FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO
 Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB, [email protected]
 v1.7, 08 December 2000

 This mini-HOWTO covers the installation and use of the most popular
 amateur packet-radio BBS software FBB. That software works under
 Linux, DOS and Windows operating systems. It serves as a bulletin
 board system (BBS), a mailbox for personal messages, a database for
 various texts, documents and binary files, a server for small useful
 calculations etc. Packet radio is a way of connecting computers via
 amateur radio stations.

 1.  INTRODUCTION

 I have been using FBB amateur radio software since early nineties. It
 was the time of DOS operating system, so most of us, system
 administrators (or, so called system operators - sysop's), used
 various packet radio software for DOS. Versions of FBB packet radio
 BBS software for DOS, today are known as DosFBB.


 I still administer one DosFBB database in the SRV (Amateur Radio Union
 of Vojvodina, a part of SRJ). It is DosFBB v7.00g23 that runs on a
 486DX computer with 16 MB of RAM and Hercules b/w graphics. Since last
 December, it runs without any re-boot (excepting some power failures).
 Before that, it was a bit tricky to set up all memory management
 properly, in order to avoid "frozen" system. Although this server runs
 under DOS, its "radio clients" don't depend on that. In fact, users of
 that DosFBB might run their client software under DOS, Windows, Linux
 or any other operating system that offer amateur packet radio
 abilities.


 Two years ago, after I got my new box, Pentium 166 with 32 MB of RAM
 and VGA color graphics, I switched to a Windows version of FBB (so
 called WinFBB). Author of the software, an radio amateur from France,
 Jean-Paul F6FBB, has made many versions of WinFBB, including 16 bit
 variant for Windows 3.x and Windows 9x as well as 32 bit variant for
 Windows NT. I have run both variants until now (at the moment it is 16
 bit WinFBB v7.00g25 that runs ok under Windows NT 4.0).


 The main difference between DosFBB and WinFBB is that the second one
 offers you to do other jobs with your computer, while FBB is running
 as just any other application. Beside that, it is always nice to copy
 a text from another application (for example, from an Internet email)
 and to paste it into a packet radio message.


 In the mean time, I upgraded my system to the Celeron 400 MHz with 96
 MB of RAM and a big hard disk that has enough room to install Linux
 and try LinFBB ...



 2.  INSTALLATION


 2.1.  How to install X11 (Xwindows) version of LinFBB


 �  First of all, you should have running Linux with a GUI installed. I
    am fully satisfied with Gnome GUI but I suppose that KDE will be ok
    too (or any other GUI available).


 �  Download or copy LinFBB (the main ftp site is ftp.f6fbb.org
    <http://ftp.f6fbb.org/> but there are many mirror sites too). For
    example, if you get a file like


      x700e_full.tgz



 it means that it is X11 version 7.00e and it contains all you need in
 tgz archive to install the BBS. On the other hand, a name like


      xd700g_full.tgz



 means that it is not X11 but daemon version 7.00g and it is also com�
 plete to unpack. Further,


      x700f01.tgz



 and


      x700g.tgz



 are "upgrades" to any previous "full" package.  For example, after I
 have upgraded to x700g.tgz I started to run X11 LinFBB 7.00g (04.
 August 1998).  BTW, X11 versions are not maintained anymore, so I
 still run it here. It has some bugs but I like it.



 �  Copy the archive file in /tmp directory.



 �  You have to make a "base" directory where your FBB will be
    installed. For example you may type: mkdir /usr/local/fbb if you
    want FBB to be there. You have to be logged as



 �  Then, you should locate yourself in that directory: cd
    /usr/local/fbb.



 �  Now, you should unpack the archive: tar xvzf /tmp/x700b25.tgz (<--
    use the right name of the archive here).



 �  When you finished unpacking the archive, you may continue
    installing the software: ./install.sh is the command for that. The
    setup will ask you for the 'base' directory where FBB will be
    installed. If you chose /usr/local/fbb again, you will be told that
    such directory already exists and all files will be overwritten. It
    is ok, so you should answer yes. If everything is ok, you should
    see on the screen that fbb system directories are created. At the
    beginning of that procedure, program will ask you for bbs's
    callsign, name of the city, QTH locator, your name etc. That
    details will become a part of /usr/local/fbb/init.srv file.



