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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #1841)
[PCjs Machine "ibm5170"]
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Information about “BACKMAIL”
Turn your computer into the center of your own electronic mail
network with BACKMAIL, a background communications program that will
not interrupt your work or your incoming voice calls.
BACKMAIL can be used to compose and send messages, files and programs
with other BACKMAIL users over regular phone lines using a standard
modem while you are using your computer as you ordinarily would.
Operating in the background, BACKMAIL will call phone numbers to which
you have addressed messages or files, deliver them at a preassigned
time, collect any mail addressed to you from there, terminate the call
and repeat this process for the next appropriate destination on your
list. All of this without bothering you, and without interrupting the
normal use of your machine.
BACKMAIL doesn't interfere with the normal use of your phone for voice
messages. Turn down the bell on your phone and carry on with your
work. BACKMAIL will use your modem to answer all calls. If it's a
voice call, the program will ring the speaker on your computer and ask
you to pick up the phone. If it's another BACKMAIL calling, the
program will receive your mail, store it to disk, and send any pending
mail that you have addressed to the person who called you.
BM2.TXT
BackMail II
*****************************
BackMail II will be released in April-May 1990. Here are the new features of
BackMail-II.
1. SCRIPTS
BackMail-II reads communications scripts. We call the
script language "BSL". It is a very compact, very terse,
communications language. It is designed with fast, unobtrusive,
background operation in mind.
Scripts enable Backmail to:
- dial through data switches, PADs and services like PC-
pursuit that require log on, id and route addressing.
Access to dial through PAD's will give BackMailers
tremendous savings on long distance traffic.
- Do complex Initialization of High Speed modems for
selected destinations. (E.g. set MNP levels etc)
- log on and into information services and E-mail nodes
that support a BackMail server.
Scripts files are ASCII text files kept in the backmail
directory. From within BackMail they are defined under
"Change Setup" very much like prefixes, except instead of
giving a arbitrary label you enter a list of up to 8 script
names. These names appear in the phone directory window just
like prefixes. Thus a user might have scripts for 'DATAPAC',
'TYMNET', 'UUCP', 'USR-HST' ... &c. and declare some users
"LONG DATAPAC","LOCAL UUCP" an so on.
The Script language includes a command to save all
script transactions in a "SCRIPT.LOG" file, to help in the
debugging of complex scripts. BackMail-II will come with plenty of
sample scripts and a BSL manual. The script.log file is
placed in the user's "transfer" directory.
2. POLLING
Now in addition to declaring some destinations as e.g. "High
Priority' one can, from the Phone Directory Menu, mark
declarations to be "polled". A polled destination is called
at least once every hour, even if you have no mail addressed
to it, to collect mail pending from that destination. This
is one more step towards complete voice compatibility. Using
polling the user can set his availability and answer Mode
such that BackMail will never answer the phone with carrier,
and yet regularly receive mail from all the polled
destinations. It will be particularly useful as BackMail
servers on mainframe based E-mail networks like UUCP
proliferate.
3. OUTCALL ONLY (SECURE CALLS)
Marking a destination as OUTCALL is the reverse of the
current feature "Do not accept return mail". When a
destination is marked as an OUTCALL BackMail will only
deliver mail to it when BackMail has called that
destination, not when that destination (or a BackMail that has
that destination's phone number) calls. OUTCALL is intended
to satisfy users who wanted more security for their BackMail
traffic.
4. CHECK FOR SUSPENDED DESTINATION ON REPLY
In version 2, BackMail will warn you when you reply to a suspended
destination, and offer the option of unsuspending.
5. TIME ZONE ADJUSTMENT
With version 2, Backmails automatically compare local times and
adjust for time zone diferences in availability times.
6. AVAILABILITY LOCK
There are certain circumstances in which you may want your
BackMail *not* to adjust a availability to the users declared
settings (e.g. if you wish to poll a long distance number
once a day after midnight). In BackMail-II an individual destination's
availability can be "locked" at the phone directory window.
