable  for  this  field  is  titled 
       USERNAME.  The declaration for this variable would be as follows:
       
       *VAR, 1, USERNAME
       
       Valid variables are:
       
         USERNAME      - Current users name  (RoboBOARD will verify this)
         ALIAS         - Current users Alias (RoboBOARD will verify this)
         PASSWORD      - Current users Password (Robo will verify this)
         HOMEPHONE     - The users Home Phone number.
         DATAPHONE     - The users Data Phone number.
         BIRTHDAY      - The user Birthday.
         STREET        - The users street Address.
         CITYSTATE     - The users City & State (or Province).
         COUNTRY       - The users Country.
         ZIPCODE       - The users Zipcode.
       * RATIO_FUP     - The users File Upload ratio.
       * RATIO_FDOWN   - The users File Download ratio.
       * RATIO_KUP     - The users Kilo upload ratio.
       * RATIO_KDOWN   - The users Kilo Download ratio.
       * DAILYFILES    - The users Daily Maximum file limit.
       * DAILYKILOS    - The users Daily Maximum Kilo limit.
       * DAILYTIME     - The users Daily Maximum Daily Time limit.
       * TIMELEFT      - The users Daily Time limit.
       * TIMEBANKED    - The users banked time.
       * CALLS         - The number of calls the user has made.
       * FIRSTCALL     - The users first call.
       * LASTCALL      - The users last call.
       * ACCESS        - The users Access.
       * TAGS          - The users Tags.
       * EXPIRYDATE    - The users Expiry Date (if any).
       * EXPIRYACC     - The users Expiry Access.
       * NOTE          - The SysOps confidential note about the user.
         F_SEARCH_STR  - Used in the Text Search file template.
         F_SEARCH_DATE - Used in the Date Search file template.
         F_SEARCH_CARD - Used in the WildCard Search file template.
         STRING1       - 1-8 temporary strings(always cleaned by
         STRING2         RoboBOARD before the template is displayed).
         STRING3
         STRING4
         STRING5
       
       Ŀ
         Templates Con't  Page 93 
       

         STRING6
         STRING7
         STRING8
         TIME          - The time of day, this is only for log files.
         DATE          - The date, this is only for log files.
       
       WARNING:These entries should only be used for output to log files, 
       do not allow your users to change them.
       
       Ŀ In  order  to  actually  display  a 
       PLATE DISPLAY AND FORMATTING template it is necessary  first  to
        initialize it.  This is done  using 
       the *PLATE command.  The  PLATE command  is  followed  by a set of  
       coordinates  that  define  the position  and size of the  template 
       window.  The RoboBOARD plate language uses text based coordinates,  
       this means that boundaries are thought of in characters and 0,0 is 
       in the upper left corner of  your screen.   The maximum width  and 
       height of a window  is 75 characters by 20.
       
       The syntax for the *PLATE command is as follows:
       
       *PLATE,<Upper left X pos>,<Upper Left Y pos>,<X size>,<Y size>,
       <Title>
       
       Lets say  we want this window  to show up  4 characters in,  and 4 
       characters down  in the  desktop  window,  having  a  width  of 35 
       characters and a height of 6 characters.
       
       *PLATE,4,4,35,6,LOGON
       
       Now that  we have established position  and size  the next step in 
       creating a template is putting something inside it. Creating input 
       fields is very easy using the RoboBOARD/FX template language.   Up 
       to this point all lines have started with an * (asteric)  and they 
       have  been commands  or  variables.   Lines to Format the Template 
       start with a +.
       
       In the following example the first line shows a simple Prompt, and 
       the second line shows an input box:
       
       ...
       + Your {1}FIRST {*}& {1}LAST {*}name:
       +  [FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF]
       ...
       
       In the above example on the first line there is a {1},  which sets 
       the  text colour to Blue  for all text  that follows it.   The {*} 
       resets the colour  to the default colour which in graphics mode is 
       BLACK. 
       
       



       
       Ŀ
         Templates Con't  Page 94 
       

       Valid Colours are:
       
        Dark Colours        Intense Colours
       
        Black         0     DarkGray       8
        Blue          1     LightBlue      9
        Green         2     LightGreen    10
        Cyan          3     LightCyan     11
        Red           4     LightRed      12
        Magenta       5     LightMagenta  13
        Brown         6     Yellow        14
        LightGray     7     White         15
       
       The next example  shows a bracket [# or A or H or F] bracket.  The 
       Names of Input boxes are defined in the order they appear, this is 
       very important when assigning variables to an input field or input 
       box.   The First input box relates directly  to the First variable 
       you defined and so on.  This is how input boxes are defined.   The 
       following lines are examples of input boxes and their functions.
       
       +  Number Box [(###)###-####]    - Allows for numbers only with
                                          formatting.
       +    Text Box [AAAAAAAAAAAAA]    - Allows for Text or numbers 
                                          (free form).
       +  Hidden Box [HHHHHHHHHHHHH]    - Hides text, this is useful for
                                          passwords.
       +   Fancy Box [FFFFFFFFFFFFF]    - Will capitalize first letters.
       +BAR                             - Draws a bar across the screen.
       
       The *ENDPLATE command is used after all the display and formatting
       information  has been interpreted,  telling RoboBOARD/FX, "display 
       the template".

       Ŀ This  section  on  Exports demonstrates  how  to  export
       EXPORTS completed template Fields to Logging files,  printers or
        other files of your choice.   The  RoboBOARD/FX template 
       language  allows you to format output fields  and delimit  them as 
       you desire.  The syntax for the export command is as follows:
       
       *TOFILE, < File name or Device >, < OutPut Text & Variables >
       
       The file name  may be  any valid  DOS file name  and may include a 
       path.  The file name may also be any valid DOS device,  but LPT1 or 
       LPT2 are the only two devices that we recommend at this point.  The 
       output text may  contain variable names which  will be replaced  by 
       true values  at  output time.   Here is  an example of  the  TOFILE 
       function.
       
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG, DATE : {DATE} at {TIME}
       
       The above example  exports two variables  and would output to  the 
       file like this:
       
        DATE : MM-DD-YYYY at HH:MM
       
       Ŀ
         Templates Con't  Page 95 
       
       
       There are two other  specialty Output strings,  these  must follow 
       immediately  after  the  comma.   They are the BAR command and the 
       FORMFEED command.
       
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG, BAR        - OutPuts a flat bar 78 characters 
                                        across.
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG, FORMFEED   - OutPuts the FormFeed (new Page) 
                                        character (for printers).
       

       Ŀ Lets  modify a template you already have,  and 
       A Working Example give  it  the  ability  to  log  the  name  of
        everyone  who  has  entered your  system.  The 
       file is named LOGON.PLT, and is found in the TEMPLATE subdirectory 
       of your main language.
       
       This is the file as it is found:
       
       *VAR,1,USERNAME                     - Sets input 1 as the USERNAME
       *VAR,2,PASSWORD                     - Sets input 2 as the PASSWORD
       *PLATE,4,4,35,6,LOGON               - Draws the Template window
       + Your {1}FIRST {*}& {1}LAST {*}name: - Prompts user on line 1 of 
                                               window
       +  [FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF]   - Creates Fancy input box #1
       + Your {1}PASSWORD{*}:              - Prompts user on for password
       +  [HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH]   - Creates Hidden input box #2
       +                                   - Blank line
       +          [DONE] [EXIT]            - add DONE and EXIT buttons
       *ENDPLATE                           - Done Template.
       
       
       This  template  is  very  simple,  and is  handled  completely  by 
       RoboBOARD.   When the user  leaves a field blank,  RoboBOARD  will 
       either prompt them for it,  or assume they are a  NEW USER.   Lets 
       say  we want to override  RoboBOARD  for a few   and  store  their 
       name  in  a  file  named  LOGON.LOG.  The  following  6  lines  of 
       instruction can be added after the *ENDPLATE  statement  and  will 
       instruct RoboBOARD to CREATE (or APPEND) the file named LOGON.LOG.
       
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG, BAR                     - Add a separator bar 
                                                     to file
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG,                         - Add a blank line to 
                                                     file.
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG, DATE : {DATE} at {TIME} - Add prompt then DATE 
                                                     and TIME
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG, NAME : {USERNAME}       - Add prompt then 
                                                     USERNAME
       *TOFILE, LOGON.LOG,                         - Add another blank to       
                                                     file.
       
       and/or if we wanted to use a printer:
       
       *TOFILE, LPT1, BAR                          - Add a separator bar 
                                                     to file
       
       Ŀ
         Templates Con't  Page 96 
       

       *TOFILE, LPT1,                              - Add a blank line to 
                                                     file.
       *TOFILE, LPT1, DATE : {DATE} at {TIME}      - Add prompt then DATE 
                                                     and TIME
       *TOFILE, LPT1, NAME : {USERNAME}            - Add prompt then 
                                                     USERNAME
       *TOFILE, LPT1,                              - Add another blank to 
                                                     file.
       *TOFILE, LPT1, FORMFEED                     - Waste a sheet of 
                                                     paper!
       
