Dec 152017
 
Procomm BBS mail Lantastic Mail Gateway -- MAILROOM v-1.5.
File MAIL15.ZIP from The Programmer’s Corner in
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Procomm BBS mail Lantastic Mail Gateway — MAILROOM v-1.5.
File Name File Size Zip Size Zip Type
AUTO2.ASP 745 401 deflated
AUTOMAIL.ASP 6740 2595 deflated
MAILLST.EXE 20803 11154 deflated
MAILRM.EXE 37069 20100 deflated
MAILROOM.BAT 461 268 deflated
MANUAL.DOC 41859 11977 deflated
SENDMAIL.EXE 29132 15998 deflated

Download File MAIL15.ZIP Here

Contents of the MANUAL.DOC file





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Use Agreement

This software may be freely used for non commercial and
educational purposes. Any programs which use part or all of
this software must be provided in source form with this
notice intact except by written permission from James A.
Littlefield, Littlefield Associates.

If you find MAILROOM useful please register your copy
by sending $20.00 to the address below. Registration
entitles you to source code with extensive comments and
notification of future enhancements and upgrades.

James A. Littlefield, Jr.
c/o Dr. James Littlefield
RR2 Box 88
Cornish, NH 03745













































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Limitation of Liability

This code is made available in the hope it will be useful,
BUT WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND OR LIABILITY FOR ANY
DAMAGES OF ANY KIND.

























































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Trademarks
PROCOMM, PROCOMM Plus, and Intuitive Communications are
registered trademarks of Datastorm Technologies Inc.
LANtastic is a registered trademark of Artisoft Corp.


























































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MAILROOM ver 1.5 Documentation


1. Overview _ - _ What _ MAILROOM _ Can _ Do

The MAILROOM (mailrm.exe) program, its associated
utilities and PROCOMM Aspect script files are designed to
provide a solution to electronic mail sharing between remote
users (via PROCOMM) and network users (via Artisoft's
LANtastic). PROCOMM provides a mail system that allows
remote users to connect and leave mail for other PROCOMM
users. LANtastic provides similar features to local area
network users via the network mail system. MAILROOM
provides a linkage between the PROCOMM e-mail system and the
network mail system. Remote users can leave mail either for
other remote users or for network users. In a similar
manner, network users can direct mail across the network to
other net users or (via MAILROOM) to the PROCOMM e-mail
system where the messages will be picked up by the intended
recipient remote user the next time they log in.

MAILROOM was developed as an 'add on' utility program
without explicit support from either Datastorm or Artisoft.
The basic objectives of the development were to provide
reasonable functionality with a small program that is easy
to setup and use. In keeping with this philosopy, MAILROOM
requires no user input once it has been invoked. Screen
display is fairly brief... MAILROOM provides most of its
feedback by mailing a status message to the network system
administrator. This lack of extensive user interaction
makes MAILROOM an ideal tool which can easily be embedded in
batch files or called from other C programs.

MAILROOM has been tested with a LANtastic NOS version
3.x and 4.0 with both the Artisoft 2Mb adapter cards and
with third party ethernet cards. The program has worked
successfully with PROCOMM and PROCOMM Plus v. 2.01.

1.1 New _ Features _ - _ ver _ 1.4

This version of mailrm.exe provides a number of new
features and some revisions to the command structure
designed to increase ease of use and increase compatibility
with batch files.

- Reduced number of required command line arguments

- Increase number and flexibility of command line
parameters













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- Optional 'status letters' will be mailed to the
LANtastic user "sysop" if one is found.

- mailrm may be configured to leave 'return receipt' mail
for PROCOMM users informing them of the data and time
of mail forwarding onto the network.

- A quite mode has been added. This mode suppresses all
mailrm generated screen printouts (but will not
suppress any error messages generated by the NET MAIL
command). Generally, provided serious errors are not
encountered this will allow mailrm to run without
updating the screen.

- PROCOMM mail system file maint. utilities have been
included. Mailrm uses one bit (hopefully unused by
others) to keep track of which messages have been
forwarded to the network and which haven't. Mailrm now
includes features which allow this bit to be
set/cleared for ALL messages in the PROCOMM message
database.

