Frequently Asked Questions About SYSOPING V1.0 Copyright (c) 1995 by Matthew Etheridge Introduction ------------ I have written this SYSOPING FAQ as a guide to those people who wish to become a SysOp and want to know more about what's involved in running a BBS (Bulletin Board System). It is also a "guide" of some sorts for which inexperienced SysOps can refer to to help them get over any problems they might have in their first few months of BBS-running. I am a SysOp of a BBS in Brisbane, Australia called Harry's Hotline. I have been running my BBS for nearly 2 years and I enjoy it immensely. I would like to think I have experienced just about everything that a SysOp can experience (ie. hardware failure, BAD users, legal matters). So hopefully this information will be useful for all those eager SysOp-to-be's, or just for current SysOps who would like to know a bit more about running a BBS. CHAPTER 1: SYSOPS 1.1) What exactly is a SysOp? A SysOp is an abbreviated word for SYStem OPerator. They are the wonderful people who maintain and look after their own private Bulletin Board System (will appear as BBS throughout this FAQ) for the pleasure of everyone out there who has a computer and modem! 1.2) What do SysOps do? The SysOps "job" is to look after and maintain his/her BBS so that it runs smoothly and correctly without too many hassles. There are many areas in a BBS such as the File and Message Areas which need to be regularly maintained. (Sections 4 and 5 will go into detail about area maintenance). The SysOp of a BBS is there to answer any queries that a user might have about the BBS or basically anything to do with computers. 1.3) Why would anyone WANT to become a SysOp? Good question! But yes, there are many reasons for people to want to become a SysOp, here are just a few - A) It's fun! It is just like another hobby! B) You get to communicate with other people regularly and you "meet" many new users each day. C) You can actually make some $$$ if you know what you're doing! Ok, well there are just a few for you, but being a SysOp is a great hobby, but you have to be prepared to put a little time away for it each day, although the amount of work you put it, is entirely up to you. 1.4) Are there any "guidelines" or etiquette on how to be a SysOp? None written down as such (before now that is), but I'm sure every SysOp out there knows how he/she should act. Here's a few pointers - A) Be helpful! If you see one of your users stuck somewhere, give them a hand. They will be grateful and are more likely to call back knowing that the SysOp is helpful. B) Try to keep your BBS free of dirty language and especially personal abuse directed at certain users. There are many users out there who will not tolerate a BBS that is full of @#$#@$ language! C) Do not be too stingy with your access limits - if you don't give your users much, they aren't likely to call back! The above are probably the main guidelines that you should worry about when you begin, but it is all mostly common sense. When you are not sure whether to do something or not just put yourself in your user's position (ie. the people that call your BBS) and see if you would like the change you are going to make. 1.5) Is it EASY to run a BBS? Yes, if you start off with a simple BBS system then it is very easy to set up and get going. Once you have set your BBS up and it is running then you should not have any troubles at all! 1.6) Is it FUN to run a BBS? That is for you to go and find out! Personally, I think it's great, I have met many people on my BBS and I really enjoy being able to readily communicate to my "users" who call every few days. ------------ CHAPTER 2: STARTING YOUR OWN BBS 2.1) Hang on a sec! What type of BBS are we talking about here? In this FAQ I am talking mainly about BBSs that are run on personal computers at home. I am NOT specifically talking about INTERNET BBSs, as these are obviously run differently, but I'm sure some of the guidelines regarding how to be a SysOp will still apply. 2.2) What hardware do I need to start a BBS? The basic hardware requirements to start a BBS are a computer, modem and a phoneline. These are the 3 basic things that you'll need to get started. I will go into a little more detail with each. A) COMPUTER - Basically any computer will do, whether it be IBM, Amiga, Macintosh or any others that you can find BBS software to run on it. You NEED a hard drive, you CANNOT run a BBS from floppies - well it's possible, but it would be one crappy BBS! :) Your hard drive should be as large as possible, the bigger it is the more files, messages and other areas you can have on your BBS. Remember this little saying about hard drives for BBSs - THE BIGGER THEY ARE THE BETTER! Hard Drive Guide Line - (Smallest - 40 Meg) (Average - 200 - 400 Meg) (Large - Over 1 Gigabyte) You need a serial port to plug your modem into (pretty standard on modern computers) otherwise you won't be able to communicate with the outside world. Anything from an XT to a Pentium will work, but obviously it'll run better on a faster machine, and a lot of new BBS software need to be run on decent machines. Basically, if you've bought you're computer in the last 5 years, it'll work fine. B) MODEM - Probably the most important part of your BBS setup. If you don't have a modem you don't have your link to the outside world. As with the type of computer needed to run a BBS, the faster the modem you have, the better. It will let your users "download" (dont worry, come to it later) files a lot faster, and they are more likely to call back if they can get files quickly. Most brands of modems are fine for your BBS, although I would suggest an external model as they are easy to move around from computer to computer (if need be) and they also have small diagnostic