 �  After that, you MUST check this file again manually in order to fix
    some other details needed (because installation script does not fix
    all parts within that file).



 �  Well, so far - so good. After you have checked all configuration
    files, you may start the software: ./xfbb.sh (<-- type this within
    an xterm or something similar). When you start your BBS for the
    first time, it will ask you to create some files it needs, so you
    should answer "yes" to the questions.



 2.2.  How to install LinFBB in addition to existing WinFBB

 Notice: Folks, you see, at my place, I have a dual-boot system,
 consisting of Windows NT and Linux (each of them having their own
 partition(s) and file system). I wanted to have 'independent'
 operating systems that won't see each other. So I made two NT's
 partitions as NTFS partitions and rest of the space used Linux as ext2
 partitions.  Well, first I have installed WinFBB under NT and X11
 LinFBB under Linux. Both of them worked, but there was a big
 "problem": I could not share their system files. You might say: So,
 what a big deal.  But, my FBB's should serve as packet-radio
 forwarding stations (regardless of which one I boot at the moment), so
 it was really needed for new LinFBB to "know", for example, the
 position where WinFBB has stopped the mail exchange last time (and
 vice versa, of course).



 �  Well, in order to allow both WinFBB under Windows NT and LinFBB
    under Linux to use some common files, it is needed to put these
    files in a place where both operating systems can "see". So I do
    that by re-installing WinFBB onto a FAT (FAT16) partition that is
    recognized by NT and Linux too. The best way to do that is to
    install a "fresh" copy of WinFBB on a FAT partition and to copy
    complete "old" WinFBB from NTFS partition over the fresh
    installation (whenever you are asked to rewrite existing files, you
    should answer "yes").



 �  When that is finished, you should have a "clone" of the existing
    old WinFBB, but this time on the FAT partition that is visible from
    under Linux. Anyway, you should check if the "new" installation is
    able to run as the "old" one.



 �  I could also recommend you to check the file tree of WinFBB in
    order to become more familiar with it. The file tree of LinFBB is a
    bit different so it is advisable to note various details here and
    there.

 �  Some files can't be used as they are under both operating systems
    (without some neccesary changes). That's why some file names should
    be renamed (or, at least, you should make appropriate copies of
    some files):



            init.srv    ->  init_w.srv
            forward.sys ->  forw_w.sys
            port.sys    ->  port_w.sys
            protect.sys ->  prot_w.sys



 FBB is able to recognize and accept those renamed files.



 �  Make a backup of the actual WinFBB (I do this by copying the whole
    WinFBB file structure into the other Windows partition that won't
    be shared with Linux, like NTFS one). You'll never know when a
    catastrophe may happen, so as a result, you won't be able to start
    neither of WinFBB or new LinFBB. As a precaution, the backup might
    be the easiest way to recover at least the old WinFBB for a while
    (until you configure your new LinFBB, ok?).



 �  Now, you should restart your machine and boot into Linux. Log on as
    'root' or make 'su' from a user's account.



 �  Mount a shared FAT directory (where FBB files are): mount -t vfat
    /dev/hda2 /mnt/win (for example).



 �  Copy LinFBB archive to /tmp directory.



 �  Position yourself to the 'base' directory: cd /usr/local/fbb (for
    example).



 �  Unpack the archive: tar xvzf /tmp/filename.



 �  Start the installation script ./install.sh and, after asked for the
    'base' installation directory, chose /usr/local/fbb. It doesn't
    matter if the program warns you that such directory already exists
    so existing files will be overwritten (by the way, if you choose a
    mounted directory shared with NT, many original WinFBB files,
    located there, would be over-written by LinFBB files, so after
    returning to Windows, WinFBB might not be functional like before).



 �  Copy /usr/local/fbb to /mnt/win/fbb but do *not* rewrite existing
    files with the new files having the same names.



 �  Copy /mnt/win/fbb/init_w.srv to /mnt/win/fbb/init_l.srv file.



 �  Edit /mnt/win/fbb/init_l.srv to what is needed for Linux. You may
    use the existing file /mnt/win/fbb/init.srv as an example.



 �  Copy newly edited /mnt/win/fbb/init_l.srv over the
    /mnt/win/fbb/init.srv (if you do not do that, maybe you wouldn't be
    able to start LinFBB using ./xfbb.sh, like me at first).



