Network troubleshooting: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:45, 27 February 2026

This troubleshooting section is not exhaustive. The table below addresses the most common problems encountered by new Network Sysops.

Network Troubleshooting FAQ
Question	Answer
After booting and answering the "regenerate message index" prompt, I receive a FILE NOT FOUND error and the BBS attempts to reboot.	This usually indicates that a required Network module is missing. Verify that the two primary modules, √bbs.nw1 and √bbs.nw2, are located on your PROGRAMS drive. If your PROGRAMS drive is loaded into RAM: Confirm that both modules were successfully copied into RAM. For RAMDOS users, the file "√sys.ramove" is responsible for loading these modules. Refer to the “Booting the BBS with Network” section for details. Ensure sufficient free RAM space is available. A 1764 REU (256K RAM) may be limited in available memory. Also confirm that the filenames are correct. The first eight characters must be exactly √bbs.nw1 and √bbs.nw2. If renamed or truncated incorrectly, the BBS will not locate them.
When replying to a public or private network message, the reply attempts to post locally instead of going through the network.	This is typically caused by incorrect node access level configuration. Review the “Node Access Levels” section. Incoming nodes must be configured as replyable in order for replies to route back through the network. If the access level is set incorrectly, replies will default to local posting.
During BBS startup, the system crashes with "?file data error".	This usually indicates corruption of either the √ntwrk.parms file or the √node list file. Review the Net Setup section to verify configuration. If the file is corrupted and no backup exists, recovery may not be possible. However, you may attempt to extract usable information by: Using the BBS DOS f: command to read the file. Recording any recognizable data. Scratching the damaged file. Rebuilding the configuration using Net Setup. The √ntwrk.parms file format (no blank lines) is structured as follows: Number of Nodes Category Assignments Open Hour Close Hour BBS Name Days Between Membership List Requests Node 1 – Node Membership ID Number Node 1 – Node Name Node 1 – Baud Rate Node 1 – Phone or Telnet Address Node 1 – Assigned Password Node 2 – (same sequence repeats per node)

Color 64 Network

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 [[Network64|Color 64 Network]] - <strong>Troubleshooting</strong>
-This troubleshooting section is far from complete.  The table below covers the most common problems that new Network SYSOPs have.
+This troubleshooting section is not exhaustive. The table below addresses the most common problems encountered by new Network Sysops.
-{| class="wikitable
+{| class="wikitable"
 |-
-|+Network Troubleshooting FAQ
+|+ Network Troubleshooting FAQ
 ! Question
 ! Answer
 |-
-| After I boot up and answer the "regenerate message index"   question, I get a FILE NOT FOUND error and the BBS attempts to reboot.
+| After booting and answering the "regenerate message index" prompt, I receive a FILE NOT FOUND error and the BBS attempts to reboot.
-| This means that a main module is missing or cannot be found.  Make sure that the two main modules, √bbs.nw1 and √bbs.nw2 are located on your PROGRAMS drive.
+| This usually indicates that a required Network module is missing.
-If your Program drive is in RAM, there are two things to watch for.  One, make sure that these two modules did in fact get loaded into RAM properly.  For RAMDOS users, the file called "√sys.ramove" is the means of storing these modules into RAM.  Refer to "Booting the BBS with Network" for more info.  The second problem may be free memory in RAM.  A 1764 (with 256K ram) might be pressed for free space.
+Verify that the two primary modules, √bbs.nw1 and √bbs.nw2, are located on your PROGRAMS drive.
-The two modules may be named improperly.  The first eight characters must be named √bbs.nw1 and √bbs.nw2 for the BBS to find these modules.
+If your PROGRAMS drive is loaded into RAM:
+* Confirm that both modules were successfully copied into RAM.
+* For RAMDOS users, the file "√sys.ramove" is responsible for loading these modules. Refer to the “Booting the BBS with Network” section for details.
+* Ensure sufficient free RAM space is available. A 1764 REU (256K RAM) may be limited in available memory.
+Also confirm that the filenames are correct. The first eight characters must be exactly √bbs.nw1 and √bbs.nw2. If renamed or truncated incorrectly, the BBS will not locate them.
 |-
-| When someone sends a public or private message and I reply to it, instead of replying through the network, it tries to reply locally on the BBS.
+| When replying to a public or private network message, the reply attempts to post locally instead of going through the network.
-| Don't feel bad as this happens a lot.  You need to brush up on the section of setting access levels for node accounts.  Remember that you can have an incoming node be replyable or NON-replyable.
+| This is typically caused by incorrect node access level configuration.
+Review the “Node Access Levels” section. Incoming nodes must be configured as replyable in order for replies to route back through the network. If the access level is set incorrectly, replies will default to local posting.
 |-
-| When booting up my BBS, halfway into the start of it, I get a crash with "?file data error".
+| During BBS startup, the system crashes with "?file data error".
-| What this most likely means is that either your √ntwrk.parms file or your √node list file got trashed.  Review the section on using the Net Setup program.
+| This usually indicates corruption of either the √ntwrk.parms file or the √node list file.
+Review the Net Setup section to verify configuration.
+If the file is corrupted and no backup exists, recovery may not be possible. However, you may attempt to extract usable information by:
+* Using the BBS DOS f: command to read the file.
+* Recording any recognizable data.
+* Scratching the damaged file.
+* Rebuilding the configuration using Net Setup.
-If you determine that your file is indeed trashed, and you never made a backup, you probably won't be able to salvage the file, but you may be able to get some valuable information from it, by reading the file with the BBS DOS f: feature, and jotting down any recognizable data, then scratching the file and starting anew.
+The √ntwrk.parms file format (no blank lines) is structured as follows:
-√ntwrk.parms format (per line and no empty lines) is as follows:
+: Number of Nodes
-: # of nodes
+: Category Assignments
-: Category Assignments
+: Open Hour
-: Open Hour
+: Close Hour
-: Close Hour
+: BBS Name
-: BBS Name
+: Days Between Membership List Requests
-: # of days for Membership List Request
+: Node 1 – Node Membership ID Number
-: Node 1 – Node Membership ID Number
+: Node 1 – Node Name
-: Node 1 – Node Name
+: Node 1 – Baud Rate
-: Node 1 – Baud Rate
+: Node 1 – Phone or Telnet Address
-: Node 1 – Phone or Telnet Address
+: Node 1 – Assigned Password
-: Node 1 – Assigned Password
+: Node 2 – (same sequence repeats per node)
-: Node 2….
 |}
 [[Network64|Color 64 Network]]