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After returning to the Startup menu, you should now
select User Editor (UEDIT). After loading UEDIT from the
disk, it will attempt to locate a file called USERLOG. Since
it won't be able to find it (you haven't made one yet), the
program will create a new one and write some needed
information inside that file. After your file has been
created, a menu similar to that in the configuration editor
will appear. It looks like this:
Next User Next New User Add New User Delete User
Last User Edit User Print User Validate User
Goto User Save User Search Userlog Quit Editor
Manuevering around UEDIT is very similar to CEDIT. It
does have one difference, however. You now have use of all
four arrow keys to select a menu option. This is because the
menu options appear both horizontally and vertically.
Select ADD NEW USER from the menu. This will allow you
to place yourself in the user database. Upon pressing
{RETURN}, the bottom portion of the screen will display
several fields (items) of which the database is consisted.
Each field will have a "dummy" response. This is the "heart"
of your system. You can restrict each individual user by
using UEDIT to change their attributes. Let's create your
account now.
Select USER NAME from the list of choices. You should
now enter your name. You can either enter a your normal name
or a psuedonym, such as SYSOP. Once you have entered your
name correctly, select SYSTEM STATUS. The SYSTEM STATUS
information is numeric. It can be a number from zero to
four. The differences in the numbers are as follows:
0. New user, not yet validated
1. A validated user
2. Deleted user. The account is no longer active
3. A locked-out user. Priviledges are revoked
4. A system operator
You will want to set your account status to 4.
Now change the location to either the city and state
you are located in, or something such as the name of your
BBS.
For your phone number, change it to the number you will
be using to accept phone calls. This is not necessary,
however.
For PASSWORD, enter a word or phrase which AppleNET
will use to identify you. You will need this password every
time you use the BBS program (either locally or remotely).
The SCREEN COLUMNS setting will already be at 80, so
there is no need to change it.
Set your security level to 999.
Set your FlagSet to "XXXXXXXXXX"
Change your MIN/DAY LIMIT to 999.
Press the right-arrow key to move to the second column,
then select CARBON COPY. Enter "Y" for Yes.
Select FILE ENCLOSURES and enter "Y" for Yes.
Make sure that everything you've entered is correct,
then press {ESC}. This will return you to the main menu (the
information you entered is still in memory). Now select SAVE
USER. The program will then save your account to disk. This
is all you need to do to create your account. What follows
is a description of each option in the main menu.
NEXT USER will move to the subsequent user in the user
database. You can see which user is currently loaded by
looking at the information directly below the main menu box
(the long, highlighted bar). If you have already loaded the
last entry in the list, or if there are no other entries to
load, the program will emit a beep.
LAST USER will move sequentially backwards in the user
list. For instance, if the currently loaded user is number
10, it will load number 9.
GOTO USER will allow you to jump quickly to an account.
To do so, you will be prompted for the user number to load.
Type the number in and it will load the user.
NEXT NEW USER will search the user database for the
next new (unvalidated) user. Remember, though, that it will
begin searching STARTING at the currently loaded user number
and continue until it reaches the end. If you want to search
the entire database, go to the first account and then begin
a search. If the program finds a new user, it will display
it. If not, it will emit a beep.
EDIT USER will allow you to edit the user currently
loaded in memory. You must have a user in memory (by using
NEXT, LAST, GOTO, NEXT NEW, or SEARCH) before you can select
this option.
SAVE USER will save any changes or additions you make
to the currently loaded user. You must have a user in memory
before you can select this option. If you edit a user, you
must select SAVE USER in order to permanently alter the
account.
ADD NEW USER will allow you to append a new account to
the user database. You will need to select EDIT USER in
order to change the attributes to those of the user you want
to add.
PRINT USER will send the currently loaded user
information to the printer. Your printer interface must be
in slot one, or you may use the IIgs' built-in printer port.
SEARCH USERLOG will allow you to quickly find a user.
When prompted, enter the full or partial name you want to
find. If the name contains the characters you enter, it will
display that account. For instance, if the user you want to
find is named GEORGE WASHINGTON, you could either enter his
full name, or enter parts of it (such as GEORGE, WASH, TON,
or GEO). AppleNET will find it with no problems. One note,
however. UEDIT will begin searching from the current record
onward, so if you want to search the entire userlog, GOTO
record #1 first, and then begin the search.
DELETE USER will immediately write to the currently
loaded account. It will write a two in the SYSTEM STATUS
field.
VALIDATE USER will immediately write to the currently
loaded account. It will write a one in the SYSTEM STATUS
field.
QUIT EDITOR will quit the user editor and return you to
the startup program.
A Discussion Of The AppleNET Security System
- ---------- -- --- -------- -------- ------
Most system operators will be creating a BBS which has
several levels of options. Some will be available to all
users. Others will be available to the SysOp only. Still
others will allow partial access. To accomodate this,
AppleNET uses two items of information: the Security Level
and the FlagSet. The two items work together to produce
thousands of possible security settings.
The security level can be best identified by an
anology. Envision a stairway; a large one at that. Nine
hundred and ninety nine steps, as a matter of fact. Now lets
say you signify each successive step as a higher "rank",
meaning step number 30 would be more important than step
numbers 1 through 29. This is the way the AppleNET security
works. Each user has a security level. In order for them to
access any particular section of your board, they will need
to MATCH or EXCEED the security level defined in that
section.
