.TOPIC:                                           
Database Configuration

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-1


         ͻ
          CHAPTER 2 ANNEX E      3. DATABASE CONFIGURATION               
         ͼ

                At the heart of VBBS are the DATABASES.  They are used for
         such functions as message bases, file directories, and various
         other creative functions that might be, for example, part of a
         custom script-based application.  Databases may be set up or al-
         tered in VCONFIG at any time, and the only limit to the number of
         databases you can have is the amount of storage space on your
         hard drive.

         ͻ   Most sysops spend the greater portion of their time spent
         ͼ   in VCONFIG adjusting existing databases and adding or de-
               leting databases, so this section of the documentation is
               of particular importance.  For this reason, we'll take a
               little extra time going over the principles behind data-
               bases, topic areas, and their use.

             There are three basic types of databases: message data-
         bases, file databases, and other databases.  All databases may
         be set up and grouped into TOPIC AREAS.  Each topic area needs
         its own DBGROUP identifier, which may be any letter, number or
         symbol from ascii characters 33 to 255.

         ͻ    We'll hold off on discussing topic areas in detail until
         ͼ    after we get through learning about databases and how to 
                configure them and we know what a "function block" is.

                When you enter the DATABASE configuration screen, you
         are presented a scrolling menu of choices:

          Message Databases
          File Databases
          Custom Databases
          Sort Database Configuration
          Compile Network Info

         We'll take a moment to describe each option in detail.


         Message Databases
         
                Message bases, also known as "message subs" or simply
         "subs", are databases in which messages are stored.  Subs may be
         about a specific topic, or they may simply be "chat"-type subs
         in which people can write messages, or "post", about whatever is
         on their minds.
                In VBBS, message subs are automatically pathed to the
         \VBBS\DB directory when you run INSTALL.EXE.  If you want to put
         them somewhere else (I have mine on the larger of my two hard
         drives), you need to specify a separate path using the PATHS
         configuration (this is discussed in the next manual section).

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-2


         File Databases
        
                The file databases work in much the same way as the mes-
        sage bases, except that they store actual files instead of mes-
        sages.  The major difference between the way file and message 
        databases are set up is that while message bases are automatic-
        ally pathed to the \DB directory during the installation process, 
        each file database requires a unique, specific DOS path, which 
        you, the sysop, have to supply. The file directory must be 
        physically made by the SysOp in DOS, and the files placed there.
        To 'upload' these files locally, the SysOp uses the 'Z' command on
        the Transfer Menu where he will be prompted to add descriptions.
                Like message databases, file databases may be grouped in-
        to topic areas by giving each topic a unique letter DBGROUP
        identifier.


         Other Databases
         
         Custom databases may be set up to work in conjunction with
         script-based applications. Entries in custom databases, be
         they text or screens, may be called up from scripts using
         the DISPLAYTEXT and related script commands.


         Configuring and Editing Databases in VCONFIG
         

         K) DB Group:
            
                This is a letter, number or symbol from ascii characters
                33 to 255 which designates which database topic group
                this database belong to.  See "Setting up Topic Areas"
                for details.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  It is NOT necessary to create a new
                              database group each time you wish to add
                              a new database.

         1) File Name
            
                This is the eight-character-or-less name of the database
                file, entered in ALL CAPS.  It is also a good practice to
                avoid "odd" characters such as "#", "!", "%", and the
                like in these filenames, as they might confuse the soft-
                ware.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Even though message databases don't have 
                              an actual DOS directory, they have to have
                              unique filenames; this is for VBBS' data-
                              base configuration files.

         ͻ    The importance of giving databases UNIQUE filenames can't
         ͼ    be overemphasized.  Database entries that have the same
                DB name and DB path specify the SAME database!  Don't use
                a particular filename more than ONCE across all databases
                -- message, file, and custom.

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-3


         ͻ    New sysops sometimes forget and use a filename more than
         ͼ    once in their configuration; while this doesn't do any
                damage per se, it is embarrassing to have your file
                descriptions show up as posts on networked message
                bases.

         2) Files Path
            
                Enter a path in this field ONLY if you are creating a
                FILE database or a CUSTOM database that uses messages or
                files.  If you're setting up a message database, leave
                this field blank; VBBS automatically paths message bases
                to the \DB directory.  Again, avoid "odd" characters and
                and lower-case letters.

         3) Long Name
            
                This is the longer, more descriptive database name that
                is displayed to the user, like "Virtual BBS/NET Support".