 �  Copy /mnt/win/fbb/system/port_w.sys to
    /mnt/win/fbb/system/port_l.sys file.



 �  Edit /mnt/win/fbb/system/port_l.sys to what is needed for Linux and
    LinFBB. You may use the existing file /mnt/win/fbb/system/port.sys
    as an example.



 �  Edit /mnt/win/fbb/xfbb.sh in order to fix the right path.



 �  Ensure that you are in FBB's main directory: cd /mnt/win/fbb (for
    example).



 �  Start the script ./xfbb.sh to run LinFBB.  If everything is ok,
    your LinFBB under Linux should run with the same configuration as
    your "old" WinFBB under Windows. From this point, both FBB's should
    behave very similar (actually, I must admit that WinFBB has much
    better visual quality than X11 LinFBB, but probably the reasons for
    that you may find in Windows-vs.-Linux-GUI quality battles). FYI,
    my actual WinFBB is v7.00g25 (05. January 2000) and X11 LinFBB is
    v7.00g (04.August 1998).



 2.3.  How to install Protus password utility

 Notice: Well, I have been using Protus connection filters for a long
 time now. At first, it was version 3.1/1.2 for DosFBB515c and, later,
 version 3.3 for Dos/WinFBB700.  I have found Protus as very useful
 utility because of its implementation of BBS-to-BBS forwarding
 protection using MD2 algorythm.  One of the reasons I am going to
 cover Protus in this document is a fact that its author haven't made a
 manual in english yet. I keep trying to translate the original manuals
 from spanish into english, but it is a hard process. Any good
 'spanish-to-english' translator is welcomed to contact me:
 [email protected].



 Protus offers several interesting features:



 �  It can send a presentation message to all users, informing about
    possibility to make users' access more safe,



 �  It can send messages to users who have normal access, informing
    about utility's existence,



 �  It can send messages to users who have no valid access (before
    disconnecting them),



 �  It can send messages to new users who have connected the BBS for
    the first time, informing them about the password utility.



 �  It can send messages to users who have entered wrong password
    (before disconnecting them),



 �  It can inform sysop about almost everything related to users'
    connections (new user on the system, unsuccessful connections etc),



 �  Messages mentioned above could be translated into various languages
    and used similarly as various language files that FBB uses,



 �  Messages mentioned above could be different for different BBS
    ports,



 �  Protus could be activated/deactivated at various intervals of time
    using CRON.SYS system file,



 �  Passwords could be managed remotely, using an external server,
    developed by Jose EB5IVB,



 �  ...



 Well, let's see what should be done in order to implement secure
 access to the FBB packet radio BBS, using Protus type of c_filter:



 �  Users of Dos/WinFBB versions of Protus already know that it is
    needed to create a new directory \FBB\PROTUS where several *.PRT
    files should be placed. In addition, the main C_FILT*.DLL files
    should be copied into \FBB\BIN as well as a couple of "system",
    (i.e. config) *.PRT files that are going to be within \FBB\SYSTEM
    directory.



 �  After the sysop has copied all files into the proper locations, it
    is needed to make some configuration. The most important files are
    two "system" ones: CONFIG.PRT and USERS.PRT that should be
    carefully adopted to any particular situation. Other *.PRT files
    will work as they are in original, but they might be translated
    because they are originated in spanish (those files are just
    textual information that are sent to users who connect to the BBS).
    For your information, I usualy don't care much about, because my
    BBS's are so called "open systems". It means they work quite normal
    for all users in the same way as they worked before implementing
    Protus.  Only a couple of callsigns have password installed and,
    when connecting, they know what they are doing, so, they don't need
    any additional info. Your mileage may vary.



 �  So far - so good. When everything mentioned is done, you have to
    restart your FBB in order for Protus utility to be activated. In
    all connections to your BBS (including console), you should see a
    line like this: {PROTUS-4.0} just after a line
    [FBB-7.00-AB1FHMRX$]. It only gives an information that Protus is
    active on the system. Users of your system who don't have their
    passwords, connect just normally as before.  Users who's callsigns
    have password implemented, are prompted for password just after
    their connections.  roman }


 �  The author of Protus, Jesus EB5AGF, has made several working
    "modes" of its utility. It is possible for users to get various
    kinds of security: a fixed phrase as a password (similar when you
    connect to the Internet via telephone line, but this way the phrase
    can be masqueraded within the longer answer); a changeable answer
    to the 5 numbers (just like usual FBB sysop's password); a mode
    that uses automatic answer from user's client packet programs;
    implementation of MD2 and MD5 algorythms; FBB-to-FBB automatic
    forward protection etc. FYI, my WinFBB is equipped with 16-bit
    Protus 4.0 (13. August 1999).  There is also a 32-bit module of the
    same date that would be called from within 32-bit WinFBB (I haven't
    tested those two).