LED's which are helpful when turning your modem on and off and when troubles occur. Modem Guideline - (Slowest - 2400 BPS) (Average - 14,400 BPS) (Fast - 28,000 - 54,000 BPS) C) PHONE LINE - Along with your modem this is what links you to all your uses. Some BBSs only run during certain times of the day, for example, lets say 9pm to 6am. They do this because they are running on the SysOp's MAIN phoneline. (Their main voice phone line). I will make this clear - putting your BBS on your voice phone line is NOT a good idea! People will start ringing your phone outside the hours you set and you'll be rushing to the phone every few minutes, only to hear a modem screeching at you! The best thing to do is to have another phone line installed in your house (yes, a whole new phone line, with a different number) which will be dedicated to the BBS. This way you can leave it on 24 hours a day and you won't have any problems with people calling your main voice phoneline with their modems. NOTE - Do NOT have another phone connected to the same phone line as your BBS, as this can cause "line noise" which can interrupt and disconnect users from your BBS. Apart from the above three items there are no other NECESSARY pieces of hardware that you need to set up your BBS. Of course if you wanted to have a multi-line BBS, you will need to have extra phone lines, networking hardware etc, etc. But for starters you'll only need the above items to get your BBS up and running for the first time. 2.3) What software do I need to start a BBS? There are many and varied BBS software packages out there both commercial and shareware, for all types of computer systems. By far the easiest to get a hold of are the shareware PC versions, which are the most common BBSs around the place. The commercial packages which can be bought are usually for those SysOps who are experienced and who wish to upgrade to a much larger, multi-line system with all the bells and whistles attached. If you are a first-time SysOp, and you just want to get a smallish BBS system up and running for the moment, then I would suggest you get one of the many shareware BBS programs that are available. Programs such as Maximus, Remote Access, Telegard and EzyCom are just a few of a very wide range of shareware products available which would suit the first-time SysOp. These programs are all easy to use and configure, and usually come with everything you need (in software terms) to get your BBS started. You can find these programs on your local BBSs, or from various sites around the net. I will include a short list of ftp sites where you can get shareware BBS programs at the end of the FAQ. *If anyone has a larger and more detailed listing of BBS software* *ftp sites, then please email me and I will update the FAQ in * *future versions. * 2.4) How much will it cost to start a BBS? Contrary to most people's beliefs, establishing a BBS is NOT an expensive thing to do. Most people already have the computer to base the BBS on, and even if another one has to be bought, old 286 or 386 machines are really cheap these days adn they are suitable for the job. Also, most people reading this FAQ will already have a modem (as they are reading this from teh internet) so that is not a worry either. If a modem has to be bought for some reason or another then I would suggest at least a 14,400 BPS modem, as anything slower just won't compete with other BBSs these days. Here in Australia a 14,400 external modem can be bought for about A$250 - A$300. I'm not sure about in the US, if anyone has some average prices please email me and I'll include them in later versions of this FAQ. The only other substantial pocket-burner is the extra phoneline. If you have an extra phone-line running into your house that isn't really necessary, then grab it, and use it for your BBS, otherwise it could cost you quite a bit to get another one installed. I payed A$170 to get my phone line installed for my BBS, again I'm not sure of the prices in the US, I would be grateful if somebody could let me know of all these US prices. If you are using a shareware BBS program, then that will not cost you anything to obtain. But if you are after a commercial BBS program, then you're probably looking at a starting price of $50. My advice - start with a shareware program and you can make up your mind later on if you want to fork out the money for a commercial system. Thats it! That is all you have to pay to get your BBS up and running, and if you've already got a computer and modem then it wont cost you much at all. 2.5) Does it take a long time to set up a BBS? That all depends on what program you are using and how elaborate you want your system to be. I would suggest just getting your BBS running first, before you start putting extra goodies on. It took me one afternoon to have my BBS running - only the bare bones of it of course. It will take you a few days of testing to get any little glitches out of the system but after that you can just keep adding on bits and pieces to make your BBS better. Most problems encountered while setting up a BBS are usually modem configuration problems. You might have to fiddle around for a while until you get your modem configured correctly. For testing your BBS it is *VERY* helpful to have a friend with a modem who can test your BBS for you. It is practically the only way you can test it, but once you have your modem configured correctly, you should not have to touch it again. 2.6) How do I set up a BBS? Please refer to your BBS software's doc files or manuals, as they will have ALL the information you need to start up your BBS. This is not a technical FAQ, more a guide as to what is involved in being a SysOp. Although I may write a more technical oriented FAQ soon for BBSs. ----------- þ