I'm a little new to this concept but please bear with me.

Currently I'm running Mystic as my main BBS with all my echomail going to that.

I also run a few other BBS packages like VBBS, PCBoard and Talisman internally and I'd like the option to have those get echomail as well. Also I've been wanting to mess around with OpenXP a little.

So I think what I want is point node setups for this. But I really don't know where to even start.

Is this something Mystic is able to handle with the correct configuration? If so can anyone offer any advice on what I'd need to do for this? If Mystic isn't able to handle this, do I need another software to receive all my incoming echomail and have Mystic and the other BBS software retrieve packets from that as point nodes?

Any advice at all is appreciated!

Thanks,
blade

... Press SPACEBAR once to abort, or twice to save changes

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/04/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: CaNerDUH BBS (21:4/151)

On 23 Jun 2022, blade said the following...

So I think what I want is point node setups for this. But I really don't know where to even start.

For sure! I think many of us do this.

There are several methods you can use, but one easy way is to setup an echomail node for your point in Mystic and have it "toss to a directory" rather than use binkp or another transport method. The packets just get copied directly to your point's inbound directory and then mail gets picked up in the corresponding outbound directory by your Mystic system.

I have a Renegade point system with D'Bridge as the front-end and I just set that up to use bink with my Mystic system and it works fine. I'll probably use directory tossing at some point when I get everything setup the way I want it.

I'm curious to hear how others do it. I always feel like I'm doing something wrong, but it all seems to work in the end, heh!

-ZR

... A Meteor is an example of a rock star.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/04/26 (Linux/64)
* Origin: alcoholidaybbs.com / Est. 1995 / Columbia, SC (21:4/177)

On 23 Jun 2022, Zero Reader said the following...

For sure! I think many of us do this.

There are several methods you can use, but one easy way is to setup an echomail node for your point in Mystic and have it "toss to a directory" rather than use binkp or another transport method. The packets just get copied directly to your point's inbound directory and then mail gets picked up in the corresponding outbound directory by your Mystic system.

The only thing I do differently on my systems is I let BinkP handle it all.. I have a different port number for my point systems, and Mystic is my Hub for all of them.. Currently, I run a Mystic, Synchro, C-Net Amiga, Enigma boards with a Wildcat! in the midst of being set up not sure if it will ever go online though.. I number them .1 .2 .3 etc if they carry the same nets. As I said I use different port numbers. Mystic 24554, the next 24555, then 24556 etc down the line. Works fine and there is no interaction from me at all..


|06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... I'm not a complete idiot... Several parts are missing!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

On 23 Jun 2022, Bucko said the following...

The only thing I do differently on my systems is I let BinkP handle it all.. I have a different port number for my point systems, and Mystic is my Hub for all of them.. Currently, I run a Mystic, Synchro, C-Net

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me as well, especially if you have boards spread out over different hardware, as I do right now. I've setup shared folders to do the directory toss in the past, but when you have different operating systems and so on, just keeping it on bink sounds like the way to go.

-ZR

... A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/04/26 (Linux/64)
* Origin: alcoholidaybbs.com / Est. 1995 / Columbia, SC (21:4/177)

On 23 Jun 2022, Zero Reader said the following...

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me as well, especially if you have boards spread out over different hardware, as I do right now. I've setup shared folders to do the directory toss in the past, but when you have different operating systems and so on, just keeping it on bink sounds
like the way to go.

Let me ask you something.. How does that folder system work for you? When I first put up my C-Net Amiga board, I was considering going this route as I had issues getting a front end running with it. I was going to have a shared folder on my Server and point both boards to it to pick up and deliver from there, but then I got BinkD working properly so I just used that on the C-Net.. Let me know when you get the chance, I am playing with a OLD Wildcat system I ran back in the day and my Platinum Xpress is telling me I am missing files when I try to install it.. I might just go the folder route with that board if I can't get PX running..

Al


|06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

On 24 Jun 2022, Bucko said the following...

Let me ask you something.. How does that folder system work for you?
When I first put up my C-Net Amiga board, I was considering going this route as I had issues getting a front end running with it. I was going
to have a shared folder on my Server and point both boards to it to pick

It seemed to work OK. I was using that method with PCBoard a while back. I did have some issues with netmail not working properly, but that may have been a configuration or routing issue.

