[nos-bbs] Tweaks to build simplifed setup JNOS

Barry Siegfried bgs at mfnos.net
Wed Sep 6 11:10:28 EDT 2006


On Tue, 2006-09-05 at 15:53 -0500, wa7nwp at jnos.org wrote:

> I'm building an easy to install JNOS "virtual" packet machine for
> XP aimed at the local Washington Digital EmCom group.
>
> First step was to move all the config files into one place - %NOS%/etc.
> Hunting between the root and spool directories was never ideal and
> I'm already liking the setup better now.
>
> I think it makes sense to add .txt or .nos extensions to the name to
> make them easier to edit in the windows environments, which is the
> primary target for this package.  It's not the Unix way but it
> doesn't hurt anything there either.
>
> Comments in general on the move of files and renaming?
>
> Some config files will have to be customized by the end user.  I think
> I'll release those with something like ".ex" on the file name.  Users
> will rename by removing the ".ex" after editing.  Other files can
> be used without editing.  Maybe naming them  as ".std" will work so
> all the user has to do is rename them.  The initial install is easy,
> it's the updates when we don't want to overwrite changes that gets
> tricky.
>
> I'll probably completely #ifdef out the nos.cfg file to save space.

Be careful of making programs available which don't have the capability
of using the nos.cfg file.  This file is very useful when you want to
run multiple instances of xNOS out of the same directories in multiple
VDM windows on the same machine where they each mostly use identical
config files but need customization for some of them.  This allows
you to "share" most of the NOS config files relatively easily and
not have to create a separate NOS root directory for each instance
of the program.

> My plan isn't to rename but to add extensions to a few files.  We have:
>
> autoexec.nos
> forward.bbs
> rewrite
> alias
> domain.txt
>
> I'm only planning on changing:
>
> rewrite -> rewrite.txt
> alias -> alias.txt
>
> I'd like eventually to have a script, or maybe even a web page, to
> generate the files from a single master file.
>
> I think moving everything into one directory is the biggest gain.
>
> Redoing the documentation for a few name changes and adding the updates
> won't be a bad thing either.
>
> Speaking of shuffling...
>
> We have %nos%/help and %nos%/spool/help.  Several other www directories
> in %nos%.
>
> Ok.  Spool is a good place for everything that's dynamic and changing.
> The user files, the messages, etc.   What we're missing is a 'var' for
> additional information.  LIke the two help directories, the web pages,
> etc.

You may (or may not) be interested in a slightly oversimplified
working directory map of another xNOS that was first designed in 1994
for the very same reason that you're doing it now for JNOS, that is,
to make the config file structure more logical and more easily accessible.

I offer the map here for your perusal.  Please note that there were
different reasons why different files were (or were not) moved to
different directories and why certain choices were made at that time.
If you knew what they were you might agree with some and disagree with
others.  But this working directory structure is still in use today
and it serves those who use it relatively well:

