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  • #1

    BBS Doors

    I am attempting to learn how to program doors.. somthing I never learned
    when they were popular .. but regardless... I have seen the Door library on
    the PB website however I was wondering if anyone remembers how doors work..
    I may be in the wrong news group... but going to a doors news group has
    proved to be futile...

    so does anyone know how a door works.. conceptually... IE how does the door
    once it is opened redirect data to the com port .. and vica versa

    thanks for taking the time out to answer this question
    Thomas



    ------------------
    Sr. Software Development Engineer and Sr. Information Security Analyst,
    CEH, Digital Forensic Examiner
    Tags: None
  • #2
    I think you have missed the mark by about 6 years. The bbs scene took a tumble when the internet gained wide popularity. Doors worked in several ways. Serial i/o was handled by many doors from code within the door program. Others used int14h "fossil" drivers for serial i/o. Door libraries seem to become popular just before the big bbs crash. Doors typically had a configuration file which contained information the door needed to locate the bbs door system files such as ibbsdoor.sys or pbcoard.sys.

    Why are you looking into writing bbs doors?

    Comment

    • #3
      well for one reason.. I have developed an automated system for
      re-imaging machines, installing software, and running a suite of
      internally developed QA tests against those same machines. Now,
      I could use a web page to enter tests for a QA tester at home via VPN
      but I would prefer to use telnet.. and since I own the bbs software
      I felt the easiest way was to write a door to launch those tests.

      so..
      when the door is launched how does it negotiate a connection to the modem?
      do I parse door.sys and then open the com port?
      IE COMM OPEN "COM1" AS #fnum
      and then just start sending info through?

      Thanks



      ------------------
      Sr. Software Development Engineer and Sr. Information Security Analyst,
      CEH, Digital Forensic Examiner

      Comment

      • #4
        I wrote a door program called BBSDOwn!, and one called INter-Sceptre.

        With PBDos (assuming that's what you are using, or PB/CC, either way).

        Here's how it worked for my proggies.

        A) Detect Ring
        B) Answer modem
        C) Gave user a choice
        D) User pressed option
        E) Shell out to run the app.....THIS Is where it gets tricky for PBDOS.

        The doors are expecting DTR to be raised already, connection active.
        The BBS drops a door file (Hence the word DROP), the DROPfile is dropped in a "Doors" folder.
        The INI file for the DOOR has to be set to that folder, it goes out and opens it's specific brand, the BBS was set in it's batch file to DROP that specific type of drop file, ie DOORINFOx.SYS or whatever (DOOR.SYS).

        So, now the DOOR has an active path, opens the file, figures out what com port hte app SHOULD be on, and does a COM OPEN basically.


        THis is in a nutshell, there are variables and minor issues etc.

        *IF* you are using PBDos, you will LIKELY need UltraShell to do this, seems I ran very short on conventional memory after my app started getting above 80k....
        Then, major isuse wiht DOS that only showed itself while using UltraShell (Not an Ultrashell issue however) is that the memory would get corrupted upon returning from the shell or hte line would drop or garbage would appear...

        Wow, this is hard to remember all of this stuff, been so long...

        Bottom line, when that COM port is opened by the BBS or whatever application, it has to be opened in one specific manner to leave DTR high. I will dig code up later if it's PBDOS you are working with...


        The program gets the parameters, opens the com port and goes to town....


        Now then, Hot TCP connections is the latest "DOOR" craze, I have not had tiem to play with that however, someone else up here was though...


        [email protected] is my email (still a die hard BBS guy, still got The Night Gallery BBS machine poised to go into action)...except via Netmodem32 and telnet through a java applet....




        ------------------
        Scott Turchin
        MCSE, MCP+I
        Computer Creations Software
        http://www.tngbbs.com/ccs
        Scott Turchin
        MCSE, MCP+I
        http://www.tngbbs.com
        ----------------------
        True Karate-do is this: that in daily life, one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice. -Gichin Funakoshi

        Comment

        • #5
          I hope that made sense:

          BBS drps file, batch file for door knows what type and where to find this file and passes it as a parameter or set in door's ini file.

          Now door knows where to get the info, reads it, opens THAT com port.

          Possible problem arising, PB/CC is 32 bit, if you do an asynchronous shell you will be continuing to run while in the door program, hence use WaitForSingleObject or something....

          Love to see what you are working on...

          Also, I have some GREAT PBDos code, I wrote PBComm years ago, but BBS's were a dying breed at that point so I pulled the release after 6 months or so...

          Oh those were the good old days....but I guess these are the good old days now too, just not as exciting in my opinion...hehe....


          Email me, I will send you some of my comm routines for PB 3.5 if you like....I had full ansi emulation (Sorta cheated, shows screen locally then transmits it...) but I have a host of functions good for PBDos...
          In fact some of those are actually porting over pretty easily....



          ------------------
          Scott Turchin
          MCSE, MCP+I
          Computer Creations Software
          http://www.tngbbs.com/ccs
          Scott Turchin
          MCSE, MCP+I
          http://www.tngbbs.com
          ----------------------
          True Karate-do is this: that in daily life, one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice. -Gichin Funakoshi

          Comment

          • #6
            I think the big thing is I am using Wildcat 5.4.449
            and W2k, I wrote a small utility using the freeware door
            library on PB and it looked great however it wouldnt send
            any key strokes, this had me baffled.. I used a few other
            door libs and I got the same problem...
            any Idea?
            thanks


            ------------------
            Sr. Software Development Engineer and Sr. Information Security Analyst,
            CEH, Digital Forensic Examiner

            Comment

            • #7
              thomas,

              re: http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pb...read.php?t=585 - please do not crosspost.

              thanks!

              ------------------
              lance
              powerbasic support
              mailto:[email protected][email protected]</a>
              Lance
              mailto:[email protected]

              Comment

              • #8
                You will find some candy in the source code forum to help you with these doors....

                That opening of COM had the ,DT on it if I recall, to keep it active when shelling etc...

                Anyway there is a lot of stuff there, let me know if you do not understand any of it.


                Scott

                ------------------
                Scott Turchin
                MCSE, MCP+I
                Computer Creations Software
                http://www.tngbbs.com/ccs
                Scott Turchin
                MCSE, MCP+I
                http://www.tngbbs.com
                ----------------------
                True Karate-do is this: that in daily life, one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice. -Gichin Funakoshi

                Comment

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