         4) Private? (Y/N)
            
                This switch is for special uses only; you should set
                this to NO when creating public-access message and file
                databases.

         5) Max Entries
            
                Defines the desired size of the database (in messages or
                files, not bytes).  A value of 0 in this field allows un-
                limited message/file storage; a number in this field sets
                a limit on the number of messages/files.  

                When VBBS runs daily maintenance, it will "pack" the 
                database down to size by removing enough of the oldest 
                messages to bring the database back to the specified
                limit.  Beginning sysops sometimes wonder why they have
                84 messages in a database they've configured for 50
                messages; daily maintenance would, in this case, remove
                the 34 oldest messages, bringing the total back to 50.

         ͻ    For file databases, you should set the limit to 0 unless
         ͼ    hard-drive space is at a premium; if you put enough new
                files in a limited database to take it over the limit,
                VBBS will pack that file database just like any other.
                Fortunately, however, the files will NOT be erased; they
                will simply become unavailable for download.

         ͻ    Gauging the proper limit for a message database is largely
         ͼ    a matter of trial and error.  For "slow" message bases,
                you'll want to keep the limit fairly low to keep messages
                turning over.  For active subs -- like large FIDOnet and
                InterNet conferences -- you may want to set it as high as
                500 or 1000.  It's NOT a good idea to enter a 0 in 

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-4


                this field for a message base; for example, on the Vir-
                tualNET Sysops' Sub, it would take less than a month to 
                accumulate over 3000 messages!

         6) Read SL
            
                This is the minimum security level needed to access (read)
                the database.  If the user's SL is less than this value,
                the database will not show up in his listing.

         7) Write SL
            
                This is the minimum security level needed to write (post)
                in the database.  If the user's SL is less than this
                value, the database will not allow input (or uploads)
                from her.

         8) Access Flag
            
                This setting defines what access flag (if any) must be
                set in the user's account to access the database.  This
                value may be NONE or a letter from A to Z.  If set to a
                letter, the user must have a matching access flag in his
                account information in order to access the database.  Ac-
                cess flags are set in the user editor (see "The User Edi-
                tor" for details).

         ͻ    Access flags are useful for restricting access to certain
         ͼ    databases to certain users.  For example, if you wanted
                to have a sysops-only sub, you could enter an 'S' in
                this field and give visiting sysops an 'S' access flag;
                they would be the only users who could access the data-
                base (unless, of course, there were other users who also
                had the same flag).

         9) Age Limit
            
                The minimum age a user must be in order to access the
                database.  For example, a value of 18 in this field would
                require that a user be at least 18 years old to have ac-
                cess to the database.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  A quick word about database access control 
                              and adult-oriented material ... while VBBS 
                              *does* offer a high level of security, NO 
                              software that restricts access to materials 
                              on the basis of age can protect a sysop 
                              from underage users who lie about their age 
                              in order to get adult-oriented materials.  

                              As sysop of your BBS, it is your responsi-
                              bility to be aware of federal, state, and
                              local laws regarding the distribution of 
                              and access to adult-oriented material.  In
                              no case will the author of VBBS or the au-
                              

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-5


                              thors of the documentation be held respon-
                              sponsible for underage users gaining access 
                              to adult-oriented materials on your BBS.

         A) Tagline
            
                This instructs VBBS which tagline (if any) to append to
                messages posted in the database.  If set to zero or left
                blank, no tagline is added (see "System Taglines" for
                more information).

         B) Random Titles
            
                This setting specifies which random title file to use in
                messages, and is disabled if set to zero.  The range for
                this value is 1 to 999; specifying a value here instructs
                VBBS to look for the file RNDTITLE.xxx (where "xxx" is
                the entered value, without leading zeroes <for example,
                RNDTITLE.1, not RNDTITLE.001>) in your \TXT directory.  
                Entries in RNDTITLE.xxx may be made using an ASCII text 
                editor and should be made one per line in this file.

         ͻ    It should be noted that the current line of thinking on
         ͼ    VirtualNET (at least) is that message titles should be
                descriptive of the contents of the message, not simply
                assigned at random.  Many users -- and especially other
                sysops -- will simply skip oddly-titled messages when
                doing a new-message title scan.

         C) Name Used
            
                This setting defines the name used in the database.  The
                possible settings are HANDLE, REAL NAME, or ANONYMOUS.  

