Copyright (c) by Nick J. Andre, Ltd. http://www.net229.org/dbridge Hi, ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BEFORE INSTALLING PLEASE REFER TO THE APPROPRIATE TXT FILE FOR A LIST OF CHANGES OR NEW FEATURES IN THIS RELEASE. NICK ANDRE WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA FROM NOT FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This archive should contain the following files: README!.TXT - This file. DB3.EXE - The D'Bridge Setup Wizard. DB3.TXT - Notes for this release. Important info for upgrading! HISTORY.TXT - History of changes to D'Bridge. TECHSPEC.TXT - Technical information for 3rd-party developers. FILE_ID.DIZ - Description of this release for uploading to BBS's. D'Bridge is primarily a DOS application, with additional support for 32-bit Windows and OS/2 environments. It may not function correctly on newer computer systems. The minimum requirement is DOS 3.3 or higher and 512k (half a megabyte) of memory. In addition, only certain types of modems are supported if you wish to use PSTN dialup. A bare-bones Pentium 4 - or "virtual machine" such as Oracle VirtualBox or VMWare EXSI running Windows XP or Server 2003 is a perfect environment for testing/running D'Bridge. D'Bridge supports 32-bit Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Server 2008. 64-bit editions will require an "emulator" since DOS applications do not function correctly on those operating systems. If you are running D'Bridge under Windows Vista or higher, you must start the program with Administrator priviledges otherwise installation may fail. So please be sure your Windows Vista system is set accordingly. To install or upgrade D'Bridge simply run the Setup Wizard. Installing the software implies that you accept the End User License Agreement found on http://www.net229.org/EULA.TXT There are three popular methods for exchanging mail on Fidonet. You may choose to use whats known as the BinkP protocol which involves exchanging network packets over Internet TCP/IP. D'Bridge fully supports this standard. The other method is mailer-over-Telnet which although D'Bridge supports it, it has not proven to be very reliable. The last method involves PSTN dialup, which is what Fidonet was based on and what D'Bridge was originally designed to do. D'Bridge supports simultaneous use of PSTN dialup and Internet connectivity. Please note that D'Bridge does not support transfer of Fido packets over Internet Email (SMTP/POP3), or whats known as the "TransX" method. It does, however, support gating Internet Email including basic UUCP support and includes a simple SMTP/POP3 client for exchanging Email. When D'Bridge uses your Internet connection, it should be treated as any other Internet application. BinkD uses TCP port 24554 and Telnet uses TCP port 23. If you are planning to "hub" mail, then you need to ensure that the desired port is properly routed to your computer system and that any firewall hardware or software is also properly configured. Technical support is not provided for router issues. It is highly recommended to use a broadband Internet connection with the software (an Internet connection that is "always on"). The use of dialup Internet will work, however D'Bridge does not come with a method to dial your ISP or to disconnect when finished. If you plan to use D'Bridge with a dialup ISP, then it may not be possible to use the regular PSTN functions in D'Bridge since most operating systems "lock" the COM port of the modem that is used for that dialup ISP. A second modem should be installed or some sort of work- around would need to be implemented to "share" the modem. If you plan to use a dialup modem with D'Bridge, the modem should be a "hardware" modem, not a "softmodem" or "Winmodem". Those modems rely on the operating system to perform all low-level communications. Those modems may not work correctly with D'Bridge. However a hardware-modem has extra chips and circuitry so that it performs most or all of the communications without the operating system's help. D'Bridge works with hardware-modems such as 3Com, US Robotics and Rockwell. It is highly recommended to use an external modem - one that connects to a COM port on the computer using a shielded RS232 serial cable. The use of USB modems, or USB-to-serial converters has not been tested and technical support is not provided for those devices. The rising popularity of Voice-Over-Internet (VOIP) technology has revolutionised communications, however PSTN dialup modems will not operate correctly with it. Some major telecom providers offer a slight variation of this technology, whereas a "private network" is used for routing VOIP traffic. In this case, PSTN dialup modems may work correctly since the Internet backbone is not used for the routing and trunking. D'Bridge does not differentiate between regular PSTN and VOIP lines. Technical support is not offered for installations involving VOIP or private-network dialup. The complete user's manual is found on the website and is also contained within the D'Bridge HELP system activiated by pressing F1. Printing any section or the entire D'Bridge user's manual may be accomplished using the PRINT command in the HELP system. Pressing F1 at any field will display applicable information. Before printing the manual you should select your Printer Control File (PCF) on the bottom of the HARDWARE/MODEM DEVICES menu. If you have a HP LaserJet, Epson or similar printer the output can be enhanced by using the bold and italics and specific features of your printer. To print the entire manual type the following keystrokes from the D'Bridge IDLE screen: F1 P P P These four keystrokes get you the entire manual to PRN or any other device or filename you specified on the COMM/MODEM SETUP screen. If you need help getting it up-and-running or have any questions you may consult http://www.net229.org/dbridge or on the DBRIDGE echo on Fidonet, or NETmail to 1:1/130. (eof)