MSGID: 2:5020/1042 5cba48d7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 21-02-18   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 21-02-18   
       domain omeganet c:\\ftn\\outbound\\fidonet 2   
       address 2:5070/222@fidonet 11:58/6@omeganet   
      
       It is obligatory to configure all your addresses with domains. The   
   outbound directory and the path should be the same everywhere (4D tosser   
   considers all addresses to belong to one domain).   
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           23. How Does "domain ... alias-for ..." In The Configuration File Work?   
      
       An alias is taken into consideration when the remote site address is   
   analyzed.   
      
       Example:   
       domain fidonet.org alias-for fidonet   
      
       'fidonet.org' in the remote site address will be changed to 'fidonet' and   
   address 1:2/3.4@fidonet.org will be dealt with as 1:2/3.4@fidonet.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           24. What Does "send: TCP/IP error (-10000)" Mean and How To Cure It?   
      
       There are two bugs here, one of them had been fixed before a branch for   
   binkd 0.9.5-stable was created.   
      
       1. The fact is that the error number was not stored in a pair of places   
   in binkd code but it became apparent nowhere except the Windows version. It   
   showed there because unlike others the MS Visual C run-time library does   
   not correspond to the standard. 'errno' and 'h_errno' are macros in MSVC   
   RTL and they expand to system calls which in the end call GetLastError().   
   And the variable errno to which the function returns its value is cleared   
   to zero at every successful system call.  Thus errno is cleared at   
   successful file open (according to the C standard errno should not change   
   if there were no more errors). The influence of the bug is fixed in binkd:   
      
       2003/04/28 07:30:16  gul   
       * Bugfix: Log() changes TCPERRNO   
      
       2. A Winsock bug: select() always returns successful for a non-blocked   
   socket.  The influence of this and other Winsock bugs is partially fixed:   
      
       2003/06/06 16:27:44  gul   
       * Workaround winsock bug - giveup CPU when sending file   
       2003/08/11 08:41:55  gul   
       * workaround winsock bug (patch by Alexander Reznikov)   
       2003/08/24 00:29:31  hbrew   
       * win9x-select-workaround fix, thanks to Pavel Gulchouck)   
      
       At the high log level many messages of the 'data transfer would block'   
   type and debug info on select() execution is still logged. It does not   
   influence a regular work mode. It could be fixed but Pavel decided not to   
   complicate the code.   
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           25. Argus (Radius) and binkd: Argus Error "Aborting due to carrier   
   loss"   
      
       A session between binkd and Radius (or Argus, it does not matter) is   
   aborted "due to carrier loss" when traffic encryption is enabled in Radius.   
   Moreover the connection at the binkd side is aborted due to the remote side   
   initiative ("Connection reset by peer").   
      
       Log from the Radius side:   
       30-Aug-2003 22:24:31 Encrypted (2:463/375) session   
       30-Aug-2003 22:24:32 Aborting due to carrier loss   
       30-Aug-2003 22:24:32 Session aborted   
       30-Aug-2003 22:24:32 End   
      
       The reason is that Argus authors implemented an encryption method of   
   their own which is not implemented in binkd. It would be OK but Argus (and   
   Radius together with it) does not keep compatibility with binkp protocol:   
   the encryption is enabled unconditionally without checking if the remote   
   side supports it. Such a glaring contradiction to the specification is   
   inadmissible but alas... The way out is to disable encryption in Argus for   
   every link using binkd.   
      
       The correct mailer behaviour should be as follows:   
       - if encryption is not mandatory then proceed with the nonencrypted   
   session;   
       - if encryption is set mandatory in the mailer configuration then it   
   should inform the remote of aborting the session, for example in such a way:   
       M_ERR "DES encription required"   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           26. The Outbound Name Has a Comment Char and binkd Doesn't See It   
      
       If binkd is configured in a working system where Bink/+ is used and the   
   outbound path contains "#" character which is a comment character for binkd   
   the character should be escaped by a backslash in the binkd configuration   
   file for binkd to interpret it correctly.   
      
       domain fidonet c:\\fido\\\#out   
       inbound-nonsecure c:\\fido\\unsec\#in   
       inbound c:\\fido\\\#in   
      
       It is not necessary to escape the character in the version 1.0 starting   
   with the snapshot 1.0a-317 because the beginning of a comment in the middle   
   of a line is now the sequence of either a space and the pound character   
   (" #") or a tab and the pound character.  See the examples below.   
      
       There is no comment:   
       temp-inbound c:\\fido\\temp#this_is_not_a_comment_but_a_directory_name   
      
       There are comments here:   
       inbound c:\\fido\\in # this is a comment since there is a space before "#"   
       # This whole line is a comment.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           27. Is There a Possibility to Start an Application On an Event From   
   binkd?   
      
       If time events are discussed then no, there is not and there will never   
   be.  There are diverse schedulers for controlling such events and they are   
   included in the distribution packages of modern operating systems.   
      
