Back in the 1990s, before the internet was popular (and dinosaurs still roamed the earth), people used to dial in to BBSes. Some BBSes offered internet e-mail. One of the ways that BBSes used to handle internet e-mail, was through a UUCP account. Mostly this was done through a dial up connection.

How did I provide internet e-mail on my BBS?

Wildcat v4.x DOS BBS software comes with support for UUCP accounts. So, it was a no brainer. Use UUCP for internet e-mail for my system. When I decided to start using a UUCP account, my original problem was finding an ISP that supported a UUCP account. Then, it was configuring the BBS software to work with the UUCP account. Which seemed to work reasonably well for a few years. But I was starting to have problems.

First: spammers were using addressing schemes that caused the DOS dial up software to crash, and therefore, I was unable to download incoming e-mail without contacting tech support at the ISP and asking them to manually delete the problem message. As the volume of spam increased, the frequency of crashes also increased.

I started to resolve this problem, by setting up my Linux system to perform dial up access for my UUCP account. It was a struggle, but I did make a little bit of progress. I reached the point where I was able to download the mail that caused the DOS software to crash. Once I had the mail downloaded, I manually renamed the files from the Linux long file names, to the DOS short file names. I then manually copied the files from the Linux partition to a DOS partition on the same hard drive. I then rebooted to DOS. At this point I was able to log into my NetWare server and copy the files over. A bit ackward, but there were still quite a few things I hadn't figured out how to do. However, since I wasn't doing this multiple times per day, I wasn't motivated enough to try to completely automate the process.

Second: A few months later, my IPS was in the process of stopping support for dial up UUCP accounts.

So, I either had to give up internet e-mail for the BBS or figure out a way to provide internet e-mail for the BBS (via UUCP) over an internet connection.

I chose to try to figure it out.

Since I didn't own any hardware that was capable of running Windows (9x), I had no choice, I had to set up a Linux computer (with the help of a friend). Well, even though I am familiar with NetWare, and networks, I was not familiar with Linux or UUCICO. I got very lucky, and found someone at a local Linux User Group who helped me work out ALL the Linux problems I was having with UUCICO (setup, configuration, ...). Thus allowing me to work on the DOS side of the problem (which I could handle).

There were a number of problems to be worked out. They included:
  For incoming mail:
- scheduling the regular collection of mail
- renaming the Linux long file name, to the short file name that my DOS Wildcat BBS software expected.
- getting the messages from the Linux partition to the NetWare partition.
  For outgoing mail:
- creating a Linux message file that the Linux UUCICO would recognize as an outgoing message. (The outgoing message created by the BBS was only useful for the DOS dial up software.)
- getting the messages from the NetWare partition to the Linux partition.

So, here are my configuration files, and the steps I needed to take to process and transfer from UUCP e-mail (and newsgroups) from Linux to NetWare and back again.

I am using Taylor UUCP.

I originally started setting up / testing with a modem. So where possible, I have left both configurations in place. Where not possible, I have turned the line into non-executable (comment) lines.

These are the configuration files and shell scripts I used, and where they are stored on my Linux system.

/etc/uucp/call
/etc/uucp/config
/etc/uucp/dial
/etc/uucp/dialcode not used
/etc/uucp/passwd not used
/etc/uucp/port
/etc/uucp/sys

/etc/crontab
/etc/fstab
/etc/hosts

telnet

/root/run-uucp.sh (does all of these shell and perl scripts)
I also wrote (and use) a DOS program to convert the DOS UUCP commands to Linux UUCP commands. I run it on the DOS system, before running the perl and shell scripts.
/root/mail2lin.sh
/root/outgoing.pl
/root/getmail.sh
/root/incoming.pl
/root/mail2nw.sh
/root/cleanup.sh

isp1 uucpname1 uucppassword1
isp2 uucpname2 uucppassword2
isp3 uucpname3 uucppassword3

There is no reason why the uucpname couldn't be the same for all systems.

hostname uucpname1
nodename uucpname1
spool /var/spool/uucp
pubdir /var/spool/uucppublic
logfile /var/log/uucp/log
statfile /var/log/uucp/stats
debugfile /var/log/uucp/debug
sysfile /etc/uucp/sys
portfile /etc/uucp/port
dialfile /etc/uucp/dial
dialcodefile /etc/uucp/dialcode
callfile /etc/uucp/call
passwdfile /etc/uucp/passwd

# modem configuration
dialer generic
chat   "" ATZ OK ATM1DT\T CONNECT
chat-fail RING
chat-fail BUSY
chat-fail ERROR
chat-fail VOICE
chat-fail NO\sCARRIER
chat-fail NO\sANSWER
chat-fail NO\sDIALTONE
complete \d\d+++\d\dATH\r\c
abort \d\d+++\d\dATH\r\c

# Description for modem entry.
port serial4
type modem
device /dev/modem
speed 38400
dialer generic

# Description for TCP/IP connection entry.
port TCP
type TCP
service 540

# This section required for dial up or internet connection.
remote-send ~
remote-receive ~
local-send ~
local-receive ~
command-path /usr/sbin
commands rmail rnews