7. CALL NOW
Now hitting "N" at the main menu sends the first available message
immediately, overiding BackMail's normal approx 3 minute cycle.
(Note: Call Now does not overide availability or priority.)
8. GROUPS
The user can define 6 group names and assign any subset of
his destination directory to a group. Group names appear
at the top of the destination window below "All local" and
"All internal phone numbers"
9. NEW UTILITIES
SEND.COM is a utility that allows you to post files by backmail from the
dos prompt or from a batch file. Files can be adressed by
number or handle. Thus:
SEND -c:\backmail -Hjoe -Fd:\123\myfile.wks
will post "myfile.wks" to "joe" without having to access the
main menu. If your editor supports macros this utility allows
you to substitute your editor for the BackMail message editor.
CONVERT.COM alows you to convert your BackMail-I phone directories
to version II format saving the trouble of having to re-enter the
numbers.
PMERGE.EXE allows you to merge 'foreign' phone directories with yours.
10. CC. LISTS
BackMail now appends a CC list to all messages which are adressed
to more that one destination. CC lists can be supressed from the
phone address list.
11. DISPLAY STATUS
Now displays information about the status of polled destinations
as well as errors in reading scripts or logging scripts or script
language errors.
12. AUTODIALER
The voice autodialer will now read phone numbers from the screen of
the user's foreground application.
13. BMCONFIG
A new BMCONFIG will make installation much easier and will includes
predefined settings for non-standard modems.
14. WELCOME FILE
The user can designate a file (it must reside in the BackMail
directory) which will be sent to any "unknown caller". I.e. any
caller who is not already in the user's phone directory. The
name of the file is entered under the change setup menu.
15. ALPHABETICAL LOOK UP
Now in the phone directory or destination list, the user can search
through handles by hitting the first letter of the user's name or handle.
16. VARIABLE NUMBER FORMAT
BackMail-II supports non-North American phone number formats (e.g. 1-5
digit area codes, 6 digit numbers...etc).
17. SIZE?
With all this BackMail-II takes *less* RAM that BackMail-I. (At this
point about 33k)
PRICING, UPGRADES AND CRIPPLEWARE
*****************************************************
BackMail-II will cost $50. Upgrades (though not manuals) will
be free to users who have registered BackMail-I prior to BackMail-II's release.
BackMail-II is a kind of "crippleware". The way it works is
that some program functions (send file, forward and reply) are
locked out until the user actually registers. The functions are
automatically unlocked by a call to the registration machine once
the users payment has cleared.
There is no whining message. A user can elect to Register by
hitting 'G' at the main menu when it appears (it isn't always there).
Some people will not like this. But we think it is reasonable. The
complaints against standard crippleware/test drive programs do not apply
here since the program is fully function and unlocking the relevant
functions is very easy thanks to our Teleware system. The new system
also makes it possible for users to pay by check or purchase site
licenses. Note that there are lots of BackMail-I's out there and users
who want to avoid registration can continue to (indeed are encouraged to!)
use them.
FILE1841.TXT
Disk No: 1841
Disk Title: Backmail
PC-SIG Version: S1.1
Program Title: BACKMAIL
Author Version: 1.1
Author Registration: $30.00
Special Requirements: Modem.
BACKMAIL is a background communications program that turns your computer
into the center of your own electronic mail network. All without
interrupting your work or your incoming voice calls.
BACKMAIL can be used to compose and send messages, files and programs
with other BACKMAIL users over regular phone lines using a standard
modem while you are using your computer as you ordinarily would.
Operating in the background, the program will call phone numbers to
which you have addressed messages or files, deliver them at a
preassigned time, collect any mail addressed to you from there,
terminate the call and repeat this process for the next appropriate
destination on the list. All of this without intervention by you, and
without interrupting your normal use of your machine.