1.2 New _ Features _ - _ ver _ 1.5

Version 1.5 provides several bug fixes and one major
new feature not present in ver. 1.4.

- MAILROOM Execution Status Messages: Version 1.4
incorrectly mailed the status messages to network
userid "SYSOP" instead of looking in the alias file and
properly resolving the name "SYSOP" to a valid network
user id. This has been corrected in v1.5.

- MAILROOM will not generate any status mail messages
when it runs and does not forward any mail in either
direction. This feature was implemented to prevent
large amounts of essentially useless network mail to
the sysop in those cases where mailrm is invoked from a
timed script file.

- If the return receipt option is enabled, private
messages to network users will cause private return
receipts to be generated.

- Two aspect script files, automail.asp and auto2.asp,
have been provided to implement mail forwarding more
promptly and with less burden on the sysop. These
scripts will automatically run mailrm.exe at various
times depending on the script used and the system
configuration. auto2.asp is a very simple script which
enters PROCOMM host mode and then once host mode is











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terminated runs the contents of the DOS batch file,
mailroom.bat. Automail.asp is a more complex script
capable of invoking mailrm.exe both after each caller
AND at regular time intervals. In addition to being
convenient both scripts solve a signficant problem with
mailrm/PROCOMM interaction. Since PROCOMM keeps the
mail database files (pcplus.hdr, pcplus.msg,
pcplus.usr) open while it is in host mode, any changes
to the lengths of these files by mailrm can result in
corrupted mail. Automail.asp and auto2.asp only run
mailrm when PROCOMM is not in host mode and thus avoid
the problem. With the capabilities of automail.asp, it
is no longer necessary for the sysop to manually invoke
mailrm at specific times.

- Net to Remote Mail Forwarding: This version of mailrm
adds the ability to forward mail from network users
onto the PROCOMM mail system. When invoked with proper
command line arguments, mailrm will scan the queue
files on a designated server. For each valid (non-
voice) mail file, mailrm will examine the first line of
the queued file for a special header line containing
routing information. If this line is found, the file
is forwarded to the PROCOMM mail system and deleted
from the network mail queue. If the routing
information in the header line does not identify a
valid PROCOMM user then an appropriate message is
returned to the network user who originally sent the
mail.

- Mail Suppression: Version 1.5ai (and later) allows
PROCOMM mail to certain users to be suppressed from
forwarding onto the network. This feature is useful
when a remote user has no account on the network but
should still be able to receive mail from network users
and also communicate with other remote users via the
PROCOMM mail system.

- Fewer Required Arguments: Version 1.5b (and later) no
longer requires a server argument. When the "-s"
option is used, mailrm will try to use the selected
server. If no server is specified, mailrm will use the
server name fetched from the network adapter's server
name table at location 0. Normally this will be the
first server logged into. This feature means that
mailrm can now be run with no command line options
assuming that the default file names are correct. Note
however that running mailrm without any argument will
forward mail ONLY from the PROCOMM mail system to the
network. The "-n" option is still required to perform
forwarding from the network mail system to the PROCOMM











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mail system.


2. GLOSSARY

Remote _ User

A remote user is someone who accesses the electronic
mail system (and file transfer procedures) via a telephone
line, modem, and PROCOMM software. Generally PROCOMM
assigns a REMOTE USER ID to each remote user to identify
that user at login and to properly route electronic mail
to/from that user.

Net _ User

A net user is someone who shares computer resources,
including electronic mail, via Artisoft's LANtastic local
area network products. Each net user also has a network
user id. This user id identifies the user at login,
provides a mechanism for various types of access control,
and allows proper routing of e-mail among network users.

E-mail

E-mail or Electronic mail is message traffic which is
transmitted, stored, and viewed electronically. In general
each electronic mail item (or message) consists of at
minimum a sender id (who sent the mail), a recipient id (who
is to receive the mail), and body text (ie the rest of the
letter).

