Most Recent Ip Version: Outpost v2.5 (ipserial.exe,
ipagwpe.exe, iptelnet.exe)
Recent Date:
December 26, 2010
Introduction There are
times when you will need to directly interact with either the TNC or the BBS
for system maintenance, troubleshooting, or just plain poking around. You
can find several programs on the internet that allow you to manually configure and connect to a
device such as Hyperterm,
Pacterm, and
various telnet programs to name a few that are good general
purpose programs that are readily available to the packet community.
Outpost contributes to the field with 3
interactive packet (ip) programs that let the user directly interact
with either the TNC or the BBS. Instead of having a single program that does it
all, 3 programs are included with Outpost:
ipserial.exe
- Serial program; talks to your comm port or USB-to-Comm port adaptor
ipagwpe.exe
- AGWPE program; talks to a local or remote AGWPE server
iptelnet.exe
- Telnet program; TCP telnet access to remote BBSs
All three programs have
a common set of features that reduce the learning curve as you move from one
program to another:
Controls to
manage logging to a file
Standard edit
commands (copy, cut, paste, select all)
Displays the most
recently used configurations
Exports the
current interface setup to Outpost
Creates a
message in Outpost’s Draft folder from any highlighted text
Callable from Outpost (Tools > Interactive Packet)
Additional features are available to support the specific needs
of each interface type:
Serial-specific features
Comm Port setup: Port #, baud, data
bits, parity, stop bits
AGWPE Setup: Host, Port, and log-on settings to match
your AGWPE configuration
Option to turn on raw packet logging
Retrieve the AGWPE Version
Telnet-specific features
Telnet Setup: Host and Port settings to match the
telnet parameter
The ip programs are all built
using the same libraries that Outpost uses. This ensures that the
behaviors between the ip program and Outpost will be the same and the results
should be repeatable.
How to use the ip
programs Here's some ideas on when and how to
use the ip programs.
Setting up a new
interface. Regardless of the interface type, it is best to
manually check out a new connection -- whether it be serial, AGWPE, or
telnet -- to confirm that the interface is working prior to setting it
up with Outpost. The ip programs help here. Once you have
the interface working, use the Tools > Add <type> to Outpost
option to directly load your interface configuration into Outpost. Outpost
will prompt for an interface name and optional description so you can find it in Outpost
later.
Setting up a new
user on a BBS. Some BBSs need to know about you prior to
using them, and require the user to register, usually with your name,
zip code, City, and home BBS. Since Outpost expects this to be
done ahead of time, the ip programs are a good way to verify this setup.
Troubleshooting a BBS.
Outpost knows a lot about the BBSs and expects them to behave a specific
way. Because of the extensive customization of some BBSs, they
sometimes do not. Running the appropriate ip program is a good way
to confirm that you can talk to the BBS and get it to respond. You
may be asked to turn on logging and perform a manual connect, send
message, list messages, read messages, and log off, and send the out
file to KN6PE to help troubleshoot the problem.
Installation In general, the ip programs should be installed in the same directory as
Outpost. This is required if you intend to add interface
configurations to Outpost or create a message in Outpost's Draft folder.
However, the programs can be placed in any directory. If this is the
case, then the Outpost-linked features will be disabled.
The ip programs will always
be part of a regular Outpost release. Additionally, incremental
releases may be posted on this website to deliver ip-specific changes
independent of the rest of Outpost. See the Download section for the
latest information on ip program availability.
As usual, see the
README.TXT file that accompanies the distribution so that specifics of the
release are well understood.