 �  Well, the situation regarding working location of Protus files
    under LinFBB is somewhat different.  I have become familiar to the
    directory structure that DosFBB and WinFBB versions of Protus have
    been using, so I considered that it was enough just to copy the
    same directory structure when I started the installation of Protus
    under LinFBB.  It was wrong. After having pulled out the remaining
    hair, the things started to work, so, now I am going to tell you
    what to do.



 �  I have already told you that I have been running here both WinFBB
    under Windows NT and LinFBB under Linux (see also Linux+WinNT mini-
    HOWTO and Lilo mini-HOWTO). That means all Protus stuff has already
    been installed in a way WinFBB has required, except Linux
    executable of c_filter file. I put that file into /fbb/bin
    directory and, after the next restart of LinFBB, I got the info
    mentioned above: {PROTUS-4.0}. But the password protection was not
    likely to work.  I was told to make a new directory
    /var/ax25/fbb/protus and put *.prt files there. I didn't move *.PRT
    files from \FBB\PROTUS but copied them into the new location,
    because I wanted Protus to run further under WinFBB as before. The
    utility still didn't want to run, unless I copied also *.PRT files
    from \FBB\SYSTEM to the new location (/var/ax25/fbb/protus). After
    I did that, Protus became fully functional.



 �  Well, I suppose, the above info would be useful for those of you
    who intend to run *both* Windows and Linux FBB's on the same
    machine.  For the majority of LinFBB-only users, it is just
    important to make /var/ax25/fbb/protus where all *.prt files should
    be placed. Only c_filter executable should go to /fbb/bin and
    that's it.



 �  About FBB-to-FBB protection: *both* partners have to install
    Protus. Password for the forwarding partner's callsign must be the
    same at *both* sides of the link. The versions of Protus don't need
    to be the same (neither the versions of FBB, neither the operating
    systems, HI!). Anyway, MD5 algorythm will only work if both parties
    have Protus 4.x and above (I still don't use that, but it is not a
    problem, because my two boxes, DosFBB/Protus3.3 and
    WinFBB/LinFBB/Protus4.0, make all things ok with MD2).



 �  One of the interesting features of Protus is to log unsuccessful
    connections. Due to the different locations of *.prt files here, I
    have separate logs for WinFBB and LinFBB c_filtering.  Those of you
    who are going to run only one version of FBB, will have one
    complete log of connection errors, your users make when they try
    connecting your BBS.



 �  As it was told earlier, if you implemented password protection for
    only some of your users (but not for all of them who connect
    normally) - your system is considered as an "open" one. It means
    that will be logged only unsuccessful tries to enter the system by
    "protected" callsigns. But, if you decided that your BBS can be
    accessed by only those callsigns who are protected with Protus, it
    means that your system is the "closed" one.  Then, there is no way
    a user could enter your FBB unless its callsign has given a
    password within your Protus. Any unauthorized try to connect your
    BBS is logged.



 �  In addition, you may decide to have a "guest" access or a "read-
    only" as default for some ports and/or for users who enter the
    wrong password.  Many combinations are possible. You could even
    password protect your own FBB console!



 �  To finish with this topic for now, just to inform you that my X11
    LinFBB is equipped with Protus v4.1b7 (15. February 2000). It has
    some minor bugs, for example, it logs incoming connections with a
    SSID of -48 if a user doesn't have a SSID at all (of course, a SSID
    of -0 would be expectible in such case).

    }



 2.4.  How to install daemon version of LinFBB

 Notice: You see, folks, that I keep trying to get as many as possible
 versions of this great software (Jean-Paul, F6FBB, must be very proud
 after reading these words now). What I think when mention "as many as
 possible versions" means that we have learned how to get both WinFBB
 and LinFBB for X11 on the same computer. But, that's not all. There is
 a variety of daemon versions of LinFBB. In this section we are going
 to discuss how to *add* a daemon LinFBB to the existing two: X11
 LinFBB and WinFBB!