Mail _ Server

A mail server is a computer on the LANtastic network
which maintains the network mail database. Net users can
send and receive mail by logging into the mail server and
invoking various NET commands. Any network based e-mail
transactions will involve a mail server.

PROCOMM _ Node

This document identifies the machine running the
PROCOMM software as the PROCOMM Node. For successful mail
forwarding this node must be attached to the LANtastic
network and must be capable of logging into the mail server.
The PROCOMM node may be either a workstation, a server, or
both on the LANtastic network. It is also possible to have
the PROCOMM node and the mail server be the same machine.













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3. Files _ Included _ with _ Release _ 1.5c

- mailrm.exe - executable file which performs the mail
forwarding function

- automail.asp - PROCOMM aspect script file to
automatically run mailrm.exe after each remote user and
at preset time intervals

- auto2.asp - Simple PROCOMM aspect script to
automatically run mailrm.exe after each remote user

- maillst.exe - Support program to create a mail alias
file template based on the contents of the PROCOMM
user database.

- manual.doc - This documentation

- mailroom.bat - Sample batch file. This batch file
illustrates the steps necessary to run mailrm.exe and
is also invoked automatically by the automail and auto2
scripts.

- sendmail.exe - Utility to assist network users with
sending mail to PROCOMM users.


4. MAILRM _ Execution _ Environment

Mailrm needs access to a number of resources for proper
operation. These resources must be provided by the user
prior to invoking mailrm. First all the required files must
be accessable either in the current directory or by passing
their path names on the command line. Mailrm uses the
LANtastic "NET" command to generate network mail therefore
this program must be accessable on the PATH. If used to
forward network mail from LANtastic to PROCOMM mail, the
machine from which mailrm.exe runs must be logged into the
network mail server. The userid used to establish this
login session must have the "A" and "M" privileges to
successfully manipulate the network mail queues.

The maillst program must be able to access the
/lantasti.net/system.net/accounts hidden file. Access to
this hidden file requires that the server's network control
directory be linked to the network node running maillst.

Your computer must have enough RAM to simultaneously
load mailrm.exe, command.com, and net.exe. If you are
planning to use the automail.asp script then sufficient ram
for PROCOMM must also be available.











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5. MAILRM _ Command _ Line _ Switchs

The new version of mailrm has a smaller number of
required arguments. The defualts can be overridden by
passing command line switchs. All command line options
begin with the "-", minus, character followed by an option
letter and then possibly a further argument. Note that
there must be NO spaces between the leading "-", the option
letter, and the rest of the option command. Thus "- s
amber", "-s amber" are illegal whereas "-samber" is the
proper method of specifying that node "amber" is to be used
as a mail server.

- ?

Print instructions screen

- a

Set the PROCOMM/network user name alias file to
. If this option is not provided on the
command line the default name, "alias.dat", is used.

- h

Set the PROCOMM mail message header file to
. If this option is not provided the default
name, "pcplus.hdr", is used.

- m

Set the PROCOMM mail message data file to
. If this option is not provided the default
name, "pcplus.msg", is used.

- n

Enable network to remote mail forwarding. Mail
from the queue on the server (specified with the -s
option) is examined for routing headers and forwarded
as appropriate. If the filename argument is included
with the -n option then this filename is used as file
containing the valid PROCOMM user ids. If the filename
is not given then "pcplus.usr" is used.

- q

Run in quiet mode. All MAILRM generated screen
i/o is inhibited however any error messages generated
by the NET MAIL commands spawned by mailrm will still
print onscreen.











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- r

Enable generation of PROCOMM user return receipt
messages. The return receipt is a short PROCOMM mail
message addressed to the remote user who originally
left the mail. The body of the return receipt
identifies the time/date of forwarding and the network
user name to whom the mail was forwarded.

- s

Set the mail server machine name to .
NOTE: for versions earlier than 1.5b there is no
default server name therefore this argument is
required. The server name should be entered without
the initial '\' characters. In order for mailrm to
successfully forward mail, the user must be logged in
to the specified server PRIOR to running mailrm.
Versions 1.5b and later will verify that you are logged
into at least one server before attempting forwarding
operations. Example "-samber" to set mail server name
to machine "amberi".

