1 Citadel/UX Network Manual
2 See copyright.doc for copyright information
7 The fundamental structure of the networker is fairly simple, however, it
8 has enough features to make it a bit complicated. This is probably the most
9 difficult part of the entire Citadel/UX package. So before we dive in head
10 first, let's look at the various network files and directories.
12 netproc.c Does all of the actual network processing.
13 rcit.c Feeds standard input into the networker, also
14 has the ability to translate UseNet news format
15 into Citadel/UX binary format.
16 netmailer.c Called by the main program when a user sends a
18 citmail.c A local MDA which can allow Citadel users to
19 receive Internet mail.
20 cux2ascii.c A filter which translates Citadel/UX binary
21 format to UseNet news format.
22 network Directory in which all network files reside.
23 network/systems Contains network info for each neighboring system
24 network/systems/sysname Network file for a node called "sysname".
25 network/mail.aliases Aliases for the mailer.
26 network/rnews.xref Cross-references room names to newsgroup names.
27 network/mail.sysinfo Contains routing information for network mail.
28 network/filterlist The "kill file" for your system.
33 There are a few options in the Global System Configuration which pertain
34 to the network. They are:
36 -> node name: this is the unqualified "short" node name which uniquely
37 identifies your system on a Citadel network.
38 -> fully-qualified domain name (FQDN): this identifies how your computer is
39 named on the Internet.
40 -> Human-readable node name: this is a longer, more verbose name for your
41 system. It is also used as your "node title" on older Cit86Net-based
45 SETTING UP SYSTEMS FILES
47 Please note that it is *much* easier to use the "netsetup" (command-line)
48 or "dnetsetup" (curses-based) utilities to create systems files. You should
49 only work with these files manually if you need to do something special.
51 For each of your neighboring Citadel/UX systems you must create a systems
52 file. The file is called network/systems/sysname, where sysname is the other
53 system's node name. The first line contains a command that transfers a spool
54 file to the network/spoolin directory on the remote system. The string "%s"
55 will be replaced by the name of the spool file by netproc. You may only use
56 %s ONCE in the command line. Usually, some sort of remote copy will be used
57 to do the transfer, but you may use any facility you want, *** as long as the
58 file ends up in the network/spoolin directory on the remote system ***.
60 If you're on the Internet, or any TCP/IP network, your systems file should
61 contain the following copy command:
63 cat %s >>./network/spoolout/remote_system_name
65 This simply stores the outbound spool data in a file in the "spoolout"
66 directory, where it will be picked up by server-to-server transfer programs.
68 After the command line you should enter the names of all the rooms you
69 intend to share with this system. Each room name should be followed by a
70 line containing a zero - this extra field is the "last message sent" (which
71 will be updated by netproc when it is run). Here is a sample systems file for
72 a node called uncnsrd:
74 cat %s >>./network/spoolout/uncnsrd
82 The rooms "Network Test", "Gateway", and "The Room" will be spooled to
83 the remote system. These rooms should be designated as network rooms with
84 the .<A>ide <E>ditRoom command.
90 Calling netproc with no arguments causes it to look in the network/spoolin
91 directory for newly arrived messages, and posts them if it finds any. It then
92 automatically batches up new messages on your system to be sent to your net
93 neighbors, and exports those messages to them. It is recommended
94 that you use the cron program to handle your network processing on a routine
95 basis automatically. Arrange with your netneighbors for both of your systems
96 to batch new messages before actual polls take place, to guarantee that
97 messages travel across the network as quickly as possible.
99 Calling netproc with the -i flag causes it to skip the export phase, and
100 handle incoming messages only.
103 USING CITADEL/UX AS YOUR LOCAL E-MAIL SYSTEM
105 This has changed markedly in the last few versions. Citadel used to require
106 extensive patching into your system's MTA. Now it is a fully functional
107 standalone e-mail system, complete with its own SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4
108 implementations. Please refer to "inetmailsetup.txt" for more information.