BACKMAIL doesn't interfere with the normal use of your phone for voice
messages. Turn down the bell on your telephone, and carry on with your
work. BACKMAIL will use your modem to answer the phone; if it's a voice
call, the program will ring the speaker on your computer and ask you to
pick up the phone. If it's another BACKMAIL calling, the program will
receive your mail, store it to disk, and send any pending mail that you
have addressed to the person who called you. All without interrupting
you.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk #1841 BACKMAIL >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ To start using the program, type: COPY READ.ME PRN (press enter) ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
(c) Copyright 1990, PC-SIG Inc.
MODEMS.TXT
B-1
APPENDIX B: Customizing BackMail for your Modem
The default values in Backmail should enable it to operate with any
truly Hayes Compatible 1200 or 2400 baud modem. Apart from insuring
that your DIP switches are set correctly, we recommend that you use
BackMail for a bit before undertaking any customization. The default
values the program uses have been chosen with great care and work
with a wide variety of modems.
However, should you encounter problems or if your modem is non-
standard, don't despair. We have designed BackMail to allow you to
alter virtually all of the parameters that control the modems
operations. So even if you have a modem that does not conform to
industry standards it should be possible to configure the program to
drive your modem.
DIP SWITCHES
Your Modem may or may not have DIP switches which may control some
or all of these functions.
+------------------------++-------------------------------------+
| SWITCH || SETTING |
+------------------------++-------------------------------------+
| Carrier Detect ||Should be set so that Carrier is NOT |
| ||always on. |
| || |
| Data Terminal Ready ||Should be set so that DTR is NOT |
| ||always on; i.e. is controlled by the |
| ||computer. |
| || |
| Verbose ||Should be set so that modem produces |
| ||numeric responses |
| || |
| Echo ||Should be set so the modem does NOT |
| ||echo commands |
| || |
| Auto Answer ||Should be off so modem does not |
| ||automatically answer the phone |
+------------------------++-------------------------------------+
It is most important that you have Carrier and DTR detect enabled.
If your modem does not have DIP switches for these functions then
they will be set by command strings. Check the Setting for Tech 3 to
make sure that it is the appropriate string to enable carrier and
DTR. Setting of Tech settings is described below.
B-2
MODEM RESPONSE CODES
Your modem responds to commands by sending "response codes" to your
computer. BackMail sets your modem to respond with numeric
responses. These are numbers (usually between 0-10, though we have
provided up to 20) that tell the program about the state of your
modem. Responses 1-4 are standard but, above 4, modems can mean
different things by these numbers. To bring BackMail fully en
rapport with your modem you should tell the program what these
response codes mean to your modem. You do this by altering TECH
SETTINGS under the CHANGE SETUP menu.
You change TECH SETTINGS by entering the number of the tech setting
you want to change and entering an appropriate string or number.
For modem response codes you will be entering numbers. Tech Settings
50-60 correspond to modem responses from 0-20. Each Tech Setting in
this range has associated with it a number which indicates its
meaning to BackMail.
These numbers indicate the interpretation that BackMail will place
upon the corresponding modem responses and dictate what action
BackMail will take.
Here are the BackMail Numbers and their meaning:
+---------+------------------------------------------------+
| Setting | Interpretation |
+---------|------------------------------------------------+
| 0 | 'OK': Modem has accepted a command |
| 1 | Modem has detected a Carrier at 300 Baud |
| 2 | Modem has detected a Carrier at 1200 Baud |
| 3 | Modem has detected a Carrier at 2400 Baud |
| 4 | Modem has detected your phone is ringing |
| 5 | Modem has lost or failed to detect a carrier |
| 6 | Modem has detected a Busy signal |
| 7 | Modem detects ring at the called number |
| 8 | Modem has failed to detect a dial tone |
| 9 | This response code is undefined for this modem|
| 10 | Modem has found an error in some command |
+---------+------------------------------------------------+
B-3
Here are the default settings which backmail uses to interpret Modem
responses 0-20.