 �  Well, many amateurs suggested me to install some packages that
    looked to me as not too much needed for LinFBB itself - to be run.
    Anyway, I have installed those packages before the installation of
    LinFBB daemon version itself:



            libax25.rpm
            ax25apps.rpm
            ax25tool.rpm



 �  Now it is the right time to install fbbsrv.rpm package. The archive
    is composed to make its own directories, as "base" directories. The
    last new daemon version to start with, that I managed to find as a
    .rpm package, was 7.01f Release 4 (09. December 1999).



 �  A file fbb.conf, that serves as the replacement for init.srv, is
    located in the following location: /etc/ax25/fbb.conf



 �  Unless you are going to install daemon-only system, you should make
    a backup of the existing following files:



            dirmes.sys
            etat.sys
            heard.bin
            inf.sys
            statis.dat
            tpstat.sys



 �  Now you have to edit /etc/ax25/fbb.conf and change some paths in
    case you already have X11 LinFBB installed on a different path.
    Here you have some examples that cover my particular situation...



 �  Directory of data files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb, should be
    /mnt/win/fbb/system



 �  Directory of config files, instead of /etc/ax25/fbb, should be
    /mnt/win/fbb/system



 �  Directory of message files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb/mail, should
    be /mnt/win/fbb/mail



 �  Directory of compressed files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb/binmail,
    should be /mnt/win/fbb/binmail



 �  Directory of users, instead of .../home/fbbdos/..., should be
    .../mnt/win/fbb/users... (<-- case you don't mind that both your
    WinFBB and LinFBB users handle the same location for users' files)



 �  Directory of YAPP files, instead of /home/fbbdos/yapp, should be
    /mnt/win/fbb/users/yapp (<-- the same reason as above)



 �  Directory of documentation files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb/docs,
    should be /mnt/win/fbb/docs



 �  Directory of pg programs, instead of /usr/local/pg, should be
    /mnt/win/fbb/pg



 �  Path and filename for import file, instead of C:\FBB\MAIL.IN should
    be /mnt/win/fbb/mail.in



 �  Now you have to edit /usr/sbin/xfbb.sh and change some paths in
    case you already have running X11 version of LinFBB on a different
    path. Here you have an example that cover my particular
    situation...



 �  Base directory of XFBB software, instead of /var/ax25/fbb, should
    be /mnt/win/fbb



 �  So far - so good. Now it is the time to start LinFBB daemon. The
    command for that is in the location: /usr/sbin/xfbb.sh and it may
    be executed within an xterm. If everything is OK, you should get
    several system messages on your screen, ending with something like:
            xfbbC/X server running ...
            xfbbd ready and running ...



 �  Well, daemon itself can't be used to access the BBS so it is needed
    to activate a client that is /usr/sbin/xfbbC. It has a couple of
    parameters (a callsign/password pairs that are stored in
    /fbb/passwd.sys). Note that xfbbC can also be activated within
    another xterm.



 �  If you are like me, you would like to activate one more xterm with
    xfbbC in a way to monitor your radio frequency. If you have enough
    room on your screen, you may place all three xterm windows side by
    side.



 �  When you finish your xfbbC console session, it is suitable to use
    the same xterm to eventually stop the daemon. First of all, with
    the command ps ax you should locate PIDs of xfbb.sh shell and
    daemon itself, that you may kill after that.



 2.5.  How to install an "upgrade" to daemon version of LinFBB

 Notice: Well, the main trouble I have discovered with 7.01f daemon was
 the absence of Protus c_filter protection. As I told you before,
 Protus is a "third-party" product, so it might have some problems with
 the compatibility to LinFBB itself. Anyway, it is also possible that a
 daemon version of LinFBB has some special requirements over some
 "third-party" software.



 �  I also noticed that my version of Protus was newer than the version
    of daemon LinFBB I had at first. Beside that, some hams, as well as
    F6FBB himself, have suggested me to upgrade LinFBB. I have also
    found a "problem" that I am still new in compiling Linux software,
    so, I'd rather look for pre-compiled packages to install easily.



 �  Jose, HI8GN, has offered daemon LinFBB v7.02g as a .rpm package
    (18. September 2000). I got it from his site:
    http://hi8gn.dynip.com/indice.html
    <http://hi8gn.dynip.com/indice.html>. But, when I tried to install
    it over the previous version 7.01f, it complained about some
    existing LinFBB files.



