How To Set Up SBBS For Fidonet

Fidonet is a network of bulletin board systems (BBS) that exchange messages and files using a common protocol. Fidonet was founded in 1984 and is still active today, with thousands of nodes around the world. If you want to join Fidonet and connect your BBS to other systems, you need a software that can handle the Fidonet mail packets and echomail messages. One such software is SBBSecho, which is designed for Synchronet BBS.

Synchronet BBS is a modern, multi-platform, multi-user BBS software that supports various protocols and features. Synchronet BBS can run on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS, and other operating systems. Synchronet BBS also supports Fidonet and other FTN networks through SBBSecho, which is included in the Synchronet package.

In this article, we will show you how to set up SBBSecho for Fidonet on your Synchronet BBS. We will assume that you already have a working Synchronet BBS and a Fidonet node number assigned by your coordinator. We will also assume that you have a Fidonet mailer, such as BinkIT, that can send and receive Fidonet packets over the internet or dial-up.

Step 1: Configure SBBSecho

The first step is to configure SBBSecho for your Fidonet node. To do this, you need to launch the Synchronet Control Panel (SCFG) and go to the Networks menu. There, you will find an option for Fidonet EchoMail and NetMail. Select it and press Enter.

You will see a screen with several settings for SBBSecho. Here are the most important ones:

Address: This is your Fidonet node address, such as 1:123/456. You need to enter it exactly as assigned by your coordinator.

Packet Password: This is a password that your mailer uses to authenticate with other mailers when sending or receiving Fidonet packets. You need to enter the same password that you configured in your mailer.

Inbound Directory: This is the directory where your mailer stores the incoming Fidonet packets. You need to enter the same directory that you configured in your mailer.

Outbound Directory: This is the directory where SBBSecho stores the outgoing Fidonet packets. You need to enter a directory that is accessible by your mailer.

EchoMail Directory: This is the directory where SBBSecho stores the Fidonet echomail messages. You can choose any directory you want, as long as it has enough space.

NetMail Directory: This is the directory where SBBSecho stores the Fidonet netmail messages. You can choose any directory you want, as long as it has enough space.

After you enter these settings, press Esc to save them and return to the previous menu.

Step 2: Create Message Areas

The next step is to create message areas for Fidonet echomail and netmail on your Synchronet BBS. To do this, you need to go back to the Networks menu and select Message Areas. There, you will find an option for Fidonet Message Echo. Select it and press Enter.

You will see a screen where you can create message groups and sub-boards for Fidonet echomail. A message group is a collection of related sub-boards, such as DOVE-Net or DeveloperNet. A sub-board is an individual message area, such as DOVE-GEN or DEV-SBBS.

To create a message group, press Insert and enter a long name and a short name for the group. For example, you can create a group called Fidonet with a short name of Fido. Then, press Esc to save the group.

To create a sub-board, select the group where you want to add the sub-board and press Insert again. Then, enter a long name and a short name for the sub-board. For example, you can create a sub-board called General Discussion with a short name of GEN-DISC.

After you enter the names, you will see a screen with several settings for the sub-board. Here are the most important ones:

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