+--------+-----------+------------------+
| Tech | Modem | Default BackMail |
| Number | Response | Setting |
+--------+-----------+------------------+
| 50 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | 1 | 1 |
| 52 | 2 | 4 |
| 53 | 3 | 5 |
| 54 | 4 | 10 |
| 55 | 5 | 2 |
| 56 | 6 | 5 |
| 57 | 7 | 5 |
| 58 | 8 | 9 |
| 59 | 9 | 9 |
| 60 | 10 | 3 |
| 61 | 11 | 9 |
| 62 | 12 | 9 |
| 63 | 13 | 9 |
| 64 | 14 | 9 |
| 65 | 15 | 9 |
| 66 | 16 | 9 |
| 67 | 17 | 9 |
| 68 | 18 | 9 |
| 69 | 19 | 9 |
| 70 | 20 | 9 |
+--------+-----------+------------------+
As you will see, by default, all of the modem responses from 6-20
have a default BackMail setting of '9' which means that BackMail
will do nothing if it receives these responses. If these extended
codes do mean something to your modem then you will want to fill
BackMail in by setting the appropriate interpretation beside the
tech setting that corresponds to that tech setting.
For example: Suppose that your modem manual tells you that your
modem issues response code "6" when it receives no dial tone and "7"
when it detects a busy signal. In that case you should alter Tech
settings "56" and "67" to the Backmail settings for these responses.
+-------------------+-------------------+------------+
| Modem Response | Tech Setting | BackMail |
+-------------------|-------------------|------------+
| 6 | 56 | 8 |
| 7 | 57 | 6 |
+-------------------+-------------------+------------+
Sorry if all this sounds complicated. Indeed we aren't out of the
woods yet for now we have to talk about "X" settings...
B-4
X SETTINGS: CONTROLLING EXTENDED RESPONSES
The meaning of modem response codes above "5" are not wholly
standardized and any modem that uses these extended responses will
have a command to tell your modem which responses it will issue.
These are usually the "X1-X4" command strings. Tech Setting 4 sends
an X command to the modem whenever it hangs up the phone.
It is possible (though not likely) that you will want your modem to
be set to a different "X" value when it is answering the the phone
than when it is calling out. For this reason we have two Tech
settings for 'X' commands. The "X" value at Tech 4 is sent to the
modem each time BackMail hangs up the phone and will be in effect
when BackMail Calls out. The "X" string at tech 21 is used when
BackMail picks up the phone to dial out.
The default values for both these strings are "X1" which normally
tells the modem to do nothing except report the difference between
1200 and 2400 baud carriers. For a typical fully featured modem the
values might be:
+-----------+----------------+--------------------------------+
| Tech | Recommended | |
| Number | Setting | Function |
+-----------+-------------------------------------------------+
| 4 | X3 |Wait for Dial tone , 1200/2400 |
| | |Detect,Busy Detect |
| 21 | X1 |No wait for dial tone, 1200/2400|
| | |detect |
+-----------+----------------+--------------------------------+
Use the "X" settings that correspond to these values.
Do NOT use an "X" setting if your manual tells you that in that "X-
mode" Backmail will wait for silence before dialing. You do NOT want
BackMail to do that.
MNP MODEMS
Some high speed modems which support the MNP error connection
protocol, have very great difficulty in establishing a stable
connection with lower speed modems that do not support MNP. If you
have an MNP modem but want to BackMail with other modems that don't,
it is probably a good idea to turn MNP off for BackMailing purposes.
You can do this by including the string "&M0" in your TECH 7 String.
(but confirm the effect of this in your modem manual).
B-5
DOES YOUR MODEM SUPPORT "&" COMMANDS
Internal modems that do not have DIP switchs (and some extrnal
modems that do) require the command "&C1&D2" to enable DTR and
Carrier Detect to be controled by BackMail. We have included this
string as a default under TECH 3.