 �  Then I had to de-install the old package, after what some config
    files remained as .rpmsave files. It was nice, so I could use them
    to update my new-installed config files.



 �  Btw, the installation of Jose's package was performed without
    problems, but the new daemon was not likely to run as I expected,
    although I tried to configure it as best as I could. So, I have
    decided to make copies of new xfbbd and xfbbC from 7.02g package
    and *de-install* the rest of its .rpm, in order to install the
    previous version of LinFBB once again - the version that I was
    satisfied with.



 �  So far - so good. The "old" 7.01f version was installed again and
    tested one more time to be sure it was ok. Then, I just copied the
    previously saved executables from the new package, over the "old"
    executables. In a couple of minutes, the new daemon LinFBB v7.02g
    has come in place and function. Comments...?



 �  Well, the new daemon is likely to check for some more directories
    than the older version (mostly regarding 7plus operations). Next,
    its xfbbC console client looks better than the previous version.
    But, I still miss xfbbX client, that I have found not functional.
    I hope it will be fixed soon. Finally, Protus c_filter utility is
    active too.



 �  An interesting question might be: is that now a really upgraded
    LinFBB daemon or not? Actually, I haven't changed the "old" script
    xfbbd.sh with the new one, because during the first tests with the
    new one I was getting lots of error messages.  Looks that the
    directory structure was a bit complicated for me to set properly
    within the new version of xfbbd.sh.  In addition, there are still
    some mysterious messages telling that m_filter has not been found
    or something like that.  The next tasks are to solve these issues.



 3.  FURTHER INFORMATION


 3.1.  Copyright

 Copyright is a source of much and continuous debate on the LDP mailing
 list. For more in depth information please consult the Manifesto at
 the LinuxDoc <http://www.linuxdoc.org/> site. The purpose of having a
 license is to allow appropriate distribution. You can use any license
 that meets the Manifesto. What follows is a boilerplatte license.

 Copyright (c) 2000 by Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB.

 Please freely copy and distribute (sell or give away) this document in
 any format. It is requested that corrections and/or comments be
 forwarded to the document maintainer. You may create a derivative work
 and distribute it provided that you:


 �  Send your derivative work (in the most suitable format such as
    sgml) to the LDP (Linux Documentation Project) or the like for
    posting on the Internet. If not the LDP, then let the LDP know
    where it is available.

 �  License the derivative work with this same license or use GPL.
    Include a copyright notice and at least a pointer to the license
    used.

 �  Give due credit to previous authors and major contributors.

 If you're considering making a derived work other than a translation,
 it's requested that you discuss your plans with the current
 maintainer.


 3.2.  Disclaimer


 Use the information in this document at your own risk. I disavow any
 potential liability of this document. Use of the concepts, examples,
 and/or other content of this document is entirely at your own risk.

 All copyrights are owned by their owners, unless specifically noted
 otherwise. Use of a term in this document should not be regarded as
 affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

 Naming of particular products or brands should not be seen as
 endorsements.

 You are strongly recommended to take a backup of your system before
 major installation and backups at regular intervals.


 3.3.  News


 This is not the first release of this mini-HOWTO. I hope to improve it
 whenever possible. Beside that, there are other documents that may
 help you to use amateur radio stuff on your computer. You may look for
 AX.25 (mini-)HOWTO at the same location where you get FBB mini-HOWTO.

 This mini-HOWTO would be improved from time to time. If you think that
 the HOWTO on your Linux installation CD is some out-of-date, you may
 check for newest release on the Internet. It could be found within the
 main Linux Documentation Project <http://www.linuxdoc.org/> homepage.


 3.4.  Credits

 This version of mini-HOWTO can thanks to:



      Jean-Paul Roubelat, F6FBB, the author of FBB.
      Per Olsen, LA6CU, the author of FBB documentation.
      Jesus R., EB5AGF, the author of Protus.
      Jose Marte, HI8GN, the packager of 7.02g package.



 Any comments or suggestions can be mailed to my email address:
 [email protected].


 3.5.  HOWTO

 These are intended as the primary starting points to get the
 background information as well as show you how to solve a specific
 problem.  Some relevant HOWTOs are Bootdisk, Installation,  SCSI and
 UMSDOS.  The main site for these is the LDP archive
 <http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/> at Metalab (formerly known as Sunsite).