- u#

This option takes a numeric argument which can be
composed of the SUM of the following numbers with the
indicated causes. (1) inhibit mail forwarding... this
option will perform all normal mailrm operation
INCLUDING marking PROCOMM mail as forwarded but will
not actually generate any network mail. (2) unforward
all PROCOMM mail... this option will scan the PROCOMM
mail database files and mark all mail messages as
unforwarded (including any return receipts generated by
a previous invocation of mailrm). (4) supress status
mail to sysop. If the name alias file contains a valid
network user id for the alias "sysop" then mailrm will
by default generate a status mail message to this user.
The status message lists details about any dead letters
generated as well as a summary statistic showing how
many letters were forwarded and how many dead letters
where generated. This option will suppress the sysop
mail.


6. Name _ Alias _ File _ Construction

Generally people leaving mail via the PROCOMM mail
system do not know (or do not use) the same user names as
the LANtastic user accounts. It is therefore necessary for
mailrm to have some way of mapping PROCOMM mail recipient











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names to valid network user ids. This is accomplished by
the network name alias file (default "alias.dat") which
contains a list of valid LANtastic user id names. Following
the net user name is a space separated list of valid
alternate names or alias names for that user. Consider the
following sample alias.dat file

JAL littlefield jimbo jlittlefield
MANAGER sysop big_cheese
NOFWD curt sandy grimes

Two valid network users are listed: JAL and MANAGER.
PROCOMM mail addressed to "jimbo", "jal", etc will all be
sent to net user id JAL. PROCOMM mail addressed to
"big_cheese" will be sent to net user id MANAGER. Note that
since "sysop" is also included in MANAGER's alias list, this
userid will also receive any status mail messages generated
by mailrm.

Unfortunately, mailrm's string matching abilities are
quite limited (this may be improved in a future release).
All comparisons are insensitive to case so "bob" and "BOB"
are considered equivalent. An EXACT match between the
PROCOMM recipient name and an alias name is required. Any
PROCOMM mail for which no valid network user name is found
is mailed to user "deadletter" unless the sysop has
established a NOFWD entry for that userid (See following
section). By default mail is also sent to "sysop" (if
available) indicating that a dead letter has been generated.

6.1 Alias.dat _ NOFWD _ Option

As illustrated in the sample alias.dat file above,
Mailrm (ver 1.5 and later) recognizes the special characters
"NOFWD" in the network userid field of the alias file.
PROCOMM mail which has a recipient name which is mapped to
the NOFWD net userid will not be forwarded onto the network.
The primary use for this capability is to prevent generation
of erroneous "deadletters" when PROCOMM users who do not
have network userids send/receive mail. Since mailrm
searchs the name alias file from the top down, it is
suggested that the NOFWD entries be placed at the end of the
alias file. This will ensure that all valid network userids
are examined for forwarding prior to processing of the NOFWD
entries.

















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7. Network _ to _ Remote _ User _ Mail _ Operations

With MAILROOM 1.5 network users can send mail to remote
users. This operation is accomplished by using the normal
LANtastic mail facilities. To provide routing and other
information the first line in the message file must conform
to the following format.

!remote!!!

Note the the "<>" are not part of the actual string and
should not be typed. The privacy control character
determines whether the message is forwarded as a PROCOMM
private message or not. If this character is set to "p" or
"P" the message is private. Any other character will
generate a non-private message. The remote user name is
case insensitive and is used to determine which remote user
id the message will be mailed to. PROCOMM is very
particular about the format of the remote user id therefore
mailrm will attempt to ensure an exact match (except for
case) between the remote user name and a valid remote userid
as contained in the PROCOMM user id file (usually
pcplus.usr). Generally the required format will be
"firstname lastname" (ie exactly one space between the users
first and last names).

Each time mailrm is invoked with the -n option the
network queues on the server specified with the -s option
will be scanned for queued mail files. Each valid mail file
will be examined for a properly formatted remote routing
string on the first line. If this line is found the file
will be forwarded and deleted from the queue. If the file
cannot be forwarded it will not be deleted from the queue
and in addition a network mail message will inform the
sender of the addressing error.


