Sinclair Retro BBS online!

[Outsoft]

Hi to all folks!

I'm proud to advice you all that I'm' online with a Sinclair BBS that is reachable via Telnet or via QTPI on the QL (with TCP/SER support on a PC and a serial cable).

The telnet address is:

telnet://retrobbs.sinclair.homepc.it

For now is ready for a General Chat on Fsxnet, local and inter chat with other BBS of the Mystic group but soon will have some special Sinclair thing on it and can be connected to Efnet and Retronet channels where all Retro fans are in contact!

Is in daily update, now is stable but I need to add more features that I've seen in other modern BBS.

Enjoy it!!!

Best regards from a QL fan!

[Outsoft]

http://telnetbbsguide.com/bbs/sinclair-retro-bbs/

Is reachable also via Browser now

But there is a limit of connection from the same IP so is better to use a Terminal program.

Stay tuned!

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

I could connect via the browser, it gave a blocked error message.

I had similar thoughts, but the other way around. Using a Linux box as an Internet gateway connecting to a QL running Pbox BBS system over a serial link(s). maybe upto 4 connections based on 4 serial ports on the BBS.

My BBS has not been online since roughly 1998, I used to get email via another BBS user who used FidoGate to import/export email messages to the FidoNET system. My idea would be to have FidoGate on a Linux box and use that for mail transfers and a serial connection to the QL.

Just thought at present, but this process has been done on other computers like Commodore C64 etc... so maybe possible for the QL, would this be of interest?

[Outsoft]

Hi,

I could connect via the browser, it gave a blocked error message.

I had similar thoughts, but the other way around. Using a Linux box as an Internet gateway connecting to a QL running Pbox BBS system over a serial link(s). maybe upto 4 connections based on 4 serial ports on the BBS.

My BBS has not been online since roughly 1998, I used to get email via another BBS user who used FidoGate to import/export email messages to the FidoNET system. My idea would be to have FidoGate on a Linux box and use that for mail transfers and a serial connection to the QL.

Just thought at present, but this process has been done on other computers like Commodore C64 etc... so maybe possible for the QL, would this be of interest?

Is an anti bot system of the BBS that blocks more than 4 access from the same IP in 120 seconds.

I neet to whielist the IP of the BBS GUIDE html terminal.

You can go in via terminal so you will use your direct IP: there are every day many bots that try to block the BBS.

[janbredenbeek]

Hi to all folks!

I'm proud to advice you all that I'm' online with a Sinclair BBS that is reachable via Telnet or via QTPI on the QL (with TCP/SER support on a PC and a serial cable).

The telnet address is:

telnet://retrobbs.sinclair.homepc.it

This looks really nice!

I started my own BBS using home-made software (QBOX) in 1987. I think this was the first scrolling-terminal BBS back then with XMODEM down and upload. There were Viewdata (Prestel-type) BB systems but these had a Teletext-like interface and did not allow file down and upload. In the early days I used Microdrives as storage which were buffered to a RAMdisk, because I couldn't use the floppy interface as I needed the expansion connector for my own serial interface. The standard QL ports were useless as I needed split baud rate (75/1200, the opposite of 1200/75) and Hermes hadn't been invented yet!

Later I moved to a Miracle Systems 30MB winchester disk (as they called it). In 1990 I had to switch to a PC because I became a FidoNet host and the QL couldn't handle the traffic. This BBS ran on OS/2 until 2003 when the number of callers had dropped to one in a month or so. Then I switched to MBSE BBS on Linux but this was mail-only. It closed down in 2014...

I still have an archive of the OS/2 BBS including the QL file areas and even managed to run it in a VirtualBox VM! I also have archives of the old QBOX system which I also managed to run locally. It would probably be possible to run these on QPC as Telnet BBS, because QBOX doesn't communicate directly with the modem but uses a software API so it can be adapted to use the TCP/IP stack.

I understand this BBS is written in Python? Then I might be able to run it on my Synology NAS... I'm a bit reluctant to do this though as it has security implications so I'd rather use an old PC for this (I could as well install OS/2 on it and run the old BBS via the Telnet/Vmodem driver ).

cheers, Jan.

[Outsoft]

Hi to all folks!

I'm proud to advice you all that I'm' online with a Sinclair BBS that is reachable via Telnet or via QTPI on the QL (with TCP/SER support on a PC and a serial cable).

The telnet address is:

telnet://retrobbs.sinclair.homepc.it

This looks really nice!

I started my own BBS using home-made software (QBOX) in 1987. I think this was the first scrolling-terminal BBS back then with XMODEM down and upload. There were Viewdata (Prestel-type) BB systems but these had a Teletext-like interface and did not allow file down and upload. In the early days I used Microdrives as storage which were buffered to a RAMdisk, because I couldn't use the floppy interface as I needed the expansion connector for my own serial interface. The standard QL ports were useless as I needed split baud rate (75/1200, the opposite of 1200/75) and Hermes hadn't been invented yet!

