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AlphaMAIL Administrator`s Guide

1. 6 4 MAIL BOX SET NO ACCESS NETWORK 6 5 CORRUPTED OR DAMAGED 55 444 11 2 6 5 CORRECTIVE MEASURES adiing testet Da ore 6 5 CHAPTER SEVEN AIphaMAIL S INITALIZATION FILE COMMAND CREATING AN AlphaMAIL INITIALIZATION 7 1 LOCATION OF THE INITIALIZATION FILE 7 1 AlphaMAIL S SEARCH PATH FOR ITS INITALIZATION FILE 7 2 COMMENT CHARACTERS Lettonie poteat enr EM M rni ret 7 2 INITIALIZATION FILE COMMANDS Co ee 7 2 TIMEOUT COMMAND beh er Rete eie Ue te pio Eat 7 3 EXITOUTER COMM UND et sous t er ce eel e d adate 7 4 OVERWRITE COMMAND 3 rete rer ete enm e ce euet ed edt ens 7 4 AlphaMAIL S MAIL NEW INITIALIZATION FILE 7 4 APPENDIX A UNIVERSAL KEY SEQUENCES WHAT IS AN ALTERNATE KEY A 1 UPPER OR LOWER CASE dove iba Rad A 1 USING THE CONTROL KEY 22 ederet ttn de cota maed erano but A 1 USING THE ESCAPE KEY ete e Ee meae titer ebd xa d dle eerie ua tu A 1 If You Don t Have An Escape 4 A 2 UNIVERSAL KEY SEQUENCE TABLE rater reet hel ost tr bs A 2 Page ii Rev 00 Table of Contents APPENDIX B ERROR AND OTHER MESSAGES MALSER ERROR LOG P M
2. 1 1 ABOUT YOUR ADMINISTRATOR S 1 2 CONTENT OVERVIEW iri cess he oe tut o e m Ret orate es ooh dees a tta eom ue 1 2 CONVENTIONS cree Er poen er AETHER tad 1 3 REFERENCES TO OTHER 1 4 CHAPTER TWO INTRODUCING THE AlphaMAIL ADMINISTRATOR WHAT DOES THE AlphaMAIL ADMINISTRATOR 2 1 WHAT EXPERIENCE DOES THE AlphaMAIL ADMINISTRATOR NEED 2 1 BASIC OONGEPTS s dett esos Het 2 1 AMOS COMMANDS AND 2 2 CHAPTER THREE TECHNICAL OVERVIEW AlphiaMAIE S BASIC CONGEP TS atencion nta d eth ecd eet e 3 1 MAIL eni nter o edat e edu e Pa eu deus 3 1 MESSAGE OLDERSi ic aate dott ouis cae ees Get ae seme ars Mad ode EE EDS 3 1 In Folder Disk Account p 0 ir uere Rer tmt 3 2 Read Folder Disk Account iieri Ele tere eene ores 3 2 Out Folder Disk Account p 2 rt e 3 2 Sent Folder Disk Account Bawa 3 2 BURS BAN AN eM He dress 3 2 HOW Alpha MAIL WORKS uice tot rte one er 3 3 MALSER AlphaMAIL S 3 3 S DELIVERY PROCESS ici acdc 3
3. B 1 ERROR LOG MESSAGES iiy tup Pd 2 pecu tont RR EE RE EGRE UR ieee B 7 FATAL ERRORS pb ect t numb sleet natives Beets tenes B 8 RECOVERY PROCEDURES rea B 8 ERROR MESSAGES totos ttes ait tae B 8 ERROR MESSAGES DURING AlphaMAIL S B 10 DOCUMENT HISTORY INDEX READERS COMMENTS Rev 00 Page iii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION This introduction gives a brief summary of what AlphaMAIL does and the books available in the AlphaMAIL documentation library An overview of topics described in each chapter and appendix and the conventions you ll see used in this guide are also included here Other documents we mention in this book which are available from Alpha Micro are listed at the end of this chapter WHAT IS AlphaMAIL AlphaMAIL is Alpha Micro s electronic mail system AlphaMAIL is easy to use and a flexible tool for exchanging messages with other people using an Alpha Micro computer system AlphaMAIL works either on a single Alpha Micro computer or on a group of Alpha Micro computers tied together by an Alpha Micro networking product Although this guide does not describe how to use AlphaMAIL here are just a few ways you can put AlphaMAIL to work for you Create and send messages See who you can send messages to Create and
4. Invalid filename Please enter full file specification Message display You must enter the disk file name and ppn for the attached AMOS file Rev 00 Page B 15 Appendix B Invalid filename PPN must come after file name Message display You entered a file name for an attached AMOS file in an incorrect format The correct format is DEVN FILENM EXT P PN Insufficient memory to run FNDUSR SBR Check with system administrator Anywhere AlphaMAIL checks the User Name There is not enough memory to use the subroutine that looks up a User Name Be sure this user is assigned the minimum AlphaMAIL memory requirements Invalid List name Please Re enter LISTS command You pressed RETURN for the distribution list name without making an entry A distribution list name is mandatory Assign and enter a distribution list name and press RETURN in this field Invalid number Please re enter Lists command s PRINT option For number of copies to print you entered 0 or RETURN Valid numbers are in the range 1 through 65535 Re enter a number within this range Invalid number Please re enter PRINT Command For number of copies to print you entered 0 or RETURN Enter a number in the range 1 through 65535 and try again 9elnvalid password Please re enter AlphaMAIL Login Procedure Your mailbox is set up with a password When you entered the password at the Login screen it was not recognized by AlphaMAIL Try e