       
       
       
       Ŀ
        MultiNode Operation & Optimization  
       
       
       After a SysOp  has their basic BBS system  up  it  usually doesn't 
       take long before they ask, "I know its fast!  But how do I make it 
       FAST!".   This question is particulary important for the SysOp who 
       is an avid DesqVIEW or LAN user,  or for the  typical SysOp with a 
       unquenchable power lust.  There are a few areas where RoboBOARD/FX 
       can enjoy a  substantial performance  increase.   Of course simple 
       maintenance  like  defragmenting  your HD  with  the  DOS 6 DEFRAG 
       program will always help things out.

       Ŀ The first optimization we recommend  has to do
       Text Logging Mode with  the  host  end  graphical  display.  The
        problem  is with VGA and  its  slow output  in 
       HiRes mode.  Couple that with a  multi-tasker and performance gets 
       worse.   A 640x480x256 screen of graphics contains  307,200 pixels 
       and in  VGA mode each pixel  equals one byte of data.   As one can 
       see,  that is exactly 300Kb  of data to manage.  Whether you run a 
       single line  system,  or a number of nodes  on a lan,  we  suggest 
       passing  a -16COL  to the  ROBOFX  command line  which  will force
       RoboBOARD/FX  to use  640x480x16  colour mode.   This mode  uses a 
       packed memory format and therefore only manages 150Kb of memory to 
       process.
       
       By passing a -TXT to the ROBOFX command  line  you  can  eliminate 
       local end graphics and still  have users online  in  full graphics 
       mode.  Out  of  all  the optimizations  suggested  this  one  will 
       probably be the single largest performance gain. When RoboBOARD/FX 
       is run in text mode the user still retains  their ability  to view 
       full colour graphics at a resolution of their choice. Logging Mode 
       will make the turn around time  on the remote end  nearly instant. 
       You will be able to view the user(s)  through a  very fast textual
       interface which requires,  NO time spent processing  or displaying 
       local graphics.  In Logging Mode you are given user statistics and 
       a log of the users activity.   As SysOp you will still be able  to 
       chat with your users and take care of other basic user services.
       

       
       Ŀ
         MultiNode Operation & Optimization Con't  Page 97 
       

       Ŀ  We have found that a  RAM DRIVE  can greatly improve 
       RAM Drives  the  responce   and  display  speeds  of  menus  and 
         graphics.  By  default,  languages  branch  off  the 
       ROBOFX  root  directory.  Lets say  you have set up a RAM DRIVE of 
       about 1 to 2 megs using the drive letter "D:".  Under the Language 
       menu in RoboCFG you will find an option  to set the language path.  
       The default should look something  like this "C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH\".  
       Instead of  reading  these files  off the  hard drive  lets  point 
       RoboBOARD/FX  to the  RAM DRIVE  by changing the  template  to say 
       "D:\ENGLISH\".   It becomes very obvious that we are going to need 
       to copy all the language,  graphics files  and subdirectories from 
       the C drive to the  RAM DRIVE for this to work properly.  This can 
       be done  easily  with  a  batch file  like the one  we have  named 
       ZAP.BAT.  Please note the actual  language directory  may be named 
       different than the one in the example!
       
       @ECHO OFF
       D:
       CD\
       MKDIR ENGLISH
       CD\ENGLISH
       XCOPY /S /E C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH\*.*
       C:
       CD\ROBO
       
       As you already know  RoboBOARD/FX  is run from a  BATCH file.  The
       advantages of running a BBS  from batch files will be most obvious 
       to people who have  some experience with programming  batch files. 
       If you run  ZAP.BAT before  RUN-ROBO.BAT,  RoboBOARD will read its 
       graphics from the RAM DRIVE instead of the hard drive.  If you are 
       using a LAN setup,  a small  RAM DRIVE on your server for graphics 
       will definitely help kick the speed up. Another thing which really 
       increases performance is changing the  RoboBOARD/FX temp directory 
       from  C:\ROBOFX\TEMP\  to the  RAM DRIVE  directory  (in  our last 
       example this would be D:\TEMP\).  To  make  this  change you  will 
       have  to  modify the  TEMP directory specified  under  the  SYSTEM 
       PULLDOWN to say something like "D:\TEMP\".   You will also have to 
       modify ZAP.BAT to look like this:
       
       @ECHO OFF
       D:
       CD\
       MKDIR ENGLISH
       MKDIR TEMP
       CD\ENGLISH
       XCOPY /S /E C:\ROBOFX\ENGLISH\*.*
       C:
       CD\ROBOFX
       





       
       Ŀ
         MultiNode Operation & Optimization Con't  Page 98 
       

       Ŀ If setting up  RAM DRIVES  is Not advantageous 
       Hard Drive Caches for you, then perhaps a CACHE suits your needs
        more completely.   We suggest both a RAM-DRIVE
       and a  CACHE  for  the  "real performance edge"  especially  while 
       multitasking!.  A cache  size  of about  2-4 megs  can  result  in 
       substantial  performance  increases,  however smaller caches  will 
       still make things faster.   Both  SMARTDRV.EXE  and HYPERDISK  are 
       excellent software caches  that will  greatly improve  the  access 
       speed of your hard drive. 
       
       Real  performance   can  only  truly  be  achieved  with  hardware 
       solutions. We have tested a few caching IDE Hard Drive Controllers 
       with 2 megs of SIMMS installed (expandable to 8 megs).   We  found 
       that transfer speeds from between  2.5 megs  and 8 megs  a  second 
       were possible,  using a  4 meg Smart Drive software cache  and a 2 
       meg hardware cache.  Performance only gets better with faster hard 
       drives, and better  Local Bus  or  EISA  controllers  with  bigger 
       caches! 

       Ŀ In our quest  to squeeze  that last  CPS out  of
       I/O Performance modems  we have tested  a number of  I/O devices 
        ranging  in  price  from less than $50  to  over 
       $1000 dollars.  We are going to discuss  two  recommended  devices 
       that will improve the efficiency of your modems,  and  at the same 
       time reduce the number of  I/O errors.
       
       As is always the case  with the basic PC,  it wasn't designed  for 
       what you want to do with it.  The basic  I/O chips  supplied  with 
       most computers(and cheap I/O cards) are called 16450's (or older).  
       These chips  seem to function well at 2400 baud,  but  in  a  busy 
       machine  with a  9600 or  14400 baud modem  connected to it  these 
       chips start to cause problems.   You will notice CRC errors or the
       occasional letter randomly missing from a text string, and you may 
       be thinking  "My modem claims to do error Correction?".  The truth 
       is your modem has  probably corrected everything perfectly between 
       itself and the other modem.  The problem resides in your computer.  
       A  typical  14400 baud connect  will reach  rates  of  up to  1650 
       characters per second.   With a standard UART chip like the 16450, 
       your computer must stop what it does 1650 times a second to go get 
       new characters.   These little stops are called Interrupts because 
       they  interrupt  your software  to do  some,  behind  the  screens 
       hardware management.  This often  isn't a big deal  with fast PCs, 
       but it starts to become a problem  if you want to access graphics, 
       a mouse, your hard drive, or more fearfully a LAN device.  Because 
       the PC  can only  do one thing  at a time  under  DOS (even  under 
       DesqVIEW)  your computer may be busy doing something else for that 
       thousandth  of a second  when  it  should  have  been  grabbing  a
       character. As a result the character that should have been grabbed 
       is overwritten by another character.   The final outcome  of  this 
       common scenario is a CRC error,  or a  missing  character in  your 
       text.  In graphics protocols this may result in garble.



       
       Ŀ
         MultiNode Operation & Optimization Con't  Page 99 
       

       Ŀ Don't worry,  there is a solution.   It is called the
       The 16550A 16550A (or now AFN) UART.  It has a tiny 16 character 
        First-In  First-Out (FIFO) Buffer  to  hold  incoming
       characters   while  your  computer   is  busy  servicing   another 
       interrupt.  While  16 characters  doesn't  sound like  a  very big 
       buffer,  it is often enough  for  your  computer  to be  busy  for 
       several thousandths of a second at speeds up to 38400 baud without 
       any problems.   Another very positive effect of buffering  is that
       it can effectively divide that  1650 I/O interrupts a second by up 
       to 16, this allows your CPU to spend less time directly processing 
       I/O.
       
       If you have callers  that complain  about I/O problems,  noise  or 
       garble with 14400 bps plus modems,  ask them if they have a 16550.  
       If they don't have a 16550 tell them why they need one.   A 16550A 
       chip by itself  should not cost much more than $12,  and  not much 
       more than $40 if it is preinstalled on an I/O board.   The cost is 
       minimal but the results are well worth it.
       