However, many modems do not support and do not require this command,
a few of these respond badly to the unknown command. If your modem
does not support "&" commands, and you experience bad performance,
it might be a good idea to blank out Tech setting 3.
TURNING ON BUSY DETECT AND WAIT FOR DIAL TONE
If you have entered in the right response codes and "X" modes then
busy detect will already be in effect. To turn on wait for dial tone
just bring up the CHANGE SETUP MENU and select WAIT FOR DIAL TONE.
Turning "WAIT FOR DIAL TONE" on will greatly enhance the ease with
which you can use BackMail for dialing out Voice calls.
WHICH RING TO ANSWER
Tech setting 73 contains a number which corresponds to the number of
rings Backmail should wait for before it answers the phone. The
default is "1" so that BackMail will answer your phone on the first
ring. If you want to give an answering machine or other people on an
extension a first shot at answering the phone you might want to
increase this number.
SLUGGISH MODEMS
Tech setting 72 contains a number which indicates how long it takes
your modem to hang up after it receives an on/off transition in the
DTR line from the computer. The default is 1 second, but if your
modem seems not to be answering the phone, or failing to connect
with calling BackMailers, then try increasing this number to 2
seconds.
CAVEAT
There are many different brands of modem on the market and they vary
widely in how well they perform. BackMail makes extensive use of all
of the features of standard modems and if the manufacturer has cut
corners in production they are more likely to show up with BackMail
than with some other less sophisticated communication programs.
We have done thousands of hours of testing BackMail with many
different kinds of modems. There are some real turkeys out there:
modems that claim to do things that they don't, modems designed to
do things no one in their right mind would ever want them to do, and
modems so flaky that they are not good for much more than
autodialing. Unsurprisingly, we have found that modem performance is
more or less directly correlated with price. We hope that your modem
wasn't too much of a bargain.
B-6
Of particular note are some very inexpensive, internal 2400 baud
modems. These can typically run quite hot, which is not highly
recommended if you want to keep your chips happy. Some of these
have very great difficulty connecting with other modems at 2400 baud
and you have to set your LAG TIME (See the manual for an
explanation) to a very high value (e.g. 30 seconds). To successfully
connect with these modems.
If you frequently get calls which BackMail identifies as voice calls
but which are really other BackMailers, or if other BackMailers have
trouble connecting with you we recommend that you use BMCONFIG.COM
to set your "ANSWER BAUD" rate to 1200 baud. If you have trouble
connecting with other modems at 2400 baud then you should reduce
your "CALL BAUD" rate down to 1200 baud. The trade off of
reliability for speed is usually worth it.
B-7
MODEM COMMAND STRINGS
Tech Settings 0 -22 contain the strings that are used to control the
modem.
If you encounter difficulties with BackMail controlling your modem
you may wish to change some of these after consulting your modem.
Command strings can be up to 15 characters long.
+----------+--------+-------------------------------------------+
| Tech |Default | |
| Number|Value | FUNCTION |
+----------+--------+-------------------------------------------+
| 0 |AT |Modem attention string. Precedes all |
| | |commands |
| 1 |Z |Hang up the phone & Reset |
| 2 |S9=6 |Time to wait to identify carrier |
| 3 |&C1&D2 |Carrier Detect and hang up on DTR enabled. |
| 4 |X3 |Mode to using in calling out |
| 5 |M1 |Modem speaker on |
| 6 |M0 |Modem speaker off |
| 7 |Q0E0V0 |Send result codes, Don't Echo Commands, |
| | |Numerical responses |
| 8 |S0=0 |Do NOT auto-answer |
| 9 |S7=60 |Time to wait for carrier |
| 10 |DT |Touch tone dial out |
| 11 |DP |Pulse tone dialing |
| 12 |A |Answer with carrier |
| 13 |; |Return to command state |
| 14 |D |Dial prefix |
| 15 |CR> |Terminator for Command lines |
| 16 |W |Wait for dial tone |
| 17 |S6=2 |Time to wait for dial tone |
| 18 | | |
| 19 | | |
| 20 | | |
| 21 |X1 |Mode to use when dialing out |
| 22 |+++ |Modem escape sequence |
+----------|--------+-------------------------------------------+
B-8
ADVICE TO HACKERS
The strings associated with TECH 1,2,3,4 and 7 are sent to the
modem every time BackMail resets or hangs up the phone. If your
modem requires special command strings you may wish to include them
here. If your modem does not Accept "&" commands you may wish to
blank out tech setting 3 to speed the reset of your Modem.