8. Support _ Utilities

8.1 Maillst _ Program

This release includes a utility program, maillst.exe,
which is designed to assist in setting up or maintaining the
PROCOMM/network user name mapping file required by
mailrm.exe. Maillst.exe must be invoked with two arguments:
1) the file name of the network name alias file and 2) the
name of the LANtastic system user accounts file. Usually
the LANtastic user account information is contained in the
file /lantasti.net/system.net/accounts (assuming the
LANtastic default installation names have been used). The
program will scan the user accounts file making sure that











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each LANtastic user name appears in the name alias file.
LANtastic user names which have no corresponding entry in
the alias file are appended to the alias file (but no alias'
are provided). The sysop still has to edit the alias file
to define any appropriate pseudonyms for the new network
user names.

8.2 automail.asp _ Script

As noted previously, this aspect script file is
designed to automate the mail forwarding function. The
script is written to run mailrm both at periodic intervals
and after each remote user terminates their session. In
addition to lowering the sysop's workload this script
provides more timely mail forwarding and makes sure that
mailrm doesn't execute while PROCOMM is in host mode.

To configure the script for your system two
modifications are necessary. Using a text editor (in non-
document mode) modify the script variables INTERVAL and
"batchname" as appropriate for your system. The string
variable, batchname, contains the name of a DOS batch file
which will be invoked by the script. You can enter any name
you want or simply use the default name, mailroom.bat. A
sample mailroom.bat file is included in the mailrm
distribution archive. INTERVAL specifies the number of
seconds between time based executions of the batch file. If
this value is set to 0, the batch file will be invoked only
after each PROCOMM caller. Once you have adjusted these
parameters, compile the script using PROCOMM's aspcomp.exe
utility. Now you can start PROCOMM and automatically
execute the script by entering "pcplus /fautomail".

For proper operation of this script the CD line of your
modem MUST be properly controlled by the modem (or external
computer if using a hardwired connection). The script uses
the assertion of the CD line to detect a connection
therefore CD should be set to follow the state of the
carrier.

8.3 Sendmail.exe _ Utility

Routing of mail messages from the network mail system
to the PROCOMM mail system requires that certain addressing
information be on the first line of the message. To assist
non-technical users with net to remote mail operations the
sendmail.exe utility has been provided. This program will
collect all the required addressing information plus the
body of the message and will then automatically create the
necessary addressing line and network mail item. Addressing
information is collected from the program's command line











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arguments and/or from the user during an interactive
session. If no command line options are provided, the user
must enter the remote user id, whether the message is
private or not, a comment field, and the message text.
Based on this information, sendmail.exe will generate a net
e-mail item containing the necessary addressing line. At
the other extreme sendmail may be invoked with enough
command line options to fully specify the mail item. In
this case no interactive session is required. As with
mailrm, the user must have established a login to the mail
server machine prior to running sendmail.

Two command line options allow more detailed control
over sendmail's operation. The "-uid" option allows a user
to cause mail outbound to remote users to be mailed to a
specified network user. If this option is not used,
sendmail will send all outbound mail to network user
"MAILROOM". The second option, "-server", allows you to
specify a specific network server to receive the mail
item(s). In the absence of the server option, sendmail will
use the server to which a login session was first
established.


9. Installation _ Procedures

This section outlines the general steps necessary to
install and use mailrm's e-mail forwarding capabilities.
Each step is described in general terms and where
appropriate an example is given.

9.1 PROCOMM/LANtastic _ Mail _ Installation _ and _ Test

Prior to attempting installation of the MAILROOM
programs and scripts you must successfully install the
PROCOMM software and the LANtastic network system. Since it
is quite difficult to debug/test several things at one time,
be sure to fully test the network mail system and PROCOMM
operation individually BEFORE trying to run MAILROOM. If
you cannot send and receive e-mail over the network or
connect to the PROCOMM network node via a telephone line
then MAILROOM will surely fail.