5. An ersatz name is sometimes assigned to a CPU ID you can enter the ersatz name in place of the CPU ID number Refer to the section at the end of this chapter describing the procedures to use when you are setting up a Master List of User Names to be used on a networked computer system Rev 00 Maintaining User Information Finishing Up When the User Name and Mail Account have been entered to the User Information screen you have completed the process for adding one user Continue to use the MUSER ADD command for each user When you complete adding users use the MUSER FINISH command to save your user list and return to AMOS command level People who have been assigned a User Name and Mail Box can now log on to AlphaMAIL and use its features as described in the AlphaMAIL Reference Guide The MUSER program creates the USER SYS file in OPR where all information regarding the Users you identified is stored for reference by AlphaMAIL As a precautionary measure consider making a COPY of USER SYS as a backup file if this file is ever damaged and consequently unusable you ll have a safe copy to restore DELETING A USER When an AlphaMAIL user leaves the computer system or if for some other reason you need to remove a User Name you need to delete their User Name from the master user list Deleting User Names is a maintenance activity performed with the MUSER program To remove a User Name at the System User Maintenance screen s
6. Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints for directions on re starting MALSER The MALSER local requests queue does not exist Check with the AlphaMAIL Administrator STATUS command The delivery process has a disk file of messages it is working on Refer to Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints for information on managing MALSER s queues The message being edited is not found Out Folder Function Menu command key You used the edit command from the displayed message Function Menu but the message file can t be found in your Out folder There are no messages in this folder Message Summary display Information message This folder contains no mail messages This is a user name Please Re enter Lists command s ADD option You have entered a distribution list name that is a User Name User Names cannot be used as a distribution list name Assign a unique name for this list This message has already been posted SEND command You used SEND on a message already posted for delivery This is an information message Page B 20 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages This message has not been posted for delivery CANCEL command You have not used senp this message Only messages that are currently posted for delivery can be cancelled This message is no longer in this folder Function Menu The message being displayed isn t in the current folder Exit to the message summary and see if it is listed
7. Posts the message for delivery by copying the message recipients and sender information into a file on DSKO The filename is the same as the message s and MALSER gives it the extension QUE For example 062341 QUE 3 Attempts delivery of message to every recipient Delivery is successful when MALSER is finished with one or both of the next steps For recipients on the same computer system MALSER copies the message and any attached files to the recipient s Mail Box In Folder For recipients on a networked computer the sending MALSER job tells the receiving MALSER job it has a message for delivery The receiving MALSER then notifies the sending MALSER that delivery is complete and the sending MALSER knows this message is delivered The receiving MALSER then performs the delivery of the message by copying the message and any attached files to the recipient s Mail Box In Folder 4 After successful delivery to all recipients MALSER automatically moves the sent message from the Out Folder to the Sent Folder If the status command is used for this message in the short time period between delivery and the message s relocation MALSER shows this message delivered The preceding discussion is a general overview of how MALSER operates However there are two issues requiring more discussion than included in the overview the QUE files created and unsuccessful delivery of a message Page 3 4 Rev 00 Chapter Title QUE Files M
8. 200 1 DSK1 200 2 DSK1 200 3 3 You use the SYSACT command to create the disk accounts for each person s Mail Box Use SYSACT with caution be sure no other user or job accesses the d device where you will add account To begin you must be in DSKO 1 2 OPR Log there from command level by typing LOG DSKO 1 2 3 Now use the SYSACT program to create the four accounts From command level type SYSACT Devn where Devn is the device name of the disk on which you are creating the new disk accounts For example if you are creating the accounts on DSK5 enter SYSACT DSK5 4 After you press RETURN you see the SYSACT prompt You use the A command to add each of the four disk accounts Type A the project number a comma and the programmer number for each of the four accounts For example if you are creating accounts with the project number 150 enter A 150 0 5 SYSACT now asks you to enter a password If you do not want to protect this account with a password press RETURN If you do want a password the one you assign for the 0 account is requested every time the owner of this Mail Box logs on to AlphaMAIL Page 4 2 Rev 00 Maintaining User Information 6 In the same manner add the other three accounts for this Mail Box For example to add 150 1 type A 150 1 RETURN Press RETURN when you are asked for a password Repeat these steps until you ve created all four disk accoun