C-1
APPENDIX C: UNDERSTANDING EXTENSION NUMBERS
In an office enviornment it often happens that many phones share the
same phone number and differ only in their extension. For this
reason BackMail allows you to specify your own extension number as
part of your phone number and to specify extension numbers in
addition to destination's 7 digit phone numbers.
In using extension numbers the most important thing to remember is
that:
For its own purposes BackMail identifies all destinations by
their phone number and BackMail treats extension numbers as
part of that identification.
This becomes important when you remember that BackMail won't deliver
or recieve mail from another BackMail unless the other BackMail has
a phone number (the whole phone number) corresponding to some piece
of mail.
If you think about it you will see that this is essential for
systems with extension numbers. When you call,say, "424-3811 Ext.
1112", you do not want to deliver messages that are adressed to
"424-3811 ext.1113."
DECLARING YOUR OWN EXTENSION
One upshot of all this is that if, when declaring your own phone
number, you include your extension number, then other BackMailers
should know about that extension and use it as part of your phone
number. Note, this is so even if their call to you is a local or
long distance call.
Otherwise the following may happen. Other Backmails will call your
backmail and say: "Hello I have mail for 424-3811". Your BackMail
will say "Sorry I am 424-3811 Ext.1112". The calling BackMailer will
say "Ooops, then I have no mail for you!" and will disconnect
without delivering its mail.
In the other direction you may call BackMail's that already have you
listed in their directory as 424-3811, but because your mail comes
in stamped as being from 424-3811 Ext. 1123, those destinations will
identify your mail as coming from "unknown".
THE INTERNAL PREFIX
The prefix "intern" comes pre-defined in BackMail and you can enter
other prefixes or Suffixes of the INTERNAL type. When a
destination's phone number bears an INTERNAL prefix/suffix type then
BackMail will use the 1-4 digit extension number you have associated
with that destinations phone number.
C-2
If you declare a destination to be an INTERNAL call, but have not
entered an extension number for the destination then BackMail will
use the last four digits of the destinations phone number in placing
its call.
So, to make an internal call to the destination:
424-3811 Ext: 12
BackMail would simply dial "12". On the other hand if you had no
extension entered for this number but declared it to be an "Intern"
call, BackMail would try to reach this number by dialing: "3811".
QUICK FIXES
************
In our experience %90 of modem problems among Hayes compatible modems
go away when one does one of the following 3 things:
If TECH SETTING #1 is "Z" change it to "H0". If it is "H0"
change it to "Z".
If your modem does *not* support "&" commands then *blank out*
the TECH #3 string "&C1 &D2"
If your modem supports MNP you may find that MNP modems have a
hard time connecting with non-MNP modems. The simplest fix
is to turn MNP *off* by including the relevant string in
TECH #7 or TECH #2. (Eg. for the USR-HST this would mean
adding "&M0" in one of these TECH strings).
SAFETY.TXT
Make Life Easier: Take some Sensible Precautions
Alethic is quite aware that the potential for disaster is great with
all TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs and particularly for those
which read and write files in the background. Because of this, Alethic has
intensively tested BackMail to a far greater extent than commercial programs
are normally tested. That there have been many thousands of hours of trouble-
free BackMailing is a tribute to this testing. But saying this is not
to say that all potential for catastrophic failure has been circumvented.