       As to an event of receiving a file it is implemented long ago (starting   
   with the version 0.9). See tokens "exec" and "flag" in the configuration   
   file.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           28. What Is the Difference Between binkd/w32 and binkd/w9x?   
      
       binkd/w32 is a traditional version of binkd and a console application.   
   binkd/w9x is a GUI Win32 application creating temporary console windows in   
   case of necessity. If one starts binkd/w32 in the existing console window   
   (for example, in the command.com or cmd.exe window) it will work in the   
   same window. Unlike it binkd/w9x immediately transfers control to the   
   calling task.   
      
       The development of binkd/w9x was necessitated by several significant   
   differencies between Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT/2000/XP/2003.   
      
       In the first place console is implemented differently. The main   
   difference: Windows 9x console does not react to shutdown and close window   
   signals thus a working binkd/w32 cannot stop correctly when the window is   
   closed or the system shutdown (or reboot) is performed.   
      
       In the second place the principles of performing a service differ in   
   different branches of Windows.   
      
       As a result binkd 1.0a/w32 can work as a service only in Windows   
   NT/2000/XP/2003 and binkd 1.0a/w9x as a service only in Windows 95/98/Me.   
   It is planned to support Windows NT service in binkd/w9x. A correct support   
   of working as a service under Windows 9x is impossible for binkd/w32   
   because of the described console features in the systems.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           29. I Miss a Chat in binkd And I Want To Synchronize Time!   
      
       You may use talk, icq or irc (or even Gadu-Gadu) for chatting. If you   
   can start binkd then all the programs mentioned here and many other ones   
   may use the same channel. You may chat as much as you like.   
      
       And there are special utilities for synchronizing time via IP, for   
   example ntpdate. Unlike mailers such utilities take time from the precise   
   time servers.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           30. binkd Receives an Incoming Call Only After an Outgoing One.   
      
       Such a behaviour was observed for binkd/w32 working as a service on a   
   computer with McAfee Firewall installed. The firewall starts after binkd   
   start-up, does not detect any binkd activity and does not allow to   
   establish a connection. Thus one must ensure that binkd starts after   
   firewall has started.   
      
       The possible decisions: give up using binkd as an independent Windows   
   NT service and start it from another service or start it as a usual program   
   or stop using such a firewall.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           31. "start_file_transfer: ECHO is off.: No such file or directory"   
   Error.   
      
       One may see the following in the log file:   
       ? 10 Sep 20:37:23 [1664] start_file_transfer: ECHO is on.: No such file   
   or directory   
      
       Such a situation may occur when you have created a poll with the command   
       echo >> 12345678.ilo   
      
       The above mentioned line in the log file is the message from the echo   
   command on its current status of the output to the screen. See question 32   
   on how to correctly create a poll. See also question 09.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           32. How to Create a Poll Correctly.   
      
       To create a poll in BSO one should create an empty file NNNNMMMM.ilo,   
   NNNNMMMM.clo, NNNNMMMM.dlo or NNNNMMMM.flo. The filename consists of the   
   hexadecimal net number (first 4 characters), the hexadecimal node number   
   (the characters from 5 to 8), the dot, the flavor attribute character   
   (i = immediate, c = crash, d = direct, f = normal) and two characters "lo".   
      
       Certainly you should not create the file, if it already exists. Moreover   
   you should not overwrite it to avoid losing your mail.   
      
       The most universal command (it works under DOS, Windows, OS/2, UNIX   
   clones, CP/M and many others) is   
      
       cd . >>NNNNMMMM.flo   
      
       Such a command also works under DOS, Windows, OS/2:   
      
       type nul >>NNNNMMMM.flo   
      
       You may choose one of the following commands for UNIX clones:   
      
       touch NNNNMMMM.flo   
       echo -n "" >>NNNNMMMM.flo   
       >>NNNNMMMM.flo   
       cat /dev/null >>NNNNMMMM.flo   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           33. What Does the Number in Brackets in the Log Mean?   
      
       It is either PID (Process ID) in the multiprocess binkd versions (for   
   example, in the versions for UNIX-like OS), or TID (Thread ID) in the   
   multithreaded binkd versions (for example, in Windows versions).   
       The process (or the thread) number simplifies the log analysis: it   
   allows picking out messages from one binkd process (or thread). In   
   particular, it allows separating the messages from the different sessions.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           34. How to Configure binkd for sending outgoing mail?   
      
       You should configure your netmail packer in such a way that your mail   
   is packed to BSO (Binkley Style Outbound) packets. If you have not used   
   such a program before then you should install it. In some modem mailers the   
   possibility of packing netmail to BSO has been provided by their developers   
   (for example, in T-Mail starting with the version 2500).   
       See also the answer to question 18.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           35. What for Does One Need the "share" Directive in the Configuration   
   File?   
      
       Shared AKA is used for sending netmail to one of the alternative routes   
   and is your protection for the case when your netmail link goes down.  In   
   the sample configuration file   
      
       share 2:999/999 2:5020/52 2:5020/238   
      
   the uplinks are 2:5020/52 and 2:5020/238 with the shared AKA 2:999/999   
   added.  Then you configure packing netmail to 2:999/999 and binkd will send   
   it to one of the two uplinks, the session with which will occur earlier.   
   If there is no connection to 2:5020/52 the netmail will go to 2:5020/238.   
   If there is no connection to 2:5020/238 it will go to 2:5020/52. The   
   package addressee 2:999/999 will be replaced by the real one and the   
   package password will be set to the one of the real link.   
   Shared AKA is implemented in binkd 1.0 and above.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           36. What for Does One Need the "ftrans" Directive in the Configuration   
   File?   
      