9. 6 Page B 12 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages Troubleshooting Hints to re start it 9eCan t SEND this message The Mail delivery process is not running Message is saved in your OutBox Press any key to continue AlphaMAIL Main Menu PHONE command AlphaMAIL couldn t communicate with the mail delivery process MALSER The message is filed in your Out folder so you can SEND it at a later time when MALSER is working properly If MALSER is not running or has aborted follow the procedures described in Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints to re start it 9eCan t move attached AMOS file to Read folder Duplicate filename In Folder Function Menu FINISH command An AMOS file is attached to the message and there is a file in the Read folder with the same name The AMOS file is not moved to the Read folder You must resolve the file name conflict from AMOS command level Device DSKn not mounted this user s MailBox is inaccessible AlphaMAIL Login Program The disk device your mail box accounts are on is not mounted Use the AMOS MOUNT command to mount this device before continuing Device DSKn is set no access File can t be sent to any remote recipients Message display You entered an attached AMOS file that exists but the device it is located on can t be accessed by other nodes on the network If you are sending the message to other nodes they won t be able to get the AMOS file Disk not mounted Anywhere in AlphaMAIL s operation Th
10. SYS Check the User Name with the HELP key or USERS option and try again If the name is still unrecognized check MUSER to verify the User Name Can t find this user name or distribution list Please re enter Message display You entered a User Name not found in the file USER SYS or a distribution list name not in your distribution lists Check for typing errors or verify the User Name with the users command or the distribution list name with the Lists command Can t find this file Please check filename Message display The attached AMOS file can t be found Verify the file exists in the file location specified 9eCan t find this message in local queue file Out Folder Function Menu status command This message should be in the process of being delivered but it is not in the MALSER queue file CANCEL this message and send it again Can t find this user name in user directory Please re enter AlphaMAIL Login Procedure Your User Name can t be found in the USER SYS file This means you haven t entered a User Name since the last time the system was rebooted Or you have entered an incorrect name Enter your User Name again Rev 00 Page B 11 Appendix B If this isn t the problem use MUSER to verify the User Name in question 9eCan t insert past this point Lists command s CHANGE or ADD option You are trying to insert a User Name in this distribution list but the maximum of 30 user names has been reached Can t open an I
11. code on the output file MALSER tries to receive the file 16 times if unsuccessful AlphaMAIL displays this message in the SUBJECT field of the message Can t copy AMOS file MALSER will not try again to copy the file The message sender must re send the file Invalid ITC message code n A software program communicating with MALSER used an invalid Inter Task Communication system ITC message code n ITC open socket error Status code n MALSER aborting This message indicates a problem with the Inter Task Communication System ITC The n is the ITC error that occurred Repeated occurrences of this error should be reported to the System Operator Page B 4 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages n ITC send error for msg lt info gt On network systems only Where lt n gt is an Inter Task Communication System ITC error occurring when MALSER tries to contact the MALSER job on a remote system MALINB LIT not found in mail library account Can t continue AlphaMAIL requires the presence of MALINB LIT in account DSKO 7 2 Verify this file is present if it is not copy this file from your AlphaMAIL software media Message file not found in insert recipients lt info gt MALSER attempted to deliver a message lt info gt but cannot find the message in the sender s Out Folder MALSER discards the request The sender needs to re create the message before it can re sent The Administrator should determine why the file is no long