FlagSets are best described, as you might have guessed,
as a row of flags. Now, flags may be one of two things; up
or down (no half-mast flags here). A flag that is "down", or
inactive, is speicified by a "-" sign. You can think of the
minus sign as meaning "minus this flag". If a flag is "up",
or active, it is specified by an "X". You might also
remember this by the phrase "X marks the spot". There are
ten of these flags in all. Here are some examples:
Security Level FlagSet
============== ===============
10 -XX-------
30 -X--------
300 -----XX--X
95 ----------
How do these two tables provide security? Well, let's
say you want to set up a message board in which only certain
people will be able to read and write messages (explained in
the MEDIT section). You might set it up like this:
MY BOARD Read Security = 10 Read FlagSet = --X---X---
Write Security = 30 Write FlagSet = -X--------
In order for a user to access this board, they will
need to meet or exceed the security you've specified in "MY
BOARD". Let's compare the two above tables. In the first
example, it shows a user with a security level of 10 and a
FlagSet of "-XX-------". Can he read or write to this board?
Let's see. We can find out by making a table:
Security FlagSet
============== ===============
User.....10.............-XX-------
Read.....10.............--X---X---
Write.....30.............-X--------
Looking at the above table, we can easily see that the
user will not be able to write to this message board. Why
not? Because the user has a security level of 10, whereas
the write security level is set at 30. Remember, 30 would be
higher on the stairway than 10 would be, so you won't even
have to look at the FlagSet for further checking.
What about reading? Will they be able to read messages
in this message board? Well, their security levels fit
inside the rule that they must either match or exceed. So
far so good. Now, how about the FlagSet? Looking up, we see
that the read command requires that flags number three
(reading left-to-right) and number seven must be active in
the user's FlagSet in order for them to gain access. We see
that the user has flags two and three set, so the third flag
checks out alright. If we look at the seventh user flag, we
notice that it is NOT active. Thus, the check would fail,
and the user would not be able to write.
If the user had flag seven set (changed to "X"), they
would be able to write. As you can see, security settings
can tend to be a little confusing for a while, but once you
grasp the concept, you will have no problems. Let's look at
one other example in the form of a story problem (yes, I
know, just about everyone hates story problems). Try to
decide whether or not the user would be given access to this
section.
If a user has a security level of 35, and a FlagSet of
"-XX--X-X--", and the required settings to play a game
called Space Dogs are a security level of 20, and a FlagSet
of "--X----X--", will they be able to play this addictive
game?
Did you figure it out? The answer is yes; they will be
able to play the game. Again, you can make a table to check
the answer:
Security FlagSet
============== ===============
User......35.............-XX--X-X--
Play......20.............--X----X--
It's easy to see that the user's security level is
greater than what is required to play the game, and all
flags that have been set in the play FlagSet match up with
the flags in the user's FlagSet.
User Fields And What They Mean
---- ------ --- ---- ---- ----
USER NAME is the name of the user in question. You may
decide you want to require all users to use their real
names, or you might want to accept "handles", or aliases.
You should notify new registrants by changing the file
NEWINFO.1 (see also CEDIT).
SYSTEM STATUS is the status of each user. The SYSTEM
STATUS information is numeric. It can be a number from zero
to four. The differences in the numbers are as follows:
0. New user, not yet validated
1. A validated user
2. Deleted user. The account is no longer active
3. A locked-out user. Priviledges are revoked
4. A system operator
LOCATION is the city and state in which the user is
located.
PHONE NUMBER is the user's voice telephone number in
the form xxx-xxx-xxxx.
PASSWORD is the special word or short phrase that the
user is required to enter in order to be recognized by the
system. Passwords may be 1 to 10 characters in length.
SCREEN COLUMNS signifies how wide the user's screen is
in columns. Typical screen widths are 40 and 80 columns. The
system uses this number for message-entry and chatting
functions.
SECURITY LEVEL is a number between zero and 999.
FLAGSET is a 10-character string of "X"'s or "-"'s.
MIN/DAY LIMIT configures the total length of time (in
minutes) the user is allowed to use the system every day. If
the user expires this limit, they will have to wait until
the next day in order to call back again. MIN/DAY LIMIT is a
number ranging from zero to 999. If the user has a limit of
zero, they will not be allowed to access the BBS.
MIN/LAST DAY specifies how many minutes they have used
on the last day that they called. (See also LAST CALL DATE)
TOTAL MINUTES signifies the total number of minutes
used since the user's account was created.
(Since an accounting system is not fully included with
AppleNET v1.1, the following four options will not need to
be bothered with.)
SURCHARGE/MINUTE is not implemented
SURCHARGE CREDIT is not implemented
SURCHARGE DEBIT is not implemeted
UP/DOWNLOAD RATIO is not implemented
UPLOADS is the total number of files the user has sent
to the system since their account was created.
DOWNLOADS is the total number of files the user has
taken from the system since their account was created.
TOTAL CALLS is the number of times the user has called
the system since their account was created.
LAST CALL DATE signifies the day on which the user last
called the system.
EXPIRATION DATE signifies the day on which the user's
account will expired (see CEDIT for result of an expired
account). Set this to NONE if the account is not to expire.
Note, however, that the BOARD STATUS in CEDIT must be set to
SUBSCRIPTION in order for this to take effect.
CARBON COPY is a yes or no answer (enter a "Y" or an
"N"). Answering "Y" will allow the user to send multiple
copies of any message they write.
FILE ENCLOSURES is a yes or no answer (enter "Y" or an
"N"). Answering "Y" will allow the user to enclose (send) a
file along with a message that they write. File enclosures
are placed in the directory specified in CEDIT's ENCLOSURE
DIRECTORY item.
This ends the section on UEDIT. You should now return
to the Startup program by selecting QUIT EDITOR from the
menu.