  ____ Alias file
   |   Alias = /alias
   |
   |__ Domain file
   |   Dfile = /domain.txt
   |
   |__ Dynamic IP routes save file
   |   Encapfile = /encap.sav
   |
   |__ Finger info directory _____________ Finger/Convers database file
   |   Fdir = /finger                      Fdbase = /dbase.dat
   |
   |__ FTP hosts/passwords files
   |   Hostfile = /net.rc
   |
   |__ HTTP files directory
   |   Httpdir = /http
   |
   |__ WWW users/passwords file
   |   Httpusers = /wwwusers
   |
   |__ WWW Code Red URL keywords file
   |   Httpworm = /codered
   |
   |__ IP NAT masqueraded ports save file
   |   Masqfile = /masqport.sav
   |
   |__ Net/Rom nodes save file
   |   Netromfile = /netrom.sav
   |
   |__ Commands executed on exit
   |   Onexit = /onexit.nos
   |
   |__ POP users/passwords file
   |   Popusers = /popusers
   |
   |__ TCP rtt cache save file
   |   Rttfile = /rttcache.sav
   |
   |__ Initialization file
   |   Startup = /autoexec.nos
   |
   |__ FTP users/passwords file
   |   Userfile = /ftpusers
   |
   |   ETC directory
   |   -------------
   |__ Top-level etc directory ___________ Convers channel names
   |   Etcdir = /etc                   |   Channels = /channels.dat
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Backup Finger/Convers database file
   |                                   |   Fdbak = /dbase.bak
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ FTP user message directory
   |                                   |   Ftpuserdir = /ftpusers
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Port names file
   |   ________________________________|   Portnames = /ports.dat
   |  |
   |  |__ Help control directory _________ Commands help directory
   |  |   Helpdir = /etc/help          |   Cmdshlpdir = /cmds
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ Color values help file
   |  |                                |   Colorhelp = /color.hlp
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ Convers help message file
   |  |                                |   Confhelp = /confhelp.hlp
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ Function keys help file
   |  |                                |   Fkeyshelp = /fkeys.hlp
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ FTP server remote help file
   |  |                                |   Ftphelp = /ftpserv.hlp
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ Mailbox long menu help file
   |  |                                |   Mboxhelp = /mboxlong.hlp
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ NNTP server help file
   |  |                                |   Nntphelp = /nntpserv.hlp
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ SMTP server help file
   |  |                                    Smtphelp = /smtpserv.hlp
   |  |
   |  |__ Log control directory __________ HTTP log directory
   |  |   Logdir = /etc/log            |   Httplogdir = /httplog
   |  |                                |
   |  |                                |__ Mail log file
   |  |                                    Maillog = /smtp.log
   |  |
   |  |__ Text control directory _________ Convers info message file
   |      Textdir = /etc/text          |   Confinfo = /confinfo.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Convers message of the day file
   |                                   |   Confmotd = /confmotd.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Convers permission message file
   |                                   |   Confperm = /confperm.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ FTP greeting file
   |                                   |   Ftpgreet = /ftpgreet.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ FTP message of the day file
   |                                   |   Ftpmotd = /ftpmotd.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Mailbox message of the day file
   |                                   |   Mboxmotd = /mboxmotd.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Quote message of the day file
   |                                   |   Qmotd = /qmotd.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ Program sign on text file
   |                                   |   Signontxt = /signon.txt
   |                                   |
   |                                   |__ System info text file
   |                                       Versiontxt = /version.txt
   |
   |   SPOOL directory
   |   ---------------
   |__ Top-level spool directory _________ Message expiration control file
       Spooldir = /spool               |   Expirefile = /expire.dat
                                       |
                                       |__ Incoming mail directory
                                       |   Mailspool = /spool/mail
                                       |
                                       |__ Outoing news queue directory
                                       |   Nntpqdir = /spool/nqueue
                                       |
                                       |__ Mail signature directory
       ________________________________|   Signature = /spool/signatur
      |
      |__ Outgoing mail queue directory __ Outgoing mail ID number file
      |   Mailqdir = /spool/mqueue         Mailseq = /sequence.seq
      |
      |__ Mailbox control directory  _____ Mailbox help directory
      |   Mboxdir = /spool/mbox        |   Mboxhlpdir = /help
      |                                |
      |                                |__ List of message areas files
      |                                |   Arealist = /areas
      |                                |
      |                                |__ Mail forwarding file
      |                                |   Forwardfile = /forward.bbs
      |                                |
      |                                |__ Message ID history file
      |                                |   Historyfile = /history
      |                                |
      |                                |__ User preferences file
      |                                |   UDefaults = /users.dat
      |                                |
      |                                |__ Backup user preferences file
      |                                    UDefbak = /users.bak
      |
      |__ NNTP control directory _________ NNTP history file
      |   Nntpdir = /spool/nntp        |   History = /history
      |                                |
      |                                |__ NNTP poll file
      |                                |   Poll = /poll
      |                                |
      |                                |__ NNTP access permissions file
      |                                |   Naccess = /access
      |                                |
      |                                |__ NNTP active file
      |                                |   Nactive = /active
      |                                |
      |                                |__ NNTP forward file
      |                                |   Nforward = /forward
      |                                |
      |                                |__ NNTP info file
      |                                |   Ninfo = /info
      |                                |
      |                                |__ NNTP pointer file
      |                                    Npointer = /pointer
      |
      |__ SMTP control directory _________ Mail From: reject file
          Smtpdir = /spool/smtp        |   Fromkill = /fromkill
                                       |
                                       |__ Rcpt To: reject file
                                       |   Rcptkill = /rcptkill
                                       |
                                       |__ Mail address rewrite file
                                       |   Rewritefile = /rewrite
                                       |
                                       |__ Mail Subject: strings file
                                           Subjectfile = /subject

73, de Barry, K2MF >>
           o
          <|>      Barry Siegfried
+---------/-\---------------------------+
| Internet | bgs at mfnos.net              |
| HomePage | http://www.mfnos.net/~bgs  |
+----------+----------------------------+
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