12. command line type DELETE RETURN The shorthand for DELETE is D MUSER than prompts you to enter the User Name to delete and to confirm the deletion by pressing Y You can abandon the delete process by press N The name and message clears and you are asked to enter another User Name to delete You can enter another name or press to return to the System User Maintenance screen CHANGING INFORMATION FOR AN AlphaMAIL USER For one reason or another you may decide to assign new disk accounts to an existing user or modify the User Name in some way This maintenance activity is performed using MUSER s CHANGE command To change User information at the System User Maintenance screen s command line type CHANGE The shorthand for the CHANGE command is C Rev 00 Page 4 7 Chapter 4 Your screen clears and you see a fresh User Information display where you enter the User Name you want to change and press RETURN The current information for this user then appears and you can edit and change the information as required You can make changes to the User Name by typing over what exists and if necessary deleting any remaining characters When you re through press RETURN Or if you don t want to modify the User Name you can press or use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the Mail Account field When you are through with your changes press to return to System User Maintenance screen Use the FINISH command to retain the changes y
13. error you can restart it without rebooting your system To restart MALSER type DSKO MALSER 7 2 RETURN Page 5 4 Rev 00 Upkeep Procedures The MALSER command forces the MALSER job to load all of the subroutines necessary and forces it to run again Use STAT to check MALSER S status the job s status should not be C Ti If you did not intentionally shut down MALSER but it is not up and running you should check the AlphaMAIL error log to see what occurred Chapter 6 describes the error log and what to look for Rev 00 Page 5 5 CHAPTER SIX TROUBLESHOOTING HINTS After your AlphaMAIL system is up and running you may occasionally experience problems whose source is not readily apparent This chapter discusses some of the ways you can troubleshoot AlphaMAIL problems when they occur MALSER JOB NOT RUNNING If MALSER is not running you see this code on the MALSER job line of the STAT display This status code advises you MALSER is not up and running as it should be If you try to use AlphaMAIL under these circumstances you will not be able to send or receive AlphaMAIL messages and receive warning messages if you try to do so When MALSER is up and running you see any of these three status code associated with the job on the STAT display RN 51 RN IO RN MS CHECK THE ERROR LOG AlphaMAIL keeps an error log which you can inspect to determine why MALSER is not running 1 To see the error log f
14. file AlphaMAIL then looks for MAIL INI in the project library account AlphaMAIL s In Folder account If found there AlphaMAIL uses this file If there is no MAIL INI in the current account or In Folder account AlphaMAIL looks for MAIL INI in BOX DSKO 7 2 If found there AlphaMAIL uses this file If there is no MAIL INI in any of these accounts AlphaMAIL repeats this search pattern looking for MAIL an If no initialization file either MAIL INI or MAIL an is found AlphaMAIL uses the default settings for the commands it supports COMMENT CHARACTERS Semicolons as the first character of any line in the initialization file are comment characters meaning information following the semicolon is ignored A semicolon can be used to disengage any command appearing in the initialization file when inserted as the first character INITIALIZATION FILE COMMANDS Although we show the recommended conventions for entering the command lines to AlphaMAIL s initialization file these are the general rules for the initialization file s format Page 7 2 Rev 00 AlphaMAIL s Initialization File Each command occupies one line Commands may be entered using either upper or lower case or a combination of both e Most command lines consists of the command name an equal sign and the value for the command Each command name is one word with no spaces You can have a space after the command name or on either side of the