       Ŀ The DigiBOARD  has to be one of the
       The DigiBOARD XIDOS Solution biggest  breakthroughs  to hit  the
        BBS community.  The DigiBOARD Multi
       Port Serial  card  series  includes  boards for 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 
       port operation.  RoboBOARD/FX  supports several of the  2, 4 and 8 
       port  DigiBOARDs using the  XIDOS driver  (supplied by DigiBOARD).
       We have completely tested  RoboBOARD/FX with a DigiBOARD PC/8i. As
       a  testimony of the DigiBOARD edge  we  tested our  PC/8i  with  a 
       locked port rate of 57600 baud, downloaded a file (with FXTERM) at 
       a modem rate of 14400 baud under  DesqVIEW with 4 active DOS tasks 
       open,  and we  never lost a character  or noticed a loss in speed.  
       With a DigiBOARD PC/8i,  DesqVIEW and a very fast computer  it  is 
       conceivable to achieve up to 8 lines per PC.
       
       DigiBOARDs (like the PC/8i) come with an  onboard 80186  processor 
       solely for the purpose of  I/O management.   Our PC/8i has 128K of 
       onboard memory  for its  internal programs  and I/O buffering.   A 
       driver called the XIDOS driver provides programs like RoboBOARD/FX 
       access to the DigiBOARD through interrupt 14 services.  Earlier we 
       mentioned that  a  16450 at 14400 baud  could  cause  around  1650 
       interrupts a second  while sending  or  receiving characters,  and 
       that a  16550A could divide that number by up to 16.  A  DigiBOARD
       could take the number of Interrupts per second required to operate 
       at 14400 baud  down to a number you can count  on your hand.  This 
       off-loading of I/O  can effectively reduce the amount of work your 
       CPU  does  to  far lower  than 1%  per 1000 characters.   Under  a 
       MultiTasker this means your  CPU has more time  to  process  other 
       tasks, and the result is better service for your users.  It should 
       be noted that RoboBOARD/FX requires DigiBOARD Ports to be numbered 
       between 1 and 8,  or at least that the DigiBOARD channels you want
       to use, fall within 1 and 8.   Your DigiBOARD should be configured 
       for full hardware flow control with NO software flow control. Also 
       you will want to set the EBIOS option to ON.


       
       Ŀ
         MultiNode Operation & Optimization Con't  Page 100 
       

       Ŀ It is  very common  for a  system  to  grow 
       Multi-Line Operation beyond the bounds of a single line. Systems
        often need to be expanded  when there is no 
       longer a reasonable hour of the day when users can get on, or when 
       it is very important for users get a line,  when they need a line.  
       RoboBOARD/FX is sold in 2, 4, 8 or 255 line versions, and supports 
       three   methods   of   multi-line   operation:  LAN,  DesqVIEW  or 
       DesqVIEW-LAN.

       Ŀ RoboBOARD/FX  has  been  tested,  and is  known to  
       LAN Operation operate  under   several  different  LAN  systems.
        RoboBOARD/FX  uses   DOS  style  record  and  file
       locking to avoid file corruption.  It is important that  SHARE  is 
       loaded on each station  and the server is configured for  DOS file 
       sharing (or has SHARE loaded).
       
       On peer-to-peer systems,  it is required that all files share, the 
       same directory and drive names.  RoboBOARD/FX will not operate  if 
       one node sees  the BBS drive as "C:"  and another sees it as "D:".  
       A  dedicated  server  (even in  a  peer-to-peer  installation)  is 
       recommended.  If  you  intend  to use  standard I/O cards  on  LAN 
       stations, then we expect you to use 16550A UART chips.
       
       An inexpensive yet very effective  multi-line system would use PCs 
       with no  hard drives  in them.   Just a Floppy Drive,  cheapo VGA,  
       mono VGA monitor,  and a LAN adaptor.  The Lan software as well as 
       any drivers  should fit nicely on a 1.44 meg disk.  Even a minimal 
       QEMM 386  instalment to load  the LAN drivers high  should  be  no 
       problem.
       
       We suggest you set up an individual batch file  for each node  you 
       intend  to  operate.  This  way  you can  pass the node number  to 
       ROBOFX.EXE directly  within  the batch file  using  the  -NODE ### 
       command line option.   The multiple startup batch files will allow 
       for additional customization for each node.
       
       NOTE: It is  REQUIRED that  SHARE IS LOADED  and that each node is
       started with its own node number.

       Ŀ RoboBOARD/FX  has been specially  designed to 
       DesqVIEW Operation run  under  DesqVIEW  and  QEMM386.   With  a 
        DigiBOARD  and   a   hot  486   configuration 
       RoboBOARD/FX can run up to 8 telecommunication lines per PC.  With 
       Standard I/O equipment  and a fast 486,  RoboBOARD  should be able 
       to run up to  4 lines per PC.  If you intend  to use  standard I/O 
       cards under  DesqVIEW,  then  we expect you to use a  16550A  UART 
       chips on each station.
       RoboBOARD will automatically activate  DV cooperative operation as 
       soon as it detects DesqVIEW.  RoboBOARD/FX will force text logging 
       mode,  and will operate in memory conservation mode.   At any idle 
       moment  RoboBOARD/FX will give up its task  so that  other  tasks, 
       will complete  their operations  quickly.  It is likely  that  the 
       other task will be giving away time slices as well.  Well over 90% 
       of the time spent on a BBS  is Idle or  Low traffic.  This is only
       improved using the Tel-FX protocol.
       Ŀ
         MultiNode Operation & Optimization Con't  Page 101 
       
       
       We suggest that you set up an individual batch file  each node you 
       intend  to  operate.  This way  you can pass  the  node number  to 
       ROBOFX.EXE  directly  within  the batch file  with  the  -NODE ### 
       command line option.   It should also be noted that DOS SHARING is 
       REQUIRED.
       
       To operate  RoboBOARD under DesqVIEW a minimum or 450K per node is
       required,  an additional 512K of EMS for each node is recommended, 
       but not required.
       
       The  following are shots  of the DV  task  configuration  screens. 
       These should only be used as references.  Please  see the  digital 
       file   DVNOTES.DOC  file  for  additional  information   regarding 
       DesqVIEW setup.
       


       The DesqVIEW "Standard Options" menu is accessed from the (CP)
       CHANGE PROGRAM command.


       ͻ    
                                Standard Options                       
                                                                       
        Program Name............: RoboBOARD (NODE 1)__________________ 
                                                                       
        Keys to Use on Open Menu: R1           Memory Size (in K): 450 
       Ķ
        Program...:ROBOFX1.BAT_______________________________________  
                                                                       
        Parameters:__________________________________________________  
                                                                       
        Directory.:C:\ROBOFX_________________________________________   
       Ķ
        Options:  Writes text directly to screen.......: [Y]           
                  Displays graphics information........: [N]           
                  Virtualize text/graphics (Y,N,T).....: [N]           
                  Uses serial ports (Y,N,1,2)..........: [1]           
                  Requires floppy diskette.............: [N]           
          F1 for Help      F10 for Advanced Options      < when Done 
       ͼ
       












       
       Ŀ
         MultiNode Operation & Optimization Con't  Page 102 
       
       
       DesqView "advanced Options" accessed from the (CP) CHANGE
       PROGRAM command.
       
       ͻ
                                Advanced Options                       
                                                                       
        System Memory(in K)...: 0    Max Program Memory Size(in K):500 
        Script Buffer Size...:  0    Max EMS/XMS/VCPI/DPMI(in K):  512 
                                                                       
        Text Pages: 1       Graphics Pages: 0   Initial Video Mode:    
       ĺ
        Window Position:                                               
        Maximum Height:  25  Starting Height: 23  Starting Row...: _ 0 
        Maximum Width.:  80  Starting Width.: 80  Starting Column: _ 0 
       ĺ
                                 Shared Program                        
        Pathname..:_________________________________________________   
        Data......:_________________________________________________   
       ĺ
       Close on exit(Y,N,blank)..:[ ] Uses its own colors..........:[Y]
       Allow Close Window command:[Y] Runs in background(Y,N,blank):[Y]
       Uses math coprocessor.....:[Y] Keyboard conflict (0-F)......:[0]
       Share CPU when foreground.:[Y] Share EGA when forgrnd/zoomed:[Y]
       Can be swapped (Y,N,blank):[N] Protection level (0-3).......:[0]
          F1 for Help    F10 for Standard Options     < when Done    
       ͼ
       
       NOTE: It is REQUIRED that SHARE IS LOADED and that each node is
       started  with its own node number.
       
       Ŀ The  least  expensive  way  to break  the 
       DesqVIEW-LAN Operation eight line barrier is to network a series 
        of computers together,  giving each CPU a 
       few lines multi-tasked  under  DesqVIEW.   With the advent  of the 
       DigiBOARD,  a  fast  properly  configured 486,  and  a LAN adaptor 
       without  a  shared  memory  region  (for example the NE-2000)  and 
       RoboBOARD/FX  should run up to 8 lines  without  problems.  If you 
       only want to run a few lines  per PC  then standard I/O cards will 
       work as well.  If you opt to use standard I/O cards on a LAN under 
       DesqVIEW  a  16550  is REQUIRED,  otherwise you will start missing 
       characters at a mad pace.
       