# This section required for dial up connection.
system isp1
call-login *
call-password *
time any
phone 555-1212
port serial4
speed 38400
chat "" \d\d\r\c ogin: \d\L word: \P
alternate
phone 555-1212

# This section required for internet connection via TCP/IPP.
system isp2
call-login *
call-password *
time any
chat "" \d\d\r\c ogin: \d\L word: \P
port type tcp
address uucp.isp.com
port TCP
protocol t

# UUCP mail runs
# This means that at 55 minutes after the hour, this event will run.
55 * * * * root /root/run-uucp.sh

LABEL=/                 /                       ext2    defaults        1 1
LABEL=/boot             /boot                   ext2    defaults        1 2
/dev/cdrom              /mnt/cdrom              iso9660 noauto,owner,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0                /mnt/floppy             auto    noauto,owner    0 0
none                    /proc                   proc    defaults        0 0
none                    /dev/pts                devpts  gid=5,mode=620  0 0
/dev/hda4               swap                    swap    defaults        0 0
/dev/hda1               /mnt/dos                vfat    noauto,nouser   0 0

# revised: 04/05/2003

192.168.0.0     uucpname1.isp.com          localhost.localdomain localhost

telnet uucp.isp.com 540

I never figured out how to automate this, but for my system, it sometimes seems to help to do this before trying the normal connection.

# revised: 04/05/2003
echo starting UUCP mail run.
echo Starting time/date.
date

echo step 1: copy files from NetWare to Linux, rename, ....
/root/mail2lin.sh

echo step 2: dial/connect to ISP and download the mail.
/root/getmail.sh

echo step 3: convert long file names to short file names.
echo First, test normal directories:
echo Second, test error directories:
/root/reduce.sh

echo step 4: copy mail from Linux partition to NetWare partition.
/root/mail2nw.sh

echo step 5: delete incoming mail from Linux partition.
/root/cleanup.sh

echo Ending time/date.
date

echo This command makes the NetWare partition accessable to Linux
ncpmount -S bbs /mnt/bbs -U username -P password

echo These commands copy the outgoing mail from NetWare to a Linux temporary directory.
cp -p /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/d* /tmp
cp -p /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/c* /tmp

echo These commands copy a FLAG file from Linux to NetWare, and then
echo back again.
cp -p /root/success.txt /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/success.txt
cp -p /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/success.txt /tmp/success.txt
rm /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/success.txt

echo These commands compare the above copied file.
echo If not compare, then problems connecting with NetWare server.
cmp -s /root/success.txt /tmp/success.txt || cp -p /root/failure.txt /tmp/failure.txt
cmp -s /root/success.txt /tmp/success.txt || rm /tmp/success.txt

echo Convert from DOS file names to Linux file names.
/root/outgoing.pl

echo These commands copy the files from the temporary directory to the outgoing directory.
cp -p /tmp/C.* /var/spool/uucp/isp/C.
cp -p /tmp/D.* /var/spool/uucp/isp/D.

echo These commands remove the files from the NetWare partition.
rm -v /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/c*
rm -v /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/d*

echo These commands remove the files from the temporary Linux partition.
rm -v /tmp/C.*
rm -v /tmp/D.*

echo These commands, check/set the flag file after completition.
if test -e /tmp/success.txt
then
  echo Able to connect to NetWare server.
  rm /tmp/success.txt
  rm /tmp/failure.txt
else
  echo Unable to connect to NetWare server.
  cp -p /root/failure.txt /tmp
fi

echo This command makes the NetWare partition inaccessable to Linux
ncpumount /mnt/bbs

foreach $_ (`ls -1 /tmp/c*`) {
        $oldfilename = $_;              # save old filename
        s/c/C\./;                       # replace "c" with "C."
        $newfilename = $_;              # save new filname
        chomp ($oldfilename);           # get rid of newline
        chomp ($newfilename);           # get rid of newline
        rename("$oldfilename", "$newfilename") || die "died with $!";
}

foreach $_ (`ls -1 /tmp/d*`) {
        $oldfilename = $_;              # save old filename
        s/d/D\./;                       # replace "d" with "D."
        $newfilename = $_;              # save new filname
        chomp ($oldfilename);           # get rid of newline
        chomp ($newfilename);           # get rid of newline
        rename("$oldfilename", "$newfilename") || die "died with $!";
}

echo This command starts the dial out and upload/download process.
echo It also disables the UUXQT function so that the Linux
echo box doesn't try to process the incoming mail/newsgroups.
echo Be aware, this terminal returns to the command prompt when it is
echo done processing. It does *NOT* display it's progress on screen.
echo ...
echo Please be patient.
echo ...
uucico -S isp -q -x all
# -S = don't wait specified time. Retry at any time
# -q = don't run rmail or rnews on my linux computer.
# -x all = set debug level for *ALL* detail