15. instructions given in the error message Mail subroutine DSKO xxxxxx SBR 7 2 in the Fatal Error section of this appendix No distribution lists defined Lists command s LIST option There are no distribution lists to LIST You must first ADD a distribution list in order to see it displayed Message delivered Moving to Sent folder STATUS command The message is delivered and will be moved from your Out to Sent messages folder No distribution lists defined Lists command s PRINT option There are no lists defined Only existing lists may be printed No mailbox specified for this user in user directory AlphaMAIL Login Procedure The mailbox account number information recorded in the system user file for this User Name is incorrect Or a remote user has attempted to use AlphaMAIL on the local system Please enter a full file specification Function Menu move command You must enter a complete file specification in the format DEVN FILENM EXT P PN Page B 18 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages Please enter Y or N Lists command s PRINT option PRINT Command For a yes no question you entered other than Y or N PPN does not exist Anywhere in AlphaMAIL s operation The account number AlphaMAIL is trying to access is not defined on your system Be sure the number is entered correctly SUBJECT Invalid message format Message summary display In a summary line if the subject field shows invalid message format t
16. maintain distribution lists See messages you have already created sent and received Create and send phone messages Attach an AMOS file to your own message and send it Print messages Maintain messages in your folders move copy erase etc THE AlphaMAIL DOCUMENTATION LIBRARY There are four documents AlphaMAIL s documentation library Here are the names part numbers to use when ordering a brief description of who they are written for and the information they contain e AlphaMAIL Release Notes Written for the System Operator Helease Notes describe the changes in the current AlphaMAIL software including changes in system resource requirements Rev 00 Page 1 1 Chapter 1 e AlphaMAIL Installation Guide DSO 10199 00 Written for those experienced with Alpha Micro computer systems This book contains all the information you need to get AlphaMAIL up and running on your computer system AlphaMAIL Administrator s Guide DSO 10198 00 Written for the individual who is responsible for AlohaMAIL s upkeep and is experienced with Alpha Micro computer systems The Administrators Guide explains how AlphaMAIL operates how to maintain User Names and other operations e AlphaMAIL Reference Guide DSO 10197 00 Written for the person who uses AlphaMAIL day to day Gives an overview of basic AlphaMAIL concepts and shows you how to use all of AlphaMAIL s features to communicate with other people on your computer system ABO
17. or if it has been moved to another folder This message is not posted for delivery STATUS command This message has not been posted for delivery This message is posted for delivery but is not currently being processed STATUS command You have sent the message but MALSER has not started to deliver it yet Or MALSER has just delivered the message and has moved it to the Sent Folder User List not found Out Folder Function Menu EXPAND command This message appears when the distribution list exists but the names identified within the list cannot be found or do not exist Use the Lists command to correct the distribution list itself and then try the EXPAND command again Waiting to read MALSER queue STATUS command The status display function reads the MALSER delivery queue files at the same time that MALSER is reading them and sometimes must wait its turn If this message appears your system is using LOKSER Rev 00 Page B 21 Appendix B is an invalid function for this folder Any Folder s Function Menu Where xxxxxx represents the command name you entered but is not available from this Folder s Function Menu Your mail box device device is set no access AlphaMAIL Main Menu If your mail box device is set no access at AMOS command level and you are using AIphaNET you can t send or receive mail from remote users Use the AMOS SET utility to SET ACCESS device for this device Page B 22 Rev 00 DOCUMEN
18. to keep up to date However these next guidelines will help you approach this problem methodically to prevent complications SETTING UP THE MASTER USER LIST When AlphaMAIL is first installed pick one computer in the network where you will create a Master User List Use the MUSER program to add all AlphaMAIL users on all the systems to this one User List Use whatever conventions are appropriate for local and remote user Mail Accounts for this first system Use MUSER s LIST command to view the Master User list or use AlphaMAIL s users command to display the list to confirm each User Name is entered correctly and the Mail Account is right COPYING THE MASTER USER LIST Copy the Master User List you created to another computer system in network Use MUSER s CHANGE command on the new computer system to change the Mail Account field to reflect the proper local users for this system and the correct remote users Use the formats as described earlier for entering remote and local Mail Accounts Continue the process of transferring the user list to each computer in turn and correcting it for that computer system until all computers contain a correct user list Whenever the AlphaMAIL Administrator for a system adds a new user deletes or changes an old one it is that Administrator s responsibility to inform all other systems on the network of the change so all user lists are correct and up to date Rev 00 Page 4 9 CHAPTER FIVE UPKEEP