Later I moved to a Miracle Systems 30MB winchester disk (as they called it). In 1990 I had to switch to a PC because I became a FidoNet host and the QL couldn't handle the traffic. This BBS ran on OS/2 until 2003 when the number of callers had dropped to one in a month or so. Then I switched to MBSE BBS on Linux but this was mail-only. It closed down in 2014...

I still have an archive of the OS/2 BBS including the QL file areas and even managed to run it in a VirtualBox VM! I also have archives of the old QBOX system which I also managed to run locally. It would probably be possible to run these on QPC as Telnet BBS, because QBOX doesn't communicate directly with the modem but uses a software API so it can be adapted to use the TCP/IP stack.

I understand this BBS is written in Python? Then I might be able to run it on my Synology NAS... I'm a bit reluctant to do this though as it has security implications so I'd rather use an old PC for this (I could as well install OS/2 on it and run the old BBS via the Telnet/Vmodem driver ).

cheers, Jan.

Great story Jan!!!

Yes use Python, is the Mystic BBS

All run on VIrtualbox VM via Ubuntu

I would like to put all QL files on my BBS, I will be proud to do it!!!

And I need some people that can help me with scripts and new features.

Do you want to help me in this new project? I will be very happy

I can let you go in as Sysop and study all configuration.

I need also to set SSH (router port OK, on Ubuntu not so much...) so you can make all the changes

Let me know, I'm ready

Write me also in private.

Best regards.

[vanpeebles]

I had a look a round the BBS last night. It's very good

[janbredenbeek]

Great story Jan!!!

Yes use Python, is the Mystic BBS
All run on VIrtualbox VM via Ubuntu
I would like to put all QL files on my BBS, I will be proud to do it!!!
And I need some people that can help me with scripts and new features.
Do you want to help me in this new project? I will be very happy
I can let you go in as Sysop and study all configuration.
I need also to set SSH (router port OK, on Ubuntu not so much...) so you can make all the changes
Let me know, I'm ready
Write me also in private.

Best regards.

Hi Simon,

I'm willing to have a look but don't expect me to build a complete BBS as I don't have much spare time and I don't expect many users to join . I'm only looking for a way to get my old BBS files back online without having to do much conversion work. Downloading files will be a challenge anyway with only a few Telnet/SSH clients supporting Zmodem.

My plan to put the OS/2 BBS back online will be a challenge as Vmodem doesn't seem to work in a VM and I ran into several hardware issues when trying to re-install OS/2 Warp 4 on a Pentium III machine. I managed to make a Telnet connection to a VirtualBoxed OS/2 BBS though - only problem is the DCD status isn't emulated so I had to type Hayes modem commands manually before getting a login!

So I think it's best to stick with BBS software that can handle TCP/IP natively. One thing that's an issue these days is security - you probably don't want a system exposed to the internet to run on the same hardware where your private files are, and even not in the same private network so it's best to run it on a separate system inside a DMZ or even better a hosted server (which may also be cheaper). Any ideas about that?

cheers, Jan.

[Outsoft]

Great story Jan!!!

Yes use Python, is the Mystic BBS
All run on VIrtualbox VM via Ubuntu
I would like to put all QL files on my BBS, I will be proud to do it!!!
And I need some people that can help me with scripts and new features.
Do you want to help me in this new project? I will be very happy
I can let you go in as Sysop and study all configuration.
I need also to set SSH (router port OK, on Ubuntu not so much...) so you can make all the changes
Let me know, I'm ready
Write me also in private.

Best regards.

Hi Simon,

I'm willing to have a look but don't expect me to build a complete BBS as I don't have much spare time and I don't expect many users to join . I'm only looking for a way to get my old BBS files back online without having to do much conversion work. Downloading files will be a challenge anyway with only a few Telnet/SSH clients supporting Zmodem.

My plan to put the OS/2 BBS back online will be a challenge as Vmodem doesn't seem to work in a VM and I ran into several hardware issues when trying to re-install OS/2 Warp 4 on a Pentium III machine. I managed to make a Telnet connection to a VirtualBoxed OS/2 BBS though - only problem is the DCD status isn't emulated so I had to type Hayes modem commands manually before getting a login!

So I think it's best to stick with BBS software that can handle TCP/IP natively. One thing that's an issue these days is security - you probably don't want a system exposed to the internet to run on the same hardware where your private files are, and even not in the same private network so it's best to run it on a separate system inside a DMZ or even better a hosted server (which may also be cheaper). Any ideas about that?

cheers, Jan.

Don't worry we have just a team that works on our BBS

I would like to put you stuff on it, this will be very nice

Let me know.

best regards.

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

Why do you not put Qbox onto a QL and connect the QL serial port to a Linux box with port forwarding to allow anyone to connect to a real QL BBS.

All that would be required is the QBOX initialisation without a modem and the Linux box to forward internet users through its serial port(s) to the QBOX.