foreach $_ (`ls -1 /var/spool/uucp/isp/D./D.*`) {
	$oldfilename = $_;		# save old filename
        s/D\.isp/0/;                    # replace "D.isp" with "0"
	s/$/\.D/;			# replace end of line with ".D"
	$newfilename = $_;		# save new filname
	chomp ($oldfilename);		# get rid of newline
	chomp ($newfilename);		# get rid of newline
	rename("$oldfilename", "$newfilename") || die "died with $!";
}

foreach $_ (`ls -1 /var/spool/uucp/isp/X./X.*`) {
	$oldfilename = $_;		# save old filename
        s/X\.isp/0/;                    # replace "X.isp" with "0"
	s/$/\.X/;			# replace end of line with ".X"
	$newfilename = $_;		# save new filname
	chomp ($oldfilename);		# get rid of newline
	chomp ($newfilename);		# get rid of newline
	rename("$oldfilename", "$newfilename") || die "died with $!";
}

echo This command makes the NetWare partition accessable to Linux
ncpmount -S bbs /mnt/bbs -U username -P userpassword

echo This command changes to a directory on the Linux system
cd /root

echo If there were problems with the incoming mail, these
echo commands copy the *.D and *.X files to the NetWare partition.
cp -p /var/spool/uucp/.Failed/isp/D./*.D /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp
cp -p /var/spool/uucp/.Failed/isp/X./*.X /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp

echo If there were no problems with the incoming mail, these
echo commands copy the *.D and *.X files to the NetWare partition.
cp -p /var/spool/uucp/isp/D./*.D /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp
cp -p /var/spool/uucp/isp/X./*.X /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp

echo This command copies the 'flag' file from Linux to NetWare.
cp /root/success.txt /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/success.txt
echo This command copies the 'flag' file from NetWare to Linux.
cp /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/success.txt /tmp/success.txt
echo This command removes the test file from the NetWare server.
rm /mnt/bbs/sys/wildcat/gateway/isp/success.txt

echo These commands compare the original file, to the file that was copied to NetWare and back again.
echo If files don't compare, then there was a problem connecting to NetWare.
cmp -s /root/success.txt /tmp/success.txt || cp -p /root/failure.txt /tmp/failure.txt
cmp -s /root/success.txt /tmp/success.txt || rm /tmp/success.txt

echo This command makes the NetWare partition inaccessable to Linux
ncpumount /mnt/bbs

# revised: 04/05/2003
# It looks like the root directory is *NEVER* in the path. So, I always
# need to type the command (for the shell script) in this format for it
# to run.

echo This command deletes the *.D "error" files.
rm -v /var/spool/uucp/.Failed/isp/D./D.uucpname1*

rm -v /var/spool/uucp/.Failed/isp/D./*.D
echo This command deletes the *.X "error" files.
rm -v /var/spool/uucp/.Failed/isp/X./X.uucpname1*

rm -v /var/spool/uucp/.Failed/isp/X./*.X
echo This command deletes the *.D "regular" files.
rm -v /var/spool/uucp/isp/D./D.uucpname1*
rm -v /var/spool/uucp/isp/D./*.D

echo This command deletes the *.X "regular" files.
rm -v /var/spool/uucp/isp/X./X.uucpname1*
rm -v /var/spool/uucp/isp/X./*.X

END OF DOCUMENT
[Top (page index)] [Up] [Down] [Bottom (site index)]
[/etc/uucp/call] [/etc/uucp/config] [/etc/uucp/dial] [/etc/uucp/dialcode] [/etc/uucp/passwd] [/etc/uucp/port] [/etc/uucp/sys]
[/etc/crontab] [/etc/fstab] [/etc/hosts]
[telnet]
[/root/run-uucp.sh] (does all of these shell and perl scripts)
[/root/mail2lin.sh] [/root/outgoing.pl] [/root/getmail.sh] [/root/incoming.pl] [/root/mail2nw.sh] [/root/cleanup.sh]

SITE MAP/INDEX
[Earthquake City BBS HomePage]
[E-Mail Sysop]
[File Areas] [Online Games] [Message Areas] [wcFileGate] [ListServ] [UUCP]
[Users/Friends Links] [Computer Links] [Science Fiction/Fun Links] [Political / Serious Links] [Other Links]
[Computer Swap Meets]
[Steven Libis & Associates]

be sure to check out:
Chrome Oxide Music Collector: [Home Page] [site index]

---

I am using 1and1.com to host Earthquake City BBS web site. I am happy with their service and performance, so I am posting an affiliate link for them.

---

sign up for PayPal and simplify your online payments.

---

Or, if you are looking for something other than computers, why not try Amazon.com

Search: All Products Apparel & Accessories Baby Beauty Books Camera & Photo Cell Phones & Service Classical Music Computer & Video Games Computers DVD Electronics Gourmet Food Health & Personal Care Home & Garden Jewelry & Watches Kitchen & Housewares Magazine Subscriptions Miscellaneous Music Musical Instruments Software Sports & Outdoors Tools & Hardware Toys & Games VHS Keywords:

---

Last updated by Steven Libis & Associates on 04/05/2003