                Note that message bases marked "Anonymous" do not allow
                quoting of previous messages, and that the posting user's
                real name or handle will show up locally.  Remote users
                will see "-- ANONYMOUS --" or "-- Guess Who? --" on their
                screen.  In addition, there is some question as to whe-
                ther "Anonymous" posts remain anonymous on networked mes-
                sage bases.

         D) QWK Conference
            
                This setting defines the database's QWK conference num-
                ber as used by QWK-format offline mail readers.  The
                range for this value is from *2* to 255, and each QWK
                conference assignment MUST be unique to the particular
                database.  QWKable message bases are marked with a "!"
                in the subs listing.


         When you have configured a database to this point, VCONFIG will
         shift to the display of message bases in whichever topic area
         the database is included.  It will prompt you to tell it where 

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-6


         to insert the new database, even though there are still options
         which may need to be configured.  Don't panic.  This is an added
         level of organization that helps prevent the networks from being
         flooded with messages from subs that have accidentally been mis-
         configured.  It's not infallible, but it DOES help.  The addi-
         tional configuration options are described below.


         E) Database Co-Sysop
            
                Some sysops allow trusted users to moderate discussions on
                local message bases; this setting defines the co-sysop, 
                sub sysop, or moderator for the database.  Leaving this 
                field blank disables this feature; any nonzero value spe-
                cifies the user number of the moderator.  The moderator 
                information is displayed in the message sub listing.

         ͻ    Having a user serve as message-sub sysop can be a good
         ͼ    way of breathing a little life to a sub that's been "down
                in the dumps", especially if the user has strong opinions
                on the topic at hand.  Just make sure the user knows about
                any policies you might have regarding message content,
                etc.

         F) Req Net Validation
            
                If you wish to review posts before they are transmitted
                out to any networks, turn this option ON.  Post valida-
                tion is handled via the [V] option from the Sysop Menu
                within VBBS.

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  This switch needs to be set to YES for the
                              VirtualNET non-secured subs (the ones that
                              are preset in VBBS) and support subs
                              such as the "Virtual BBS/NET Support Sub".
                              Net validation may also be required for
                              some VirtualNET "secured" subs; contact the
                              sub's host sysop via E-mail for specifics.

         G) Networks Configuration
            
                Selecting this option allows you to edit the network con-
                figuration for the database.  If you wish the database to
                be LOCAL ONLY, set this to NONE.

                If you wish the database to be networked, you must con-
                figure the network and network sub/conference identifier.
                VCONFIG will prompt you for the network, then for the
                identifier.  The format of the identifier will vary from
                network to network.

                For Type 1 (VNET.EXE-based) and Type 2 (VWW4.EXE-based)
                networks, the identifier is a number; for Type 3
                (VUUCP.EXE-based) and Type 4 (VFIDO.EXE-based) networks,
                the identifier is a string.  Type 5 (VNET2.EXE-based) net-

                                           VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-7


                works are still in the experimental stage as of this wri-
                ting, and more network utilities are in development such
                as VRIME and VQWKNET.

                You can configure a database to be on one network or on
                several networks.  Configuring a database to be on mul-
                tiple networks (there is theoretically no limit) creates
                a "gateway" between two or more networks (the common term
                is "gating").

         --> IMPORTANT NOTE:  Prior to establishing a gateway connection,
                              you should obtain permission from any con-
                              ference or message base host/moderator sys-
                              ops involved.

                              The networking utilities VWW4.EXE, VUUCP.EXE,
                              and VFIDO.EXE are available to sysops and
                              are fully operational in the DEMO version
                              of VBBS. They are automatically
                              inactivated if VBBS remains unregistered
                              after 60 days.

         Database Considerations
         

                There are some things to keep in mind when setting up or
         reconfiguring databases:

         ͻ    Setting up more databases is easy -- simply add them into
         ͼ    existing topic area(s) where they belong.  When you
                add message databases, you MUST  SORT and COMPILE your
                configurations using the appropriate commands from the
                initial DATABASE Configuration screen for the changes to
                take effect.

         ͻ    Plan out your file databases ahead of time; too many file
         ͼ    databases can become unwieldy and hard to navigate (trust
                me on this one).

         ͻ    It's a good idea to periodically use VAREA to go through
         ͼ    subs and cull out the ones that aren't getting much traf-
                fic (and there WILL be some eventually).  Whether you re-
                place them with new subs or just make do with fewer subs
                is up to you; just remember to keep your users in mind
                when choosing which subs to carry.

