Telnet BBS Interface
Jeff Ledger
Several members of the (comp.sys.cbm) group have gotten
together to connect their 8bit machines to their broadband
connection using homebrew interfaces. The end result of
having original BBS programs connected to the Internet.
Being able to dial from an 8bit machine and connect to
an 8bit machine has been acomplished.
I've been keeping a website record of these activities,
(http://www.petscii.com)
but since I actually owned/loved several 8bit computers
over the years, I thought I'd expand the website to
include other machines doing the same thing.
I'm not sure if this has been done on the Apple II
series, but the software and interfaces we've been
using should be compatible.
Can someone fill me in on what the Apple diehards
are doing along these lines?
Jeff
Bill Garber
"Jeff Ledger" <jle...@cyberstreet.com> wrote in message
news:706f6242.03091...@posting.google.com...
I have my Apple IIgs connected thru a direct serial line
to my PC and with the use of a program called STerm
running on the PC and a VT100 program on the Apple
I can telnet pretty well. There is a telnet sight that runs
Lynx, and when you telnet to it, you can actually access
virtually any site that displays textual content. I don't
use it often, but for a hoot now and again I will go and
log into it for the sake of knowing it can be done. ;-)
Bill @ GarberStreet Enterprizez };-)
Web Site - http://garberstreet.netfirms.com
Email - will...@comcast.net
---
This email ain't infected, dude!
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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Luis de Santos
Jeff, I can't thank you enough for posting a link to your site. I am
in the process of doing exactly what you are talking about, and was
about to concoct a homebrew application to do the proxy into the
serial port until I saw your information.
Like most people in the 80's, I ran a BBS.
Luis
Jeff Ledger
Luis,
Would you keep me informed of your progress?
I'd like to list your project on my website.
Jeff
Roger Johnstone
Wha? Do you have a different value for 'most'? Or do you mean most
people in 'my group of computer-owning friends from the eighties'? :-)
--
Roger Johnstone, Invercargill, New Zealand
PS/2 Mouse Adapter for vintage Apple II or Mac
order at http://vintageware.orcon.net.nz
Phil Abel
GBBS system over a telnet connection. Basically I have a null modem
connection between my PC and my IIgs. I use the MSWinsock control to listen
to a telnet port for a connection. Then I use the MSComm control to talk to
the BBS over the serial port. When a telnet connection is detected I just
send a "CONNECT 9600" event to the serial port and the BBS takes over. Then
I just use winsock dataarrival() and mscomm oncomm() events to relay text
from telnet --> BBS and BBS --> telnet. I also have some monitors that
check to see if a connection is dropped by BBS or client and reset
everything appropriately. I even have a little status panel on my app that
simulates a modem with DCD, DTR, RD, SD, etc. "blinky lights" on it :) I
haven't been able to get x/y-modem file xfers to work with it but text works
with no loss.
Since I am using cable modem I also added a FTP upload/download control into
the project and wrote the program to constantly monitor my local IP address
and update my BBS website with the appropriate telnet link whenever it
changes (or I could just use a dynamic dns service). So then you can just
go to my www address and there will always be a link to the current telnet
address/port. I even have it set up so that when the BBS is connected it
passes the connection to another handling socket, so the "listening" socket
can always be available to tell any subsequent connections that the system
is "busy" while the BBS is in use. Otherwise you just get no response from
the host and you don't know whether it is down or busy. Much more user
friendly. Next step would be to build a "queue" so that a subsequent
connection will be put into a FIFO queue and automatically be logged on once
the system becomes available. Too bad GBBS can't support multi lines or
else I could just have multiple nodes.
I played around with it a little bit just as a hack, initially having plans
to put the GBBS system back up. My interface works great but I never did
anything else with it. The board would need a little work to be able to be
opened back up, so the time commitment to that plus my doubts that anyone
would call it regularly after the initial novelty wore off kept me away.