113 The file network/mail.aliases is a simple list of aliases for the various
114 mailers to use. Each line takes the form
118 Obviously, neither the alias nor the name can contain commas. The name
119 may also be the system name "sysop", where messages sent to sysop will
120 be posted in the Aide> room.
123 CITADEL/UX NETWORK MAIL
125 Citadel/UX has the ability to transport mail in a simple and
126 transparent fashion not unlike the way public messages are sent. Users may
127 enter recipient names exactly as they appear on top of messages (i.e.,
128 user name @ system name). In addition, mail routing is provided, allowing
129 users to send mail to systems which do not directly connect with their own.
131 When entering a message in the Mail> room, a user may type a recipient
132 name on the local system, or on a remote system. If the recipient is not
133 local, citadel.c calls netmailer.c, which is a standalone program that handles
134 network mail. This runs in a multithreaded mode, allowing netmailer to run in
135 the background while the user goes on to do something else.
138 INTELLIGENT NETWORK PROCESSING AND THE MAIL.SYSINFO FILE
140 There is (or soon will be) a file in your network directory called
141 "mail.sysinfo". In earlier releases of the network software, the system
142 administrator had to manually configure this file. Starting with netproc
143 version 2.1, the system should now create and configure the file automatically.
144 Note that all information may not appear in the file immediately. When a
145 message arrives from a system on the network, your system will attempt to
146 add that system to its network map. If the originating system is one of your
147 netneighbors, it will look for a systems file in the network/systems directory
148 to determine whether it is a valid neighbor. If the originating system is
149 not a neighbor, but the message arrived via a valid neighbor, your map will
150 be updated accordingly, with an entry for the new system showing the next hop
153 So, under normal circumstances you shouldn't have to configure this file at
154 all. But if you need to do something special, or if for some reason netproc
155 detects the topology wrong, here's how to configure mail.sysinfo. There
156 are three types of entries in this file. A "use" entry tells the system which
157 neighbor to route a message through to get to a particular non-neighboring
158 system. A "bin" entry tells the system that a particular neighbor supports
159 net mail. If there are systems that either do not have the netmailer or are
160 not running Citadel/UX, but can be reached by regular electronic mail, you
161 can use the "uum" command. Type "uum" followed by an address (for the user
162 name, use a %s which will be replaced by the user name at the remote
163 system. Here is a sample network map, where our system is called "myself"
164 and all systems have Citadel/UX EXCEPT for "gateway" and "mailsys":
166 gateway---mailsys _____testbbs
168 othersys ----- myself ----- thebox
172 In this example, our neighbors are "othersys" and "thebox". othersys
173 also connects to funboard, and thebox connects to testbbs and theirsys. If
174 everyone supports netmail, the network/mail.sysinfo file would look like this:
192 uum othersys!gateway!%s
195 uum othersys!gateway!mailsys!%s
197 (Keep in mind that your file will contain additional system-generated
200 The "bin" entries specify neighbors, the "use" entries specify routing, and
201 the "uum" entries specify Internet mail. The method of delivery is totally
202 transparent to the user, who only needs to enter the recipient as user@sysname.
203 Note that netproc will probably stuff lots of other info into each entry.
208 Tired of idiots lowering the quality of the net? You can set up a "kill
209 file" in ./network/filterlist that can be used to filter out messages from
210 any user, room, or system (or any combination). The three fields should be
211 separated by commas, and the name "*" may be used as a wildcard in any field.
214 # Filter out user "The Idiot" in "Idiot Room" at "idiotbbs"
216 The Idiot,Idiot Room,idiotbbs
218 # Filter out the same user, but in every room
222 # Filter out all messages from a system we don't like
226 # Filter out messages in a certain room from a certain system
230 You could also put a "*" wildcard in all three fields, essentially
231 disabling all incoming messages. Obviously you don't want to do this.
236 That should cover everything you need to get running. By the way, gateway
237 software for StoneHenge and NYTI FordBoard systems is available upon special
238 request. And, a Cit86Net gateway is now available. For the latest version
239 of this program, or to leave comments/suggestions, visit UNCENSORED! BBS at
240 uncensored.citadel.org.