       Note: A DigiBOARD requires a 64 k address  in conventional memory, 
       which is typically found between D000-DFFF on most PCs.  This may 
       be a consideration  in your overall system design when purchasing 
       LAN adapters.  You may want to check  with  DigiBOARD  for  their 
       recommendations.
       
       RoboBOARD  has been tested  with DesqVIEW 386,  Lantastic/AI peer-
       to-peer using an NE-2000 LAN adaptor clone,  and a DigiBOARD PC/8i 
       in a  486/33 with 8 megs of Ram.  We  had  no problems  with  this 
       seemed to slow operation down considerably.   Please see the prior 
       two sections on LAN OPERATION and DESQVIEW OPERATION.
       
       
       Ŀ
         ROBOFX.EXE Command Line Options  Page 103 
       

       The ROBOFX.EXE file may be passed a series of options to alter its
       behaviour.  If RoboBOARD  is not passed any command lines  it will 
       start up with the communications device you configured in  ROBOCFG 
       and wait for calls.
       
       -ONLINE       - Tells RoboBOARD it is already connected. This is 
                       useful if you are passing control to RoboBOARD 
                       from a mailer.
       -UART         - Tells RoboBOARD to use a UART, this can also be          
                       configured in ROBOCFG.
       -FOSSIL       - Tells RoboBOARD to use a FOSSIL DRIVER, this can 
                       also be configured in ROBOCFG.
       -DIGI         - Tells RoboBOARD to use the DigiBOARD XIDOS DRIVER, 
                       this can also be configured in ROBOCFG.
       -TXT          - This forces RoboBOARD into text logging mode.
       -LOCAL        - This tells RoboBOARD not to open any I/O ports and       
                       startup for a local logon.
       -NOSOUND      - This tells RoboBOARD to run in QUIET MODE.
       -NOSB         - This tells RoboBOARD NOT to use the Sound Blaster
       -16COL        - This forces RoboBOARD into 16 colour mode
       -H1024        - This tells RoboBOARD to try 1024x768x256 colour 
                       mode.
       -H800         - This tells RoboBOARD to try 800x600x256 colour 
                       mode.
       -BAUD ######  - This tells RoboBOARD that the modem is 
                       set/connected at a specific speed. This may be 
                       required if you are passing control from a mailer 
                       package. This may be configured in ROBOCFG.
       -LOCK ######  - This allows you to lock your com ports baud rate. 
                       This is used by high speed modems and may be 
                       configured in ROBOCFG.
       -PORT #       - This allows you to specify an I/O PORT for 
                       RoboBOARD. This may be configured in ROBOCFG.
       -EVENT ####   - This allows you to pass how many minutes until 
                       the next event to RoboBOARD. This may be required 
                       by some mailers.
       -NODE  ###    - This allows you to pass the node number to 
                       RoboBOARD/FX so it can load the appropriate modem 
                       settings, and share files correctly.
       -SAVER ##     - This allows you to pass the number of minutes 
                       before the the screen saver starts.
              












       
       Ŀ
         ROBOFX.EXE Errorlevel Exits  Page 104 
       
       
       RoboBOARD/FX  will exit with special  DOS ERRORLEVELs  in  certain
       situations.  For example,  if a user enters  a message in an  ECHO 
       MAIL area, it will be necessary for that message to be SCANNED and 
       sent to your HUB.  To aid in this process  RoboBOARD/FX  will exit 
       with a special errorlevel to signal the calling batch file to take 
       action. Here are the DOS ERRORLEVELS RoboBOARD exits with.  Please 
       consult your DOS manual for help on creating batch files. 
       
       0     - Standard Termination, Loop to TOP of batch file and start        
               over.
       1     - The RoboBOARD/FX will exit with ERRORLEVEL 1 if you press 
               F10 to EXIT from the answering utility.
       2     - ECHO MAIL was entered in a message base
       10    - FATAL ERROR, exit batch file.
       
    

       Ŀ
        Trouble Shooting 
       
       
       Internal Modems. - Internal Modems usually occupy COM1 or COM2. Is
            there another device  also trying to use that port  like your 
            mouse?  If you have a multi I/O card in your computer you may 
            want check to see if you have the Port you are using for your 
            internal modem ENABLED.
       
       CONFIG.SYS. - Have  you  made   these  minimum  settings   in  your 
            CONFIG.SYS?
       
            FILES=25 
            BUFFERS=25
            SHELL=COMMAND.COM /e:512 /p
       
       Fossils -  Fossils are not required to use RoboBOARD/FX however if 
            you are running a  Front End  for mail  you may need to use a 
            Fossil.  Make sure that your  CONFIG.SYS settings  match  the 
            ones set in  RoboCFG.  The CONFIG.SYS file  needs  to include 
            parameters for X00.   If you are using a  14.4 modem  you may 
            want set your fossil as follows. 
       
            - The E gets rid of the advertisement banner display.
            - Set your FIFOS to between 8 and 12. This is about the right
              setting to avoid 'buffer overrun problems'.
            - set fossil to 2 ports
            - set Receive  buffers to 3072
            - set Transmit buffers to 3072
            - Lock Com 2 @ 19200
            - set Fifos to 8
       




       
       Ŀ
         Trouble Shooting Con't  Page 105 
       

            * NOTE: FOSSIL ports are number from 0-7 not 1-8 
       
                                                           Fifos set to 8
                                                                  
                                                    Lock Com 2.   
                              No Commercial         19200 baud.   
                                                                
            DEVICE=C:\FOSSIL\X00.SYS E 2 T=3072 R=3072 B,1,19200 F=8
                                               
              Its in the Fossil Dir                        If Com 1
                                                        set to 0
                                  2 ports   Transmit 
                                            and receive 
                                            buffers at 3K (RoboBOARD 
                                            requires 3K)
       
       Modem won't connect. -  Is it  100%  Hayes  compatible?  Is it one 
            other modem in particular that it won't connect with or is it 
            all modems? 
       
       Cable Type. -  the cable you purchased  for your modem should be a 
            RS232 and not a null modem cable or a parallel cable.
       
       UART replacement. -  Most I/O cards come with only a  NS16450 chip 
            on them.   This chip is great for most  serial devices like a 
            mouse or a printer but they do not hold up to the  rigours of 
            high speed telecommunications.   For higher performance it is 
            recommended  that you replace  this chip  with  a  16550 UART 
            chip(s).   Some I/O cards come slotted for 16550 UARTs so the 
            upgrade  is not too  expensive,  this will depend on your I/O 
            card.  Three daughter chips are also required,  one  1488 and 
            two 1489 chips.   The 16550 UART introduces  some significant 
            improvements over the  standard  16450  like 16 byte  receive
            and send Fifos and overall throughput is double.  We  are not 
            the only ones to make these  recommendations,  in  fact every 
            modem manufacturer we have spoken to highly recommends 16550A 
            UART chips.
       
       Call Waiting. -  Will cause your modem to loose connect every time 
            a call is incoming.   Talk to your  phone company to find out 
            what the temporary disable code is.
       
       Does AT return OK.? -  Use  AT command set  to make sure  modem is 
            ready for communications.  Type AT and hit enter.  Do you get 
            OK?   If not check your COM Port,  cabling,  connections  and 
            modem.
       
       Serial Ports. -  There are many System Information utilities which 
            will find  and  display  the number  of active ports  on your 
            system.  This information is often displayed on bootup in the 
            BIOS statistics.
       
       Out of memory.  You can use DOS MEM to check for available memory. 
       
       
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         Trouble Shooting Con't  Page 106 
       

       Out of Harddrive space. - You can use  DOS CHKDSK  to test for the
            available  harddrive  space,  by  typing  CHKDSK  at  the DOS 
            prompt.  CHKDSK  can be used  to  eliminate lost clusters  by 
            typing CHKDSK /F
       
       Maintenance.  Run  DOS  CHKDSK /F  first  to  eliminate  any  lost 
            clusters and DEFRAG secondly to defragment your harddrive. It 
            is a very good idea  to back your system up regularly  in the 
            event of hardware failure.
       
       Ŀ The  following  are  hardware notes  which may be
       Hardware Notes helpful  to you  when setting  up  your modem and 
        computer.
       
       COM Port Addresses:
       
       COM1   =   IRQ4   =   ADDRESS 03F8h
       COM2   =   IRQ3   =   ADDRESS 02F8h
       COM3   =   IRQ4   =   ADDRESS 03E8h 
       COM4   =   IRQ3   =   ADDRESS 02E8h
       
       The following table describes the 9 pins used in carry signals.
       
       Mnemonic  Name                 Source   Comment
       
       TXD       Transmitted Data     PC       Data from PC to modem
       RXD       Received Data        Modem    Data from modem to PC
       RTS       Request To Send      PC       Flow control
       CTS       Clear To Send        Modem    Flow control
       DSR       Data Set Ready       Modem    Flow control
       SG        Signal Ground                  
       CD        Carrier Detect       Modem    Active when connected
       DTR       Data Terminal Ready  PC       Active when ready to 
                                               place call
       RI        Ring Indicator       Modem    Active when ring is 
                                               detected
       
       Standard 9 pin modem cable.       
       