The other GBBS/Metal telnet boards that were around didn't seem to have much
interest around them. But if there is interest among the a2/retro computing
community maybe I will rethink putting it up. I have a whole bunch of
classic GBBS games (spacer quest, SPUR, empire, etc) that could provide some
entertainment value anyway and plenty of disk space for message bases. :)
"Jeff Ledger" <jle...@cyberstreet.com> wrote in message
news:706f6242.03091...@posting.google.com...
Steven Lichter
interest around them. But if there is interest among the a2/retro computing
community maybe I will rethink putting it up. I have a whole bunch of
classic GBBS games (spacer quest, SPUR, empire, etc) that could provide some
entertainment value anyway and plenty of disk space for message bases. :)
>>
I think cost was a big factor in the other
boards going down. At first it was free, then
it started costing a lot more. I though about
putting mine up on one of my gs's, it sits on
a //e now and no calls have been logged, since
May. I never seem to have the time. I have
Cable and it works fine with the gs over my
Mac.
Apple Elite II 909-359-5338. Home of GBBS/LLUCE, support for the
Apple II 24 hours 2400/14.4. An OggNet Server.
The only good spammer is a dead one!!! Have you hunted one down today?
(c) I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Company.
Phil Abel
collection of ACOS segs up to date, but as you say, "never seem to have the
time". I will endeavour to be your first call since may :)
yes the traditional BBS requires an extra phone line and also requires your
long distance users to pay up to call you. With a telnet interface the
issue of cost would be a small one. I would subscribe to my internet
service regardless. The only incremental "cost" would be the electricity to
leave the host PC and the IIgs on all the time. Then there is the security
risk of having a machine always connected to the internet. Maybe I could
set up NAT with a router and use my old PII machine as the BBS host so I
don't have to tie up my "primary" machine.
I guess a BBS might qualify as "running a server", which on cable modem is
technically a violation of "terms of use" of service... but the bandwidth
use would be so small I doubt it would red flag any monitoring systems.
"Steven Lichter" <stev...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030921195105...@mb-m06.aol.com...
Scott Alfter
Hash: SHA1
In article <hcrbb.538778$Ho3.92268@sccrnsc03>,
Phil Abel <phil...@nomorespamorviagraadsforme.prodigydotnet> top-posted
(grr):
>yes the traditional BBS requires an extra phone line and also requires your
>long distance users to pay up to call you. With a telnet interface the
>issue of cost would be a small one. I would subscribe to my internet
>service regardless. The only incremental "cost" would be the electricity to
>leave the host PC and the IIgs on all the time. Then there is the security
>risk of having a machine always connected to the internet.
Apple IIs (of any variety) don't draw much power at all...the power supply
was only rated for somewhere around 30-35W output and was a fairly efficient
design, so its requirements are but a fraction of what your average modern
PC sucks down.
As for the security risk...as long as your "bridge" machine is not running
Windows, you're most of the way there. One possibility would be to dredge
up an old 386 or 486, yank out the hard drive (or just unplug the cables to
it...it'll probably be so small it's not worth reusing), and put a
lightweight Linux system on a floppy disk. The only moving part in normal
use will be the power-supply fan, and power usage will be fairly low...not
as low as your II, but still low by modern standards.
_/_ Scott Alfter
/ v \ sal...@salfter.dyndns.org
(IIGS( http://alfter.us Top-posting!
\_^_/ pkill -9 /bin/laden >What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?
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Luis de Santos
>As for the security risk...as long as your "bridge" machine is not running
>Windows, you're most of the way there. One possibility would be to dredge
>up an old 386 or 486, yank out the hard drive (or just unplug the cables to
>it...it'll probably be so small it's not worth reusing), and put a
>lightweight Linux system on a floppy disk. The only moving part in normal
>use will be the power-supply fan, and power usage will be fairly low...not
>as low as your II, but still low by modern standards.
Damn, beat me to the question! I was going to ask if there was a
Linux solution to all this - I really don't want to use my primary
(work) PC as the bridge. I'm sure TCL could be used to accomplish
this. Any ideas?