9.2 Unpacking _ the _ files

All the relevant files are included in a single
archive, mailrm15.arc. Since you are reading this file you
must have already unpacked the archive. Although the mailrm
executables, datafiles, and scripts can reside anywhere on
your hard disk, most users find it convenient to place these
files in the same directory where the PROCOMM files have











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been installed (default cplus).
If you choose to install mailrm in some other place you must
be sure to supply full path names to all the required files
on the mailrm command line.

9.3 Making _ the _ alias.dat _ file

Mailrm needs to have some way of converting (or
mapping) PROCOMM mail recipient names to valid network
userids. The alias.dat file contains a list of entries
which provide this information. Alias.dat can be created
with any text editor (non-document mode). You may find it
convenient to use the maillst utility program to start the
alias.dat creation process. As described below, this
utility will scan the user accounts file on a specified
network mail server and will ensure that each network userid
has an entry in the alias file.

9.3.1 Using _ the _ maillst.exe _ Program See "Support Utilities
Section of this Document"

9.3.2 Preventing _ Mail _ Forwarding _ for _ Certain _ Users If the
network user id field of the alias.dat file contains the
letters "NOFWD" no PROCOMM to network forwarding will be
performed for the corresponding names. Any PROCOMM users
who do NOT have accounts on the local area network should be
entered at the end of the alias.dat file with the NOFWD net
username field.

9.4 Picking _ a _ mail _ server

Mailrm attempts to perform mail forwarding between the
PROCOMM node and a network mail server. The network must
have at least one machine capable of handling network mail
(ie the @MAIL resource must be defined on that machine). On
large networks there can be more than one mail server. (See
Special Notes for multiple mail server configurations). For
each mail server to which you want mailrm to send/receive
mail perform the steps listed below.

9.4.1 Creating _ a _ User _ Account _ For _ Mailrm Follow the
procedure outlined in the LANtastic documentation to create
a network userid for mailrm. Be sure to assign the "A" and
"M" privileges to this network userid. The id you create
will be used in the steps below to define a login procedure
which allows mailrm to have access to the mail server
machine. If a mail queue resource is not already defined
then create one following the procedure outlined in the
LANtastic documentation.













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9.4.2 Identifying _ the _ System _ Operator Mailrm will provide
most of its feedback by sending e-mail to the network system
operator. This net user is identified by placing the name
"sysop" as one of the fields in that net users alias.dat
file entry. Thus...

Joel sysop joel smith

in the alias.dat file will cause mailrm status messages to
be mailed to the network user whose id is "Joel".

9.5 Creating _ Your _ mailroom.bat _ File

As previously noted, the PROCOMM aspect scripts are
configured to automatically invoke a DOS batch file at
certain times. The defualt name for this file is
"mailroom.bat". Since running mailrm requires a number of
steps, create the mailroom.bat file. Once written,
mailroom.bat can be manually invoked to test the
installation prior to starting the automatic execution
scripts.

A sample mailroom.bat file is included in the
distribution archive. In general the steps to be performed
in the batch file are..

1. If not already done, log into the network mail
server(s) using the user ids previously created.

2. Execute the mailrm.exe program using the proper
command line options

3. You may also wish to optionally execute the pcmail
program with the "/c" option to compress the PROCOMM
mail message database to remove any files which have
been deleted. DO NOT include the pcmail line if you
need to preserve copies of deleted PROCOMM mail
messages. You SHOULD still manually compress the
message datatbase periodically.

4. If you logged into the network mail server machine as
the first step in the batch file, then be sure to log
out as the last step.

9.6 Testing _ the _ Initial _ Installation

Once the alias.dat and mailroom.bat files have been
properly configured and you have created a userid for mailrm
on the network mail server, its time to test things. A good
first step is to use the PROCOMM pcmail.exe program to
create a message to yourself. Invoke the pcmail program and











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select the add message option. Be sure to enter your proper
network user name (or a valid alias for that name as defined
in the alias.dat file) in the "To:" field. For the message
body just enter a short message for now. At this point
please make sure that PROCOMM is NOT running. Invoke
mailroom.bat and watch for any error messages. Next log
into the network mail server and check for mail. You should

see your message (plus possibly a lot more if there were
several messages in the PROCOMM mail database). If you did
not inhibit the mailrm status report message there should
also be mail to the system operator. If you have the proper
priviledges you (or your sysop) can read this status report
to get a more detailed history of what mailrm did.