Since BackMail must run behind another application, there is no way that the
polite behavior, or even sanity of these third-party foreground applications
can be assured.
For this reason, BackMailers should take a few precautions against the
evil day. In particular Alethic recomends the frequent backing up of mail files
and phone directory. This is because the most common symptom of trouble is
a corrupted mail file and/or phone directory. The files in question contain
not only text but also pointers (which is to say the locations of messages,
headers and other information). When BackMail writes to the files it must also
update these pointers or the information in the files will become invalid and
the files themselves unreadable by BackMail. This can happen if a program
running in the forground (the one behind which BackMail is running) prevents
BackMail from writing to its mail files at a crucial time. Some such
programs can 'tie up' DOS so that BackMail cannot gain access to its files.
BackMailers should also note that the mail files and the phone directory are
all cross-linked; they contain pointers to locations in each other. This means
that those files must be backed-up together. The easiest way to do this is by
means of a batch file.
Suppose, for example, that your BackMail subdirectory is:
C:\BACKMAIL
Here is a batchfile called SAVEMAIL.BAT which takes a 'snapshot' of your
mail files and phone directory in files of the same name but with type
'.SAV'
COPY C:\BACKMAIL\PHONE C:\BACKMAIL\PHONE.SAV
COPY C:\BACKMAIL\INMAIL C:\BACKMAIL\INMAIL.SAV
COPY C:\BACKMAIL\OUTMAIL C:\BACKMAIL\OUTMAIL.SAV
Use a text editor (in non-document mode!) to create a file called SAVEMAIL.BAT
with just these lines in it. While you are at it, you might as well also
create a file called RESTMAIL.BAT which will be a means of restoring a
previously saved image of mail and phone directory. Place the following lines
in the batch file:
DEL C:\BACKMAIL\PHONE
DEL C:\BACKMAIL\INMAIL
DEL C:\BACKMAIL\OUTMAIL
COPY C:\BACKMAIL\PHONE.SAV C:\BACKMAIL\PHONE
COPY C:\BACKMAIL\INMAIL.SAV C:\BACKMAIL\INMAIL
COPY C:\BACKMAIL\OUTMAIL.SAV C:\BACKMAIL\OUTMAIL
Now each and every time your mail files or phone directory increase
in a way it would hurt to lose, give the comand SAVEMAIL at the DOS prompt.
This will overwrite your previously saved images so be careful not to
overwrite uncorrupted images with corrupt ones! You can be reasonably sure
that your current files are safe if they display properly under the 'maintain'
functions and 'update phone directory', so take a quick look before you issue
the save.
You are ready for disaster. Suppose that one day you receive a warning
from BackMail that your mail files have become corrupt (which message you will
also receive if your phone file has become corrupt). Follow these steps to
recover.
(1) Kill BackMail
(2) From the DOS prompt, give the command RESTMAIL
(3) Restart BackMail
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1841
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
ACTIVE COM 436 5-29-90 11:28a
BGROUND COM 37994 5-29-90 11:28a
BM2 TXT 7429 5-29-90 11:28a
BMCONFIG COM 23072 5-29-90 11:28a
CANADA REG 2147 5-29-90 11:28a
FGROUND COM 49928 5-29-90 11:28a
INSTALL BAT 883 5-29-90 11:28a
MANUAL EXE 77866 5-29-90 11:28a
MODEMS TXT 20739 5-29-90 11:28a
NNANSI SYS 3598 5-29-90 11:28a
READ ME 7113 5-29-90 11:28a
SAFETY TXT 3676 5-29-90 11:28a
GO BAT 38 1-01-80 1:37a
GO TXT 574 1-01-80 12:20a
FILE1841 TXT 2813 7-12-90 3:48p
15 file(s) 238306 bytes
75776 bytes free