19. to use the AMOS DIR command to list message files with the extension MAL in this folder If there is a very small file say 1 block this is most likely the corrupted message file Use the AMOS ERASE command to remove it from the folder If the damaged file is a message or an attached file accompanying a message sent by someone else ask them to re send it Rev 00 Page 6 5 CHAPTER SEVEN AlphaMAIL s INITIALIZATION FILE The AlphaMAIL initialization file allows you to control how certain AlphaMAIL features operate This chapter describes the options available and how to maintain the initialization file You can call up the AlphaMAIL initialization file only from AMOS command level To modify or create an initialization file you must use AlphaVUE the Alpha Micro text editor This chapter assumes you are familiar with changing text files using Alpha VUE CREATING AN AlphaMAIL INITIALIZATION FILE AlphaMAIL comes with a sample initialization file named MAIL NEW a printed version of this file is shown below However you may want to create your own initialization file either to affect only some user accounts or to change the options selected for your entire system When you create an initialization file you must follow these guidelines e The initialization file must be created with AlphaVUE the system text editor e The initialization file name may be either MAIL INI or MAIL an where an is the message file extension as defined in yo
20. up Mail Boxes are created at AMOS command level and are defined to AlphaMAIL by the MUSER program MESSAGE FOLDERS Message Folders are a convenient way of organizing messages into categories so the person using AlphaMAIL can quickly work with them For example Rev 00 Page 3 1 Chapter 3 The In Folder holds messages receive but haven t read The Sent Folder holds messages created and have sent The Message Folder is the disk account where AlphaMAIL transfers a disk file containing a particular message AlphaMAIL physically transfers disk files containing messages from one Message Folder disk account to another For example when a person receives a message reads it then uses the the In Folder Function Menu riNisH command AlphaMAIL transfers the message from the In Folder to the Read Folder AlphaMAIL performs the transfer by first copying the message file from the In Folder account to the Read Folder account and then deletes it from the In Folder Account The disk accounts designating message folders are created at AMOS command level using SYSACT and are defined to AlphaMAIL when you use the MUSER program Four Message Folders are currently defined by AlphaMAIL The next sections show the Folder s name followed by the disk account location In Folder Disk Account p 0 The In Folder is where messages sent to this person first arrive Disk files attached to an arriving message also appear here Read Folder Disk Accoun
21. will be indicated by an AlphaBASIC error code number 19 in the error log FILENAME BLOCKS MALRRQ QUE 14 MALRRS QUE 14 MALLQI QUE 8 MALUSL QUE 102 XXXXXX QUE depends on number of recipients for message QUE files exist when MALSER is performing delivery and are deleted when delivery is complete Page 6 2 Rev 00 Troubleshooting Hints If the minimum contiguous disk blocks are not available you may want to try using the AMOS DSKPAK utility DSKPAK consolidates the contiguous file area of the disk and should be used with caution Refer to the AMOS System Command Reference Manual for instructions on using this utility RUNNING MALSER PROGRAM TO DETECT ERRORS You may be able to determine if there has been an error other than one recorded in the error log by loading the AlphaMAIL subroutines and running MALSER yourself on your terminal This lets you see errors which can t be trapped by AlphaBASIC error trapping but are valid error messages nonetheless 1 To do so log into DSKO 7 2 Load the AlphaMAIL subroutines by typing MALSUB RETURN 2 Now run MALSER by typing RUN MALSER RETURN If an error is encountered and MALSER is not running you may see an error message This message begins with a and indicates an error condition not recorded in the error log described earlier Messages appearing using this method are ones that cannot be trapped by AlphaBASIC and are usually system type errors When MALSER i
22. 4 UE EIBS obs tet rt t as qe s tpe ents tmn Ets es 3 5 Unsuccessful eir eg oot ce e eb nnne 3 5 FILES AlphaMAIL 8 5 ies tco ts oe e etate e M ete tete 3 5 FILES IN MESSAGE FOLDER ACCOUNTS 3 7 CHAPTER FOUR MAINTAINING USER INFORMATION CREATING MAIL BOXES 4 1 STEPS TO CREATE A MAIL xcs cece aaa ess 4 1 SETTING UP USER NAMES ede 4 3 CALLING EIP MUSE s chiste sez