Luis
Scott Alfter
Hash: SHA1
In article <quntmvs2enfgv51jn...@4ax.com>,
Don't know about TCL (don't even really know what it is). The
quick-and-dirty solution would be to try running netcat on /dev/ttyS? from
/etc/inittab...but you probably want to emulate a modem, or at least send
CONNECT and NO CARRIER at the beginning and end of a connection. For that,
I'd knock something together in C or C++, but that's just a matter of
sticking with what I know.
There's a fair chance that someone's already written a program that'll do
what you want...you might try searching Sourceforge or Freshmeat.
_/_ Scott Alfter
/ v \ sal...@salfter.dyndns.org
(IIGS( http://alfter.us Top-posting!
\_^_/ pkill -9 /bin/laden >What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?
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Phoenyx
the *nix world for quit a while. It has also made inroads into the
Windows environment. I don't know about the Mac though but I'm sure a
port for OSX exists.
I think Python world probably work as well or better if a scripting
language is required. However, whichever language you are most
familiar with is the proper one to use.
--
Cheers,
Phoenyx
Ain't nothing like the clasics!
Apple2 user since March 1984
-={ Apple II Forever }=-
Phoenyx' Apple II page
http://www.dcnet2000.com/~quazar/Apple2
Scarlet Otter
news:quntmvs2enfgv51jn...@4ax.com:
>
>
> Damn, beat me to the question! I was going to ask if there was a
> Linux solution to all this - I really don't want to use my primary
> (work) PC as the bridge. I'm sure TCL could be used to accomplish
> this. Any ideas?
Freesco should be able to do the job. It's a single-floppy Linux
implementation that is primarily used as a dialup router.
You can download it as well as find out much more information here:
Tinkering around with port forwarding in NAT, the built-in firewall, I was
able to have someone telnet in to one of my Linux practice boxes. It
shouldn't be too difficult to set up port forwarding to direct a telnet
request to, say, a COM port which could be connected to an Apple II running
a BBS proggy. I haven't got that far myself and havent experimented any
further due to having too many other things to do. But I do highly
recommend giving Freesco a look and try it out.
-- Otter
brad
2002....the easiest way to do this stuff ..for a non-programmer like myself
was to run a ms dos or win32 bbs program (major bbs, worldgroup, synchronet
bbs which is currently free and win32 bit or linux at www.synchro.net) and
some menu driven door programs that run with these pkgs
dialout doors i think they were called..to do the connection via serial or
modem to other bbs machines via null modem or modem like apple ii bbs's...
there are programs..door programs for bbs's that you can use with ..say
synchronet bbs pkg to serially connect from that main win32 bbs machine with
win32 fossil included..to allow you to dial out to another bbs or just
serially connect to it ..com-ip comes to mind not sure...but could find the
door programs to do this..)...found them one was called cst65.zip and the
other was csti33.zip
the other way to do it was via major bbs or worldgroup bbs had a dialout
module that worked serial or thru modem (null modem)...worldgroup was not
setup for multi-node doors in other words 30 people on at one time on 1 door
game via telnet or whatever....synchronet is setup to run doors in mult-user
mode....as a side note
so essentially what i did was a user would connect thru the bbs (the
worldgroup win32 beast or you could use synchronet) that bbs could be say
the linux version of sychronet or worldgroup...then VIA MENU ..yes..it is
menu driven ...even the door programs i talked about above ..you could just
set the parms to dialout via serial or modem to the other machine running
your apple // bbs pkg...the pkgs i used was tpro 4.2f RPG bbs...essentially
a large rpg game with bbs built around it...and fv/metal 4.0xev a copy way
back of boycott bbs..he recently had his board up with such a mod to get the
fv/metal software up on the inet...i also had via a ip connection the tw2002
gold server 16 node on same machine as synchronet bbs pkg running multi-node
doors ..all menu driven/more or less transparent to the user...you could
also do all this from the www page via java telnet script
the door programs that allowed dialout under bbs pkgs that used door game
programs like synchronet were
cst65.zip
and
csti33.zip
one was for straight dial via modem and the other i think was telnet related
so my recommendation would get the synchronet win32 bbs pkg or the linux
version of the same..it is freeware and actively supported both versions see
alt.bbs.synchronet newsgroup for more details on the pkg...but essentially
it is a stand alone telnet inet pkg with built in win32 fossil drivers that
allows multiuser doors *that means if you have a door game like legend of
the red dragaon it will multitask using the win32 fossil driver for how many
telenet ports you have it set up for so 20 people could be in the same game
you can't do that with standard door programs with major bbs or
worldgroup..then simply get which version linux/win32 set it up..review how
to install doors (some are included already installed like l.o.r.dragon etc)
and google for the above dialout doors and viola hit the bbs pkg on the
apple // you want to use..