       It is necessary for placing binkd and your tosser at different computers   
   in the net, when outbound resides at a net drive and the paths to it are   
   different. Moreover the tosser may run on a computer with FAT and the paths   
   of the d:\long\path\to type, and binkd may run on a UNIX machine with paths   
   of the /mnt/samba/wincomp1/path/to type.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           37. Why binkd in Windows Works As a Service With Admin Rights Only?   
      
       Information security manuals advise running each service with rights of a   
   separate user. But if one tries to do it for binkd, it will result in an error   
   and to get the correct result one has to change some settings. It is easier to   
   take binkd version 1.0-499 or later, where the rights needed for running binkd   
   are minimized. If you are using binkd 0.9.x, some additional tweaks are    
   necessary.   
       First of all only administrator can install and start a Windows service.   
   One may use Group Policy to give a user rights to install, start, stop and    
   uninstall a service. One may also use for that subinacl.exe utility which may    
   be downloaded from here:   
   http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23510   
       Secondly, when binkd 0.9.x works as a service, it needs a right to write   
   to the registry branch    
   HKLM\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\binkd-service\\parameters   
   (if you have chosen a special service name at the binkd service installation,   
   the chosen name with removed spaces will be there instead of "binkd-service").   
       So you may install the service using an administrative account and after    
   that you may edit the service settings in the System Services snap-in: set a   
   user (for example, 'fido') and a password. For binkd 0.9.x you also have to    
   allow editing the registry branch to 'fido' user. This can be done with the    
   help of registry editor or the above mentioned subinacl.exe.   
       To allow a user 'username' to start and stop binkd service with the name   
   'binkd-service' one may use the command:   
      
       subinacl /service binkd-service /grant=username=TO   
      
       For more details see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/288129/en-us and   
   http://tinyurl.com/kqnbpfu   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           38. Will Anybody Make Nodelist Support in binkd After All?   
      
       binkd is a daemon in which binkp protocol is implemented. It performs this   
   function only. It has no netmail scanning (AMA), chat, areafix and other    
   Fidonet thingies. Actually it can be used outside of Fidonet for batch file   
   transfer.   
       It is enough versatile to satisfy users' wants and wishes without necessity   
   to patch the source code and to rebuild binaries. Settings are defined in a   
   text configuration file and when it is not enough, Perl hooks can be used. In    
   fact it is a part of the configuration written in Perl. In such a way one may,   
   for example, store links and password information in MySQL or LDAP and perform   
   many other tricks.   
       Retrieving addresses from the nodelist is one of such functions which may   
   naturally be realized using Perl hooks. If some changes in the nodelist format   
   happen, it is not necessary to issue a new binkd version and update binkd at   
   all nodes. It is enough to change the Perl nodelist parsing function (i.e. in   
   fact in configuration file) leaving binkd binary the same.   
       If on the other hand there is a solid reason to parse the nodelist using   
   binkd itself (for instance, if your binkd works in a laundry washer which has    
   no Perl and using DDN is undesirable for some reason), and if someone sends   
   along a patch for parsing nodelist inside binkd, then with high probability   
   the patch will be applied and binkd will support nodelist natively.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           39. Does binkd Support non-ASCII Domain Names?   
      
       Yes, it does. In Windows such a domain name may be used directly in binkd   
   configuration file. In Linux and OS X it should be translated to Punycode   
   beforehand.   
      
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
      
           A1. I Have Found a Bug in binkd!   
      
       Try to refresh your binkd version (it is possible that the bug has   
   already been fixed).  If it did not help please write to developers:   
      
       binkd-bugs@happy.kiev.ua   
       Pavel Gulchouck 2:463/68   
      
       Mailing list binkd-dev@happy.kiev.ua   
      
       In your message please describe in detail the situation when the error   
   happens. Please do not forget to mention your binkd version and to cite a   
   piece of detailed log (loglevel more than 5).   
       The good general manual on composing bugreport was written by Sajmon   
   --- hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 21-02-18   
    * Origin: Moscow, Russia (2:5020/1042)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 50/109 103/705 154/10 203/0 221/0 6 226/17 229/200   
   SEEN-BY: 229/275 354 426 1014 240/5832 249/307 317 280/464 5003 5555   
   SEEN-BY: 292/854 310/31 342/200 393/68 396/45 423/120 463/68 712/848   
   SEEN-BY: 770/1 2452/250 5000/111 5001/100 5005/49 5019/40 5020/828   
   SEEN-BY: 5020/846 1042 2047 2140 4441 5053/54 57 58 5054/8 5064/56   
   SEEN-BY: 5080/68 102 5083/444 5090/958   
   PATH: 5020/1042 280/5555 464 229/426