        COMPUTER               MODEM
       CONNECTOR               CONNECTOR                     
           Ŀ               Ŀ
                                
       GND  1 Ĵ 1   GND
       TxD  3 Ĵ 2   TxD
       RxD  2 Ĵ 3   RxD
       RTS  7 Ĵ 4   RTS
       CTS  8 Ĵ 5   CTS
       DSR  6 Ĵ 6   DSR
       GND  5 Ĵ 7   GND
       DCD  9 Ĵ 8   DCD
       DTR  4 Ĵ 20  DTR
                                
                          
       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms  Page 107  
       
       
       This Glossary of terms  is provided  as a service to  RoboBOARD/FX 
       SysOps.   Definitions  are   based   on   their   application   to 
       RoboBOARD/FX.  
       
       Access Level,  the  numeric  value  assigned  to a User and a Menu 
            Command.  A users access level must be greater than  or equal 
            to the access level  of the  Menu Command  in order  to  gain 
            access.
       
       Access Tag,  the alphabetical letter(s)  assigned to a  User and a 
            Menu Command.  A users  access tag(s) must  equal the  access 
            tag(s) of the Menu Command in order to gain access.
       
       Access Profiles. RoboBOARD/FX supports up to 1000 Access Profiles, 
            from 0 to 999.  An Access Profile  consists of  Required file 
            ratio, Kilobyte ratio,  Daily files allowed,  Daily kilobytes 
            allowed, and Daily time fields.  Access Profiles are numbered 
            and for  reminder sake  are also named.  Rather  than  typing 
            these fields  in for every user,  an  Access Profile  can  be 
            assigned instead.  This makes changing the access level  of a 
            group or an individual very quick.
       
       Alias,  an assumed name or another name a user goes by.
       
       ANSI,  American National Standards Institute.   The standard  used 
            by most textual  BBS software packages to  create screens and 
            menus.  ANSI allows for cursor location and colour.  
       
       ASCII American  Standard  Code  for  Information Interchange.  The 
            ASCII character set is 256 characters in length from 0 to 255 
            and includes all the typeable characters on the keyboard. The 
            Tel-Fx  protocol uses 7 bit graphics  or the  ASCII character 
            set from 0 to 127 to send vector graphics.  RoboBOARD/FX uses 
            8 bit ASCII  when  it  sends  data  that  is  compressed  and
            decompressed in realtime. Seven bit transmission is generally 
            speaking   more  stable   than  eight  bit  transmission   so 
            RoboBOARD/FX  uses 8 bit only  when the data is packeted  and 
            its integrity is checked by the protocol.
       
       Asynchronous Communications,  are low speed  serial data transfer, 
            such as the type of data  sent over  Modems.  Data  inside  a 
            computer is in  parallel form (synchronous)  and is converted 
            to serial(asynchronous) form to be sent over telephone lines.
       
       ATDT, for modems that use the  AT (Hayes) command set.   ATtention 
            Dial  Tones.  Tells the  modem attention we are going to dial 
            using tones.  If you have a pulse phone the sequence would be 
            ATDP.  This command is usually  typed directly  to your Hayes  
            modem or compatible by you or your software.
       
       AT commands.  Refers to the  Hayes Command Set,  the standard that 
           the computer industry uses for modem communications.
       
       Auto Answer,  is a feature of modems,  in  which  the  modem  will 
            receive incoming calls unattended without intervention.
       Ŀ
         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 108 
       
       
       Auto Dial,  is a feature of  most modems,  in which the modem will 
            continually dial a number until it gets a connect.  Front End 
            software uses this feature at a software level,  when sending 
            Echo Mail to another mail node.
       
       AUTOEXEC.BAT,   This  is  the  second  file  that  DOS  interprets  
            immediately after  the  CONFIG.SYS  file  on  bootup.  It  is 
            intended  to define the characteristics  of your  DOS system.  
            You can load drivers,  define your prompt,  set  system  path 
            etc. to fully optimize your DOS system.
       
       Auto Logon,  FXterm will let users  automatically  logon  to  your 
            system,  by providing their Name and Password to RoboBOARD/FX 
            at connect time.  This information is stored  in  the  FXterm 
            dialling directory.
       
       Bandwidth,  refers to the  information carrying capabilities  of a 
            communications line.  Bandwidth is measured in hertz  (cycles 
            per second),  that a com  line is capable of  before  serious 
            degradation occurs. Faster modems require more bandwidth then 
            slower modems.
       
       Baud Rate,  is actually a measurement  of modulation rate.  Normal 
           telephone  voice lines  can  accommodate  up  to  2400  signal 
           changes or modulations per second.  Modems  accomplish  higher 
           speeds  by encoding  at least  two data bits  in  each  signal 
           change  using advanced encoding algorithms.  To  calculate Bps
           = (2400 modulations * encoded data bits) ie: 2400 x 6 = 14,400
       
       BBS, Bulletin Board System.
       
       Bisynchronous,  both ends of a connection simultaneously  send and 
            receive data.
       
       Bit Text, is exactly the same as the  Standard DOS Text. RoboBOARD
            uses three Bit Fonts of our own design. A tiny font, a narrow 
            font and a standard sanserif font.
       
       Block, (data block)  Carrier Protocols  for modems  and  most File 
            Transfer Protocols send blocks of data or packets,  which are 
            groups of characters  sent  between modems  ie:  1024  bytes.  
            Carrier Protocols,  take care of  their  own  error  checking  
            and packeting  and  as  a  modem user  you  will  be  unaware  
            of resending of packets  due to line noise  unless your modem 
            has LEDs or LCDs to indicate. During a File Transfer you will 
            sometimes get the notice  Bad Block  when a data block failed 
            integrity testing  and  is being sent again.  Most  graphical 
            protocols are flow through and they do no packeting, and thus 
            are prone to line noise which is displayed  as anything  from 
            missing  or extra characters to strange looking graphics.  In 
            theory with error correcting modems  there should  be no such 
            thing as line noise,  however line noise  occurs  between the 
            modem  and the  I/O card  or  at the  I/O card.   The  Tel-FX 
            protocol by  Hamilton TeleGraphics Inc.  upon which RoboBOARD
       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 109 
       

            is based, does packeting where practical.  For example icons,
            menus, buttons  and JPEGs are packeted.  Not only  is sending 
            packeted  data  more efficient,  especially  when  using  I/O 
            devices  like  DigiBoards,  it  also insures the integrity of 
            your graphical data.
       
       Bps, means  Bits Per Second  and refers to the rate  at which data 
            can be transferred,  for example a 14,400 modem can get up to 
            14,400 Bits Per Second which equates to  1,440 characters per 
            second when start and stop bits are considered.  Modems often 
            accomplish  higher  Cps  (characters  per second)  throughput 
            using   compression  techniques   employed  by  some  Carrier 
            Protocols.   Bps should not be confused with Baud Rate which 
            has a different meaning.
       
       Buffer,  is an area of memory  used to by the modem or computer to
            temporarily  store  data,  until it can be sent or processed.  
            These are often called  Transmit and Receive Buffers and play 
            an important role in Asychronous communications. 
       
       Bulletins,  can be textual or graphical.   Screens  like  NEWS and 
            WELCOME  are  graphical  only  meaning  they  are  created in 
            FXdraw.  In keeping with the original concept of the Bulletin 
            Board System  the only limit  to the number  of Bulletins  is 
            hard drive space.   Users are given a window  and scroller to 
            roll through the available Bulletins.
       
       Bulletin Board System (BBS).  RoboBOARD/FX  is  a  bulletin  board 
            system,  designed to be run on an  IBM  or  compatible clone.  
            RoboBOARD/FX is the Host software and receives calls from the 
            terminal or remote end usually using FXterm.  
       
       Button,  a primitive of the Tel-FX GUI based Protocol(a designated 
            area assimilating a push button  or indenting toggle switch).  
            A user clicks on a  Button with their mouse and  a command is 
            sent to the Host (SysOps end)  which triggers an RoboBOARD/FX 
            Menu Command.
       
       Call Back Verifier (CBV).  The  Call  Back  Verifier automatically 
            calls up a nonverified user  when they logoff your system and 
            asks them to type in their Password. If the CBV is successful 
            the users access is automatically upgraded to  Verified  User 
            Access.  This is an optional feature included with RoboBOARD.
       
       Carrier.   Modems  communicate  using  carrier signals  which  are 
            usually  established   by  standards  committees   and  modem 
            manufacturers.   These  are audible tones which  have a  very 
            specific frequency.  Modems use these  tones  to  communicate 
            and carrier is lost if the audio tone is lost or goes dead.
       
       CCITT.   International  Consultive  Committee  for  Telephony  and 
            Telegraphy.  This  is  a  committee which sets standards that 
            most modem manufacturers remain compatible with. 
       