I'm running D'Bridge with Renegade as a point system right now, moving the mail with binkd, and to be honest, I don't want to change the setup because it's working so well.

-ZR

... ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/04/26 (Linux/64)
* Origin: alcoholidaybbs.com / Est. 1995 / Columbia, SC (21:4/177)

On 24 Jun 2022, Zero Reader said the following...

It seemed to work OK. I was using that method with PCBoard a while back.
I did have some issues with netmail not working properly, but that may have been a configuration or routing issue.

I'm running D'Bridge with Renegade as a point system right now, moving
the mail with binkd, and to be honest, I don't want to change the setup because it's working so well.

LOL I know the feeling about not wanting to change.. I ran so many different front ends till I finally figured out BinkD, now I don't want to touch it! I have binkD as my front end to both C-Net Amiga and Enigma 1/2.. This WildCat! System though is gonna be tough, as I don't have any of my notes from back in the 90's on how I got past this issue.. I will figure it out otherwise it is BinkD for me!! LOL

Al


|06Wrong Number Family Of BBS' |07- |03www.wrgnbr.com

... Do device drivers need a chauffeur's license?

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: The Wrong Number Family Of BBS' - Wrong Number ][ (21:4/131)

There are several methods you can use, but one easy way is to setup an echomail node for your point in Mystic and have it "toss to a directory"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thank you very much, I think this is exactly what I was unsure of! Once I configured the echomail node for my point all the other pieces fell together for me. I've now (more or less) got OpenXP working even though I haven't entirely figured out how to use it yet.

I think next will be Talisman since it has a binkd server built in. And I've already started looking at a binkd server for Windows for my other BBS packages. VBBS can handle it's own tossing I believe so I would JUST require a binkd server for that. Are there even Windows builds for the classic binkd? I didn't dig too deeply so I ended up grabbing Argus for Windows.

The only reason I haven't looked into using the filesystem method yet is because I didn't want to deal with file sharing between Windows, Linux and ArcaOS. I figure a network protocol will be more simple provided I can find the required software for each platform.

I have a Renegade point system with D'Bridge as the front-end and I just set that up to use bink with my Mystic system and it works fine. I'll probably use directory tossing at some point when I get everything setup the way I want it.

So, if I understand correctly, D'Bridge is basically that, a bridge between the BBS and a binkd server? Passing echomail between the two in formats that they can work with?

Thanks again for all the help!
I'm already considerably further than I was when I asked and glad that I asked.

blade

... Documentation: The worst part of programming.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/04/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: CaNerDUH BBS (21:4/151)

Quoting message from Blade to Zero Reader
on 25 Jun 22 09:01:50 ...

Thank you very much, I think this is exactly what I was unsure of! Once I configured the echomail node for my point all the other pieces fell togethe for me. I've now (more or less) got OpenXP working even though I haven't entirely figured out how to use it yet.

Awesome, glad I could help out!

binkd server for that. Are there even Windows builds for the classic binkd? didn't dig too deeply so I ended up grabbing Argus for Windows.

You could try something like Internet Rex, which is a Frontdoor-style mailer. D'Bridge has been more recently updated, and has binkd capabilities. There's quite a bit to configure in there, and I had to tweak the nodelists a bit -- basically I had to make sure the systems I polled had a phone number in the nodelist, or else it would see these as "unlisted" systems and wouldn't poll them during mail events, even though it was polling them with binkd.

I dunno, maybe I'm doing it wrong, but it seems to all be working!

So, if I understand correctly, D'Bridge is basically that, a bridge between the BBS and a binkd server? Passing echomail between the two in formats tha they can work with?

D'Bridge has bink built in, and will use bink to poll a system for mail. It also has the tosser built in. I don't belive it uses JAM/Squish, but just
.MSG style echomail.

You can actually bypass a BBS altogether and just use D'Bridge for netmail and echomail, since it has a message reader and editor built in. It's very nice.

-ZR

... Mere life is not victory, mere death is not defeat.

--- Renegade v1.30/DOS
* Origin: AlcoholidayBBS.com / Est. 1995 / Columbia, SC (21:4/177.1)