if you run an apple //gs as a serially connection to a main machine like
worldgroup or synchronet you need to use a super serial card setup ..we
never got it to work with a gs port...of course for a apple bbs pkg on a
apple ii or ii+ or iie ..you'd have to use super serial card
also i'd ask around for terry olson's mod of the boycott bbs on telnet via
newsgroup and also maybe you could talk him out of a copy of boycott bbs (i
did once)..which is apple ii and runs such stuff as spacer guest, planet
bashers etc...there are also java telnet scripts avail so you could set it
up to go directly from say a www page to the door game or dialout bbs in
question directly more/less or at least to the apple or synchronet bbs with
doors game menu ...
i have plans on getting the www.lost-gonzo.com back up but...with 150/m for
ded ip it an't likely ..all other sysops have moved away...so..anyone want
to move to mankato, mn?...its all sittng around ready go put back up..but
an't no fun with no one about to jump up and down and yell...at machines
when no one else around on projects
anyway this should get a person started in an easy way to have telnet
capablity and maybe a bbs pkg win 32 or linux as a front end
(www.synchro.net) and use the door and win32 fossil features of this pkg to
set up multi-node door games and the dialout doors to get to that old apple
// bbs you have sitting around...with terry olson's boycott bbs pkg and or
mod you could also go direct from the web ..of course most ( i knew one
safehouse bbs was multiline on 3 apple //e's in 1982 had 2 lhnes)
apple ii bbs pkgs are only 1 user at a time on the machine...then simply
setup you boycott bbs pkg or whatever on your apple // (or c64 bbs for that
matter whatever...drag the trs-80 out)...and go
there is also a tpro bbs clone multinode on linux if anyone remembers it
..it was on source forge for awhile...as a project...did not have all the
bells and whistles of orig but the advantage it had was you could run
multiple users at one time ..under linux machine hard to do that with a tpro
on an apple //e
anyway hope this was not too nuts a reply...and on topic more/less...but the
above was the only way as a non-programmer i was able to run apple ii bbs
pkgs from 1991 to 2001 via inet...i cheated ...tossed a worldgroup bbs as
the front end with dialout program and hit the tpro bbs pkg on one apple
//gs with ramfast /hd and same to the 2nd gs with ramfast/ hd for the
fv/metal 4.0xev....the only complaint i had was people wondered why only one
person could get in that menu area from the main bbs at one time...being
menu driven they only knew it was an apple // bbs once inside and signed
up....i never did get around to putting up the orig lost gonzo bbs from 1983
up was APPLENET dos 3.3 by pechenk? used to run the safehouse bbs which ran
two phone lines on a corvus setup in early 80's....i always wanted to the
old applenet up on a dos 3.3 sider 10mb hd and hitch it up to the net...that
way anyone asked what bbs pkgs do you run i could say the same stuff i
always had up from 1983 applenet, 1988 tpro 4.2f rpg bbs pkg, 1991 fv/metal
4.0xev, 1994 major bbs/worldgroup , 1998 synchronet bbs pkg for multinode
doors and tw2002 gold server 16node, 1999 space quest 2112 server..etc
what a cludge muckup that was..or would be oh well..still need to figure out
a way to get a ded ip and majormud back up...i've tried noip.com and
others..but inet provider kept catching me...so stuck till prices go down
anyway ....the above is one way to kinda? do it
brad
former sysop www.lost-gonzo.com *currently still down* sigh
"Scarlet Otter" <Secret...@MYTAILFEATHERSSoftHome.net> wrote in message
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