       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 110 
       

       Chat, realtime interaction between the SysOp and users, or between 
            multiple users  on a  multinode  system.   Realtime  chat has 
            become  very  popular recently  with  users even doing  it in 
            coffee shops. RoboBoard/FX supports 2 line split screen SysOp 
            chat and multinode chat.
       
       Coordinates, used in FXdraw as a drawing aid and to track movement 
            of the cross hairs.
       
       COM,  can have  two meanings  both of which  are  relevant  to the 
            Online Community.  COM is short for  COMMAND files  which are 
            executable   files.   COM   also   refers   to   Asynchronous 
            Communications, which is a PC based interface known as RS-232 
            and commonly referred to as a PC Port or Serial Adapter.  The 
            original IBM specifications defined  COM1 on IRQ4 and shortly
             after added COM2 on IRQ3.  
       
       Command Mode, allows you to type directly to your modem and change 
            its settings.   Command mode is very useful since you can use 
            it to configure your modem  or receive results back  from the 
            modem.   Command Mode can generally be avoided by finding the 
            correct Init string for your modem. 
       
       Communications Parameters.  The Tel-FX protocol uses  No Parity, 8 
            Data Bits and 1 Stop Bits as its  Communications  Parameters.  
            These settings  are used to determine how  RoboBOARD/FX  will 
            read  incoming data  and how it  will  transmit  data.   File 
            transfer protocols have their own parameters.
       
       Communications Software. (see RoboBOARD/FX)
       
       Computer Port. (see COM)
       
       Conference. (see Forum)
       
       CONFIG.SYS  Is the first file DOS interprets on bootup. It is used 
            to load installable drivers and reserve memory space.
       
       Conference Chat.  Used on  multinode chat boards  for  a  group to 
            break away from the main group, on a different topic.
       
       Connect,  is  the  message  that  is  echoed  to the  screen  upon 
           connection of two modems.   The connect string  can be  turned 
           off  or  modified to  include  various  levels  of statistics.  
           Configuration is very modem specific.
       
       Connect Time,  refers to the duration  of time  two  modems remain 
            connected.
       
       CPS,  means  Characters  Per  Second  and refers to  the number of 
            characters   transferred   per   second.    For   example   a 
            noncompressing 2400  Bps modem  can send  up to 2400 Bits Per 
            Second which equates to  240 characters per second when start 
            and stop bits are considered.
       
       Ŀ
         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 111 
       
       
       CRC,  refers to  Cyclic Redundancy Checking  which is a method  of 
            calculating a unique value (fingerprint)  for every block  of 
            data or data entity.  RoboBOARD/FX makes extensive use of CRC 
            calculations throughout,  for example  FXterm uses CRC values 
            to determine if an icon should be transferred in realtime. If 
            CRCs match, the users end already has the icon, so don't send
            that one again.
       
       Cross Hairs,  are used in FXdraw as a drawing aid.  When used with 
            Grid Lock they are very helpful in drawing straight lines and 
            to line up entities.
       
       CTS, signal means Clear To Send and is part of flow control. It is 
            usually one  of  the  LEDs  or LCDs  found  on  the  front of 
            compressing  modem.  RoboBOARD/FX relies on the CTS signal to 
            know when to send data to the terminal.
       
       Daily Files,  the maximum number of files a user can download on a 
            calender day.
       
       Daily Kilos, the maximum number of  Kilobytes  a user can download 
            on a calender day.
       
       Daily Time,  the maximum amount of time  a user  can spend on your 
            system on a calender day .
       
       DCD,  Data Carrier Detected signal indicates that the modem on the 
            either end of the connection is ready to communicate.
       
       DCE,  signal means  Data Communications Equipment.  A modem  falls 
            into this category of communications hardware.  
       
       Demodulate,  converts a modulated (analog) carrier tone  sent by a 
            modem into  a digital form or  Demodulated form  that can  be 
            processed by a computer.
       
       Disconnect, termination of the connection between two modems.
       
       Download,  the term used to describe sending files from  RoboBOARD 
            the Host system to FXterm the terminal system.
       
       Download Access, the  minimum access level  a  user  must  have in 
            order to download files from a file area.
       
       Download Tags,  the Tag(s) a user must match  in order to download 
            files from a file area.
       
       DTE,  Data Terminal Equipment. Modems are DCE, Data Communications
            Equipment.
       
       DTR,  Data Terminal Ready signal indicates that the communications 
            software is loaded and the modem is ready to communicate.  
       

       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 112 
       
       
       DSR, Data Set Ready or Modem Ready signal indicates that the modem 
            has communicated  its status  as connected  and  is ready  to 
            communicate to the computer.
       
       Duplex,  RoboBOARD/FX uses a  Full Duplex system to handle some of 
            its communications.  Menus,  Graphical Bulletins,  Icons  and 
            JPEGs  are packeted  to insure  data integrity.   Full Duplex 
            works as follows:   When a user types into the message editor 
            or clicks on a button FXterm  will communicate  the character 
            to  RoboBOARD/FX where it will either be trapped  and cause a
            command to be invoked  or it will be returned to the terminal 
            where it will be displayed on the users monitor.  
       
       Echo, is  part  of  the  AT  command  set.    E0 = Local echo OFF.   
            E1 = Local echo ON.   If you have Local Echo on  you will see 
            the characters  you type echoed to the screen  in local mode, 
            otherwise you see nothing. 
       
       Echomail.    RoboBOARD/FX  supports  Echomail  built  around  Fido 
            technology like FidoNet and WorldNet.  Generally speaking one 
            or more systems  in a local area  will act as  a HUB  through 
            which  SysOps  send  and  receive  mail  packets  and  files.  
            Echomail  is  very  topic specific  and  different topics are
            called Echoes.  Message bases can be tagged as  Local or Echo 
            in RoboCFG.  When users reply to messages that are in an Echo 
            message base their replies are packeted up using a standalone 
            packer/scanner  and sent to the  HUB  as a  mail packet.  The 
            scanning  and  packeting process  can be run manually or as a 
            daily  time  event.  When  the mail  reaches  the  HUB  it is 
            repacked and sent towards its destination.
       
       Ellipsoid.  One of the  primary drawing functions  of FXdraw.  The 
            ellipsoid Tool in  FXdraw drops four edit nodes on the screen 
            and  lets  you  drag  and  stretch  the  ellipsoid  into  any 
            elliptical or circular shape or size.
       
       E-mail, or Electronic Mail sent between two or more systems.
       
       External Modem,is a self contained unit separate from the computer 
            connected through the computers serial port.  The status LEDs 
            are very helpful  in knowing the status of the modem  at  any 
            given time.
       
       Expiry Access,  expiry access  is the access level a user receives 
            if their account expirers.
       
       Expiry Tags,  expiry Tag(s) are the access Tag(s)  a user receives 
            if their account expirers.
       
       FidoNet,  Tom Jennings  started FidoNet  in 1983  as BBS software.  
            FidoNet has grown into a  large echomail system  having  over 
            26000 members. RoboBOARD/FX requires that a Front End is used 
            in order send and receive mail packets.
       
       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 113 
       

       Field, is a blank area in a template intended to be filled in by a 
            user or the SysOp.   Fields  are used by  RoboBOARD  to store 
            system data into the file structure.
       
       Fifo,  first in, first out.  16 byte buffers found on  16550A UART 
            chips.  
       
       File Area,  is a directory, subdirectory or drive where a group of 
            files are stored.
       
       File Ratio,  is the ratio of files a user must upload  in order to 
            be able  to download files  from a system.  This  setting  is 
            optional.  A typical setting would be 1 to 5.
       
       Flow Control, is a software method of controlling the flow of data 
            between two modems.  There will be commands to start  sending 
            data and commands to stop sending data. 
       
       Flyout,  menus  are used  in Fxdraw  as  a  convenient  method  of 
            grouping similar commands. When you click on a flyout button, 
            an icon menu of buttons will flyout and wait for selection of 
            a drawing Tool.
       
       Forum. RoboBOARD/FX has 999 Forums which are sometimes referred to 
            as conferences.  They are an area of the  BBS set up that has 
            separate File Areas,  Message Bases, Bulletins and DOORs that 
            are topic or client specific.
       
       Fossil, Fido, Opus, Seadog Standard Interface Layer.  Fossils such 
            as X00 by Ray Gwinn  for  example,  are  used  to  manage I/O 
            between the  BBS software and the Modem.   Fossils are a very 
            good idea if multitasking RoboBOARD/FX under DesqVIEW or OS/2.
       
       Front End.  If you want to do Echomail  with RoboBOARD/FX you will
            require a Front End,  based on  Fido technology.  A Front End 
            will pick up the  line and determine  if the caller is  Human 
            (one of your users) or  if the caller is a  modem wanting  to 
            drop off mail.   Human callers are redirected to RoboBOARD/FX 
            and Mail is placed in a  directory you specify until you toss
            it into your message bases.  A Front End  will also take care 
            of exporting scanned mail to your HUB.   
       
