Hermes II FidoNet 1.0b1

This is the first release of the new FidoNet external for the Hermes II BBS. In previous versions of Hermes II, FidoNet functionality came in the form of a Generic Import/Generic Export processing system and a set of AppleEvents to communicate with external FidoNet mailers. With the release of Hermes II 3.5.9b2 and this new FidoNet external, all of the FidoNet mail tossing functionality is now resident in the BBS itself. In addition to the Formula1 mailer (now part of the Hermes II Project), this forms a complete FidoNet system for the Hermes II BBS.

As this is the first beta version of the new FidoNet code, it will not yet completely replace the existing FidoNet implementation in Hermes II. In other words, not everyone should use Hermes II 3.5.9b2 and this FidoNet code. Please read this document completely before deciding to install the FidoNet software. Note that if you are currently using FidoNet with your Hermes II BBS and do not wish to use the new system, you cannot upgrade to Hermes II 3.5.9b2. No support for the Generic Import/Generic Export system exists in the latest beta version.

FidoNet features supported in FidoNet 1.0b1:

• Full inbound processing of messages
  EchoMail and NetMail are both processed, complete with zone and domain information.

• Basic outbound processing
  This version of the FidoNet system allows your BBS to act as a FidoNet leaf node. It can poll other systems to receive NetMail and EchoMail, but cannot forward EchoMail from one node to another.

• Internal ARC and ZIP decompression
  Thanks to the wonderful people at Aladdin Systems, the Hermes II Project has been granted a low-cost license to their ARC and ZIP code. This means that the FidoNet external can compress and decompress FidoNet mail bundles without needing an external application.

Limitations of FidoNet 1.0b1:

• Cannot forward EchoMail between nodes.
• No scheduler for automatic polling; all polling is initiated from within the FidoNet external.
• No compression of mail bundles.
• No gating of NetMail; you must poll nodes directly to deliver NetMail to them.
• Does not use the FidoNet NODELIST for retrieving system information

Although some of these limitations may look severe, Olympus is currently using this exact beta of the FidoNet code. The only significant issue that affects us is the lack of EchoMail forwarding, which will be resolved in the next beta.