If you enabled mailrm's return receipt feature then go
back to pcmail and review the message database again. There
should be a new message from mailrm indicating the success
or failure of the forwarding operation.

9.7 Installing _ the _ Automatic _ Execution _ Scripts

Once the mailroom.bat script has been tested, you might
want to install one of the PROCOMM scripts. The advantage
of using the scripts is that mail will be more promptly
forwarded both immediately after each remote user logout
and at a time interval which you can set. In addition these
scripts will ensure that mailrm.exe is not invoked while
PROCOMM is in host mode. The disadvantage is that somewhat
more memory will be required on your PROCOMM node. In
addition use of the same line for dial out operations will
be complicated since the script must be stopped and then
restarted before/after the dial out session. If you decide
to use one of the scripts, simply make the changes
previously described and invoke PROCOMM with the
"/f" argument.

If you elect not to use the script, it will be
necessary for you or your system operator to manually run
mailrm with some regularity. Mail will not be forwarded
between PROCOMM mail and the network or vice versa until
mailrm is run. When manually running mailrm, you must be
SURE that PROCOMM is not running in host mode. This
consideration is especially important if you are running
PROCOMM in a multitasking environment. It is also dangerous
to select the DOS shell option from within host mode and
then run mailrm from the DOS shell. Either of these methods
will cause mailrm to run possibly changing the contents and
lengths of the pcplus.msg and pcplus.hdr files while these
files are in use by PROCOMM host mode. This simultaneous
use of the files will almost ensure corrupt mail files and
potential loss of messages.











- 18 -



10. Special _ Configurations

10.1 Optimizing _ Performance

Keep PROCOMM mail database small by regularly removing
deleted messages Set the beep and popup delay time to zero
for the mail server. Run mailrm frequently.

10.2 More _ than _ one _ mail _ server

Support for this configuration will be provided in a
future release.

It is possible to use multiple mail servers with the
current release provided that multiple network name alias
files are setup. To avoid lots of dead letters you must
create a separate alias.dat file for each mail server. Run
mailrm once for each mail server (making sure you specify a
different server and alias file each time). The alias file
for each server should have NOFWD entries for all valid
users in the other servers. This will ensure that erroneous
deadletters are not created.

10.3 More _ than _ one _ PROCOMM _ node

Support for this configuration will be provided in a
future release.

10.4 Getting _ Help _ - _ Trouble _ Shooting _ - _ Adding _ Features

The author will provide limited assistance over
Compuserve. You may send questions, comments, suggestions
to 71611,2121. If you would like to enhance mailrm's
capabilities, source code with extensive comments is
available for a modest registration fee (See beginning of
this document).

The best approach to trouble shooting is to first
rigorously verify that both your PROCOMM installation and
your LANtastic network mail system are operating properly.
Once these two subsystems are working correctly you can
isolate the nature of any problems by examining mailrm's
screen displays and by looking at the status mail files
which mailrm sends to the system operator. Note that it is
possible to inhibit both the mailrm screen output and sysop
status mail via command line options. When debugging make
sure that you have not inhibited either source of feedback.

Many mailrm problems can be traced to either
insufficient RAM on the PROCOMM node or mailrm's inability
to access files it needs to run. If you don't have enough











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RAM to contain PROCOMM, the mailrm.exe file, the Artisoft
net.exe command, and a copy of command.com you cannot use
the automatic execution scripts. In these situations you
can still use mailrm by first terminating PROCOMM. File
access problems are usually related to insufficient file
handles (adjust your config.sys), bad filename arguments
passed to mailrm on the command line, or network access
permission problems. Mailrm will usually identify the file
it couldn't access either onscreen or in the sysop status
message. Failure to establish a login session with the
desired mail server will cause mailrm to complain whenever
it attempts to send mail messages or access any of the mail
queue files.
















































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