       Full Duplex, see Duplex.
       
       FXdraw,  or  Tel-FX Draw  is  the  polygon based  256 colour  SVGA 
            drawing  and  design  package  included   with  RoboBOARD/FX.  
            Fxdraw is used  to  create graphical bulletins,  draw  menus, 
            draw icons,  assemble JPEGs and assign keys to buttons.
       
       FXterm,  or Tel-FX Terminal  is the terminal package supplied with
            RoboBOARD/FX. You can distribute FXterm to your users free of 
            charge provided  that you agree  to the terms  of the  Tel-FX 
            Terminal End User Licence Agreement.   FXterm is a 256 colour 
            SVGA full graphics terminal.  It is light weight yet powerful 
            and also supports, ANSI mode, UART, Fossil and DigiBoard.
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 114 
       
       
       Global,  are variables defined in RoboCFG  that effect  the entire 
            system, like BBS Name and Sysop Name.
       
       GIF,  Graphical Information Format  defined by Compuserve. 
       
       GUI, Graphical User Interface.  RoboBOARD/FX is built around a GUI 
            that conforms to the expectations of GUI users. Inexperienced 
            users  will  be able  to  logon  to  a  RoboBOARD/FX BBS  and 
            navigate the system productively on their first call.   
       
       Grid Lock,  is used in FXdraw  as a drawing aid.  Grid Lock forces 
            the drawing cross hairs on to grid points  as set by the Grid 
            Lock.  Grid Locks are definable from 1 to 30 drawing units.  
       
       Handle, is a users Pseudonym used on BBSs similar to an Alias, but 
            seen predominantly in messaging, chat and Door systems.
       
       
       Handshake,  refers to how hardware devices or communications based 
            software    systems   exchange    information   about   their 
            communications requirements.   Handshaking  always occurs  as 
            modems synchronize with each other and often manifests itself 
            as a  high  pitch  warbling  squeal.   Protocols also require
            handshaking.
       
       Hayes Compatible, means that a modem is using the Hayes AT command 
            set.
       
       Host System.  RoboBOARD/FX is the Host system.  A  user  logs onto 
            the Host from the remote terminal end.
       
       Icons,  are used throughout  RoboBOARD/FX  and drawn in the FXdraw 
            icon editor.  Icons are placed  on top of buttons  to  create 
            recognisable pictographs that spread across the boundaries of 
            language.
       
       Initialization string,  is a  group of commands  that set up  your 
            modem for a communications session. These commands are passed 
            to the modem  in the form  of a string  of  ASCII characters.   
            FXterm stores the users choice of  Initialization strings  in 
            the Settings Template.
       
       I/O,  Input/Output.  I/O  cards  are  hardware cards  that  handle 
            communications  between  the  computer  and   serial devices.  
            They  also   handle communications between  the  computer and  
            parallel devices
       
       Interface. RoboBOARD/FX has a GUI or Graphical User Interface that 
            gives users a familiar environment which gives them access to 
            the programmed and configured  Objects that make up the power 
            of a RoboBOARD/FX system.
       
       IRQ,  the DOS Interrupt Request are as follows.  
       
       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 115 
       

       COM1   =   IRQ4   =   ADDRESS 03F8h
       COM2   =   IRQ3   =   ADDRESS 02F8h
       COM3   =   IRQ4   =   ADDRESS 03E8h 
       COM4   =   IRQ3   =   ADDRESS 02E8h
       
       
       JPEG,  Joint  Photographic  Experts  Group.    RoboBOARD/FX  sends 
            realtime photographic images  using  the  JPEG standard.  The 
            JPEG group was formed  and worked under the auspices of three 
            major  international  standards  groups:  ISO  (International 
            Organization  for  Standardization),    CCITT  (International
            Telegraph   and   Telephone   Consultative   Committee,   IEC  
            (International Electrotechnical Commission).  JPEG technology 
            uses algorithms  that simplify colour  and images compressing 
            them to a size  which can be sent over  the high speed modems 
            in a reasonable length of time without a major loss in image
            quality. 
       
       Kilo Ratio,  is the  upload to download ratio  in kilobytes a user 
            must  maintain on your system.   Kilo Ratio is an option;  if 
            chosen a common ratio would be 1-5.
       
       LAN, Local Area Network.  RoboBOARD/FX  can be run  as a multinode
            system  across a LAN.
       
       Line Noise,  Line noise  is encountered  using  telecommunications 
            devices like modems.  Compressing  modems  correct  for  line 
            noise between modems but  line  noise  still  happens between 
            modems  and  computers.   Line noise can be a serious problem 
            when using  a graphical protocol  and  will  be  displayed as
            anything from a few extra or missing characters to a complete 
            lock up.   RoboBOARD/FX packets critical data so that if line 
            noise is encountered and a packet does not pass the integrity 
            test, it will be re-sent.  
       
       Local Logon.   RoboBOARD/FX allows for Local Logon  which lets you 
            logon to your system from your own system bypassing the modem 
            completely.   This is an ideal mode to use when testing menus 
            and security  on your system  and  can be accessed  for  this 
            purpose from RoboCFG the complete BBS design environment.  
       
       Logoff,  lets a user disconnect from RoboBOARD/FX the Host system.
       
       Logon, is the process a user goes through  in order to access your 
            system.   This includes connecting,  handshaking,  typing  in 
            name, typing in password and clearing security.
       
       Mark.  Users are allowed to  mark files  for  download, and  using 
            RoboCFG files can be marked for editing.
       
       Menus,  are screens created in  FXdraw complete  with  buttons and 
            key assignments.   Using RoboBOARD/FX every button has a Menu 
            Command  attached  to  it  which  is  executed  when  clicked 
            providing a user has sufficient access. Menus are the Primary 
            Interface used to access your BBS. 
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 116 
       
       
       Menu Commands.  RoboBOARD/FX  has around forty menu commands which
            are primary BBS functions that are assigned to buttons. These 
            commands range from page  SysOp to Upload file,  and  are all 
            subject to security clearance.   When a button is drawn using 
            FXdraw  you have to provide a Key  to represent  that button.  
            Using  RoboCFG you can assign a  Menu Command  to a  Key  and
            thus attach a Menu Command to a button.   When  a user clicks 
            on a button the appropriate  Menu Command  will  be  executed 
            providing that the user has sufficient access.
       
       Message Base, is a grouping of messages by topic on a BBS. 
       
       Multiport I/O,  are  hardware cards  that  provide the ability  to 
            manage multiple communications devices  like  modems  through 
            one Serial Port.  These cards provide  very  high  throughput 
            of data.   On good multiport I/O cards, any bottleneck is the 
            computers inability to process data fast enough to supply the
            nodes in a crisp and fluid manner. DigiBoard is the most well 
            known of these cards and both  RoboBOARD/FX and  FXterm  have 
            direct support for them.
       
       Modem, MOdulator/DEModulator.  Modems  act as  translators between 
            Digital Data  which is used by a  computer and Analog Signals 
            which   are   used   by  telephone  devices.   In  the  Tele- 
            communications   Community   Analog  Signals   refer  to  the 
            acoustical sounds  that are processed by  the Modem, based on 
            their qualities of Loudness, Tone and Duration.
       
       Moderator, is some who presides over echo conferences  by  keeping 
            people on topic, setting rules, and enforcing the rules.
       
       Modulate, converts a digital signal sent by a computer into analog 
            form or Modulated Form that can be sent over telephone lines.
       
       Mondo Font, is a primitive of the Tel-FX protocol, used in FXdraw 
            and displayed  on FXterm by RoboBOARD/FX.  Mondo  Fonts  are 
            large  fillable polygon  based fonts  that can be  stretched 
            into any rectangular shape.   Mondo Fonts  are  composed  of 
            arcs,  lines,  tie lines  and  ellipses  that are drawn in a
            continuous  manner.   Mondo Font files are  formatted  using 
            ASCII  which  makes  them completely  readable  for  further 
            examination.
       
       MR, see DSR.
       
       Netmail, is  sent  directly between systems  and  is  the  carrier 
            route for Echomail.
       
       Node,  has a few definitions.  FXdraw: Nodes are the points placed 
            at  the  ends  of polylines  and  at  the  closure  point  of 
            polygons.  In  Edit Mode  Nodes are placed  at the  insertion 
            point  of  all  entities  or  at  the endpoints of all linear
            entities.   RoboBOARD/FX:   Node  refers  to  the  number  of 
            telecommunications lines being served by one  Bulletin  Board 
       
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            System.   In  the  world   of    Fido   Technology  Echomail:  
            1:125/111.0 is the address of Fido Software. 
            ZONE1:NET125/NODE111.POINT0
       
       Null Modem,  refers  to  a  cable used  to  directly  connect  two 
            computers via their serial ports. The computers can then send 
            and receive data as if they were using modems.
       
       Offline,  refers to  the state of  not being connected  to another 
            system.
       
       Offline Mail,  RoboBOARD/FX   supports   Offline   Mail,  messages 
            prepared in a TEXT EDITOR at the users end  and uploaded to a 
            message base as if it were a file.
       
