Net Mail Utils 2.1 - ECHOSCAN Hints and Kinks

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ECHOSCAN HINTS AND KINKS
------------------------

THIS INFORMATION APPLIES ONLY TO THE NET MAIL UTILITIES VERSION 2.1



CHANGING OR ADDING ECHOMAIL LINKS

Occasionally, it is necessary to change an EchoMail link.  If a simple 
modification is made to the AREAS.BBS file, the default operation for ECHOSCAN 
is to rescan the message base, adding the newly defined address(es) to the 
SEEN-BY lines of affected message area(s), and repackaging the messages to be 
sent to the new feed(s).  Although this may be desirable operation when you
add a down link (nodes that you feed), it is clearly not desirable when you 
change an up link (node that you get the EchoMail from).  

If you wish to limit the amount of rescanning and repackaging that takes 
place, or do away with it altogether, use the ECHOSCAN -first command line 
option, described fully in the TBBS Net Mail Option manual.  Basically, the 
functions take place in this order: 

1)  Run ECHOSCAN normally to scan any messages that may not have already been
scanned.

2)  Make the appropriate change(s) to your AREAS.BBS file.

3)  From the DOS prompt, run ECHOSCAN with the -first option.  If you wish to
have NO existing messages in the affected area sent to the new node that you 
added, set the -first message number high, like this: 

        ECHOSCAN -first 65000

This example would be handy if you change your EchoMail source.

If you want only some messages sent, locate the message number below which you 
do not want to scan, and use that number, like this: 

        ECHOSCAN -first 2782

In this example, ALL messages will be scanned, and messages in the affected 
area will have their SEEN-BY lines modified to reflect the node(s) you added 
to AREAS.BBS.  However, NO messages below number 2782 will be packaged and 
sent.  Only messages above number 2782 will be packaged and sent to the new 
link.  This scenario might be used when you add a new down link (node you're 
feeding to) and you only want to send a limited quantity of existing messages.  

When you want to send all existing messages to a new down link, do not use the 
-first option at all, and ECHOSCAN will send ALL messages in the affected area
to the new link. 

THE ECHOSCAN "REMEMBER" OPTION EXPLAINED

The -remember command line option for ECHOSCAN has been a source of some
confusion.  Herein is an explanation of its operation.

A bit is assigned in the message header that is set when ECHOSCAN has
"touched" a message.  ECHOSCAN always sets the bit, regardless of its
operational mode, when it has scanned a message for the first time.  (No other 
Net Mail utility uses the bit.)

When the -remember option is used, ECHOSCAN then knows to recognize and use
the bit during scanning.  In this operational mode, any message on which the 
bit has been set will be passed-over during subsequent scanning processes 
without even looking at the SEEN-BY lines in the message text, thus giving a 
significant increase in processing speed. 

If you ever desire rescanning to occur, you may manually run ECHOSCAN from the
DOS command prompt without the -remember option, or you may remove -remember 
from normal use. 

- END -
NMU00001
Rev. 10/89

Copyright (C) 1994 eSoft, Inc., All Rights Reserved.  Permission granted
to distribute this file in its entirety, without modification, to any
interested party.  Any other use requires the written permission of
eSoft, Inc.

IMPORTANT:  The information herein is subject to change without notice.
Please call or write to confirm factual information of importance to you
or your organization.