 3.6.  Mini-HOWTO

 These are the smaller free text relatives to the HOWTOs.  Some
 relevant mini-HOWTOs are Backup-With-MSDOS, Diskless, LILO, Large
 Disk, Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2, Linux+OS2+DOS, Linux+Win95, Linux+WinNT,
 Linux+NT-Loader, NFS-Root, Win95+Win+Linux, ZIP Drive, FBB packet-
 radio BBS.  You can find these at the same place as the HOWTOs,
 usually in a sub directory called mini. Note that these are scheduled
 to be converted into SGML and become proper HOWTOs in the near future.


 3.7.  Local Resources

 In most distributions of Linux there is a document directory
 installed, have a look in the /usr/doc directory.  where most packages
 store their main documentation and README files etc.  Also you will
 here find the HOWTO archive ( /usr/doc/HOWTO) of ready formatted
 HOWTOs and also the mini-HOWTO archive ( /usr/doc/HOWTO/mini
 <file:///usr/doc/HOWTO/mini>) of plain text documents.

 Many of the configuration files mentioned earlier can be found in the
 /etc directory. In particular you will want to work with the
 /etc/fstab file that sets up the mounting of partitions and possibly
 also /etc/mdtab file that is used for the md system to set up RAID.

 The kernel source in /usr/src/linux <file:///usr/src/linux> is, of
 course, the ultimate documentation. In other words, use the source,
 Luke.  It should also be pointed out that the kernel comes not only
 with source code which is even commented (well, partially at least)
 but also an informative documentation directory
 <file:///usr/src/linux/Documentation>.  If you are about to ask any
 questions about the kernel you should read this first, it will save
 you and many others a lot of time and possibly embarrassment.

 Also have a look in your system log file ( /var/log/messages) to see
 what is going on and in particular how the booting went if too much
 scrolled off your screen. Using tail -f /var/log/messages in a
 separate window or screen will give you a continuous update of what is
 going on in your system.

 You can also take advantage of the /proc file system that is a window
 into the inner workings of your system.  Use cat rather than more to
 view the files as they are reported as being zero length. Reports are
 that less works well here.


 3.8.  Web Pages

 There is a huge number of informative web pages out there and by their
 very nature they change quickly so don't be too surprised if these
 links become quickly outdated.

 A good starting point is of course the Linux Documentation Project
 <http://www.linuxdoc.org/> home page, an information central for
 documentation, project pages and much, much more.

 Please let me know if you have any other leads that can be of
 interest.



 4.  GETTING HELP


 In the end you might find yourself unable to solve your problems and
 need help from someone else. The most efficient way is either to ask
 someone local or in your nearest Linux user group, search the web for
 the nearest one.

 Another possibility is to ask on Usenet News in one of the many, many
 newsgroups available. The problem is that these have such a high
 volume and noise (called low signal-to-noise ratio) that your question
 can easily fall through unanswered.

 No matter where you ask it is important to ask well or you will not be
 taken seriously. Saying just my disk does not work is not going to
 help you and instead the noise level is increased even further and if
 you are lucky someone will ask you to clarify.

 Instead describe your problems in some detail that will enable people
 to help you. The problem could lie somewhere you did not expect.
 Therefore you are advised to list up the following information on your
 system:


    Hardware

    �  Processor

    �  DMA

    �  IRQ

    �  Chip set (LX, BX etc)

    �  Bus (ISA, VESA, PCI etc)

    �  Expansion cards used (Disk controllers, video, IO etc)


    Software

    �  BIOS (On motherboard and possibly SCSI host adapters)

    �  LILO, if used

    �  Linux kernel version as well as possible modifications and
       patches

    �  Kernel parameters, if any

    �  Software that shows the error (with version number or date)


    Peripherals

    �  Type of disk drives with manufacturer name, version and type

    �  Other relevant peripherals connected to the same busses


 Remember that booting text is logged to /var/log/messages which can
 answer most of the questions above. Obviously if the drives fail you
 might not be able to get  the log saved to disk but you can at least
 scroll back up the screen using the SHIFT and PAGE UP keys. It may
 also be useful to include part of this in your request for help but do
 not go overboard, keep it brief as a complete log file dumped to
 Usenet News is more than a little annoying.

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