       OOPs,  Object  Orientated  Programming.  RoboBOARD/FX  is  written 
            using OOPs code as are the powerful new operating systems and 
            GUI based software systems.
       
       Orphan, is a command found  in the  RoboCFG  file editor.   Orphan 
            refers to  removing a file listing  from a file area  listing 
            without physically doing anything to the file itself.    
       
       Packet, See Block.
       
       Parity, refers  to a  parity bit  used immediately  after the data 
            bits in telecommunications transfer protocols  to insure that 
            characters were properly sent.
       
       Password,  is the word a user must type  into  the logon template, 
            that when compared to the password in the  Userbase will pass 
            or fail. Users can change their password if you create a user 
            Settings Menu button on one of your menus.
       
       Path,  gives  DOS and  RoboBOARD/FX  directions on how to get to a 
            file location.
       
       Polygon, a closed multisided shape created using a group of lines, 
            arcs and splines strung together in an end to end manner. The 
            Tel-FX protocol  is based on polygons and  Mondo Fonts are an 
            example of the use of polygons.
       
       Polyline, is a group of lines, arcs and splines strung together in 
            an end to end manner.   
       
       Point,  In the world of  Fido Technology Echomail:  1:125/111.0 is 
            the  address  of  Fido Software.  ZONE1:NET125/NODE111.POINT0   
            Points are hubbed to by nodes  and  do not make it  into  the 
            official Fido Node list. 
       
       Popup,  refers to a style of menus or  input templates that Pop Up 
            on the screen when using RoboBOARD/FX. They pop down when the 
            user has completed using them.
       
       
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       Port, see COM.
       
       Profile, see Access Profiles.
       
       Protocol.   A protocol like the  Tel-FX protocol  defines a set of 
            rules that are used by  communications software packages when 
            communicating.  Using these rules the Host end knows what has 
            to be sent to the Terminal end,  and the Terminal  is able to 
            listen  to  the  Host  end.   Protocols like  Zmodem are file 
            transfer protocol and Tel-FX is a graphics transfer protocol.
       
       Read Access, the minimum access level a user must have in order to 
            read messages. 
       
       Read Tags,  the  access  Tags a user must have  in order  to  read 
            messages. 
       
       Realtime.  The  Tel-FX protocol is a  realtime graphical protocol.  
            This means users will  receive graphics as they request them.  
            Tel-FX  Realtime graphics  are by far the most user  friendly 
            graphics  in the  industry and  also  track  modern  software 
            expectations.
       
       Remote System,  see Host System.
       
       RI, Ring Indicator signal tells you that the modem has detected an 
            incoming call.
       
       RD, Receive Data signal indicates  that data is being received  by 
            the modem.
       
       RTS or RS,  Request To Send signal indicates that the computer has 
            asked the modem if it is okay to start sending data.
       
       RS-232, standard serial connector.
       
       Scroll.    RoboBOARD/FX makes extensive use of scrollers using the 
            Tel-FX protocol. Scrollers are placed on the side of file and 
            message listing windows.  A user can roll the contents of the 
            window up and down using the arrows buttons  or by pulling on 
            the scroller thumb.
       
       Serial Communication,  see RS-232 and COM.  Transmission  of  data 
            between two serial devices  like modems  in  a linear manner,
            one bit at a time.
       
       Serial Port.  See RS-232, IRQ, and COM.  DOS recognises two serial 
            ports, COM1 and COM2.  Serial communications are done through 
            these Serial Ports.
       
       Spline.  Spline Curves  are a composed of end to end line segments 
            that  are  calculated   and  positioned   in  a  manner  that 
            represents a curvilinear figure. Splines are also referred to  
            as B-Splines and Beziers.  The  Tel-FX  protocol supports the 
       
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 119 
       

            Spline  as a primitive.  In FXdraw  when you pick the  Spline 
            Tool you are asked to  show the beginning point  and the  end 
            point of the spline.  A  straight  line  is dropped  onto the 
            screen with four edit nodes  that can be  dragged  around  to 
            create a spline shape.
       
       Start Bit, the first bit in a set of data bits.  This bit  is used 
            to tell the software that data follows.
       
       Stop Bit, the last bit in a set of data bits.  This bit is used to 
            tell the software that data has been sent.
       
       String, a group of  ASCII characters  concatenated  to form words, 
            numbers or both.
       
       Synchronous Communication,  is a system used to transmit data that 
            is very dependant  on precise timing  and  synchronization of 
            sending  and  receiving  data.   They  are  characterized  by 
            continuous high speed data transfer.  The Tel-FX  protocol is 
            an Asynchronous Communications protocol.  
       
       SysOp, System Operator.  This is the term that is used to refer to 
            the person who does the  BBS setup  and  maintenance.  SysOps 
            have control  over who can logon  and what parts  of the  BBS 
            they can access or use.
       
       Telecommunications,  generally  speaking  means  the  transfer  of 
            digital data using modulation  and  demodulation devices over 
            telephone lines.
       
       Tel-FX,  the  Professional  Graphical  Telecommunications Protocol 
            developed by  Hamilton TeleGraphics Inc.  The Tel-FX protocol 
            couples a high level of design with a powerful command set in 
            a manner  that is comfortable and enjoyable for users,  while 
            adhering to modern Graphical User Interface expectations.
       
       Template, is made up of input fields.  RoboBOARD/FX make extensive 
            use of  templates  in both graphics  and  text mode.  In fact 
            RoboBOARD/FX comes with a  templating command set  that gives 
            SysOps  complete control in creation of templates,  including 
            size, numerics, text only, colour, and highlights.  Templates 
            are mode independent, written in readable ASCII,  will append 
            to a file for database integration  and/or  will write  to  a 
            printer  as  in  the  case of an  online  ordering  template.  
            Templates are  accessed using  buttons on menus,  through the 
            RoboBOARD/FX Menu Commands.
       
       Terminal.  FXterm is a "smart"  software terminal  and  thus takes 
            advantage  of the users CPU  and system resources  to do  the 
            majority  of the work.  This offloads  much of the work  from 
            the SysOps CPU  which in all probability  will be much busier 
            then the users terminal end. 
       
       Time Bank,  is an option that if turned on allows a user to bank a 
            certain amount of their unused daily time. 
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         Glossary of  Online Terms Con't  Page 120 
       
       
       TD, Transmit Data signal is a request to send data to the remote. 
       
       UART, (Universal  Asynchronous  Receiver  Transmitter) chip is the 
            standard interface between the computer and the modem.   Most 
            I/O cards  come  with a  NS16450  chip on them.   For  higher 
            performance  it is recommended  that you replace  this  chips 
            with a  16550 UART chip(s).   The 16550 UART  introduces some 
            significant improvements over the standard 16450 like 16 byte 
            receive and send Fifos and overall throughput is double.
       
       Upload Access,  this is the  access level  a user must  be greater 
            than or equal to, in order to upload files to a file areas.
       
       Upload Tags,  these are the  access Tag(s)  a user  must have,  in 
            order to upload files to a file areas.
       
       User Note,  is a field in the bottom of the  User Editor template, 
            that lets the SysOp type in a comment regarding a user.
       
       Verified User.  This is the term  applied  to a user  who has been 
            checked out  by  the  SysOp personally  or by the  Call  Back 
            Verifier.  Most systems have an access for  Unverified  Users 
            that is  upgraded to  Verfied  User  access  when  they  have 
            cleared your level of verification. 
       
       Verified User Access,  is the  access level  a user is upgraded to 
            when they have cleared your level of verification  whether by 
            voice or CBV. 
       
       Verified User Tag, is the access Tag(s) a user is upgraded to when 
            they have cleared your level of verification whether by voice 
            or CBV. 
       
       VGA, Video Graphics Array. RoboBOARD/FX, FXterm and FXdraw support
            16 colour VGA  and  256 colour SVGA modes  at a resolution of 
            640x480. RoboBOARD/FX and  FXterm also support resolutions of 
            800x600 and 1024x768.
       
       WildCard,  refers to  wildcard searches  users can perform on file 
            areas.  *.* will find everything,  *.TXT  will find all files 
            with a TXT extension,  *.T??  will find  all  files  with  an 
            extension that starts with T.
       
       Window.  RoboBOARD/FX,  FXterm  and  FXdraw  are  built around the 
            Tel-FX protocol,  which is graphical protocol that supplies a 
            window primitive.   RoboBOARD/FX and its related products are 
            software products written  for  DOS that  follow  a  windowed 
            philosophy. 
       
       Write Access,  is the access level  a user must  be  equal  to  or 
            greater than in order to write messages in a Message Base.
       
       Write Tags,  is the Tag(s) a user  must have  in  order  to  write 
            messages in a Message Base.
       
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       Zone, In the world of Fido Technology Echomail: 1:125/111.0 is the 
            address of Fido Software. ZONE1:NET125/NODE111.POINT0  Zone 1 
            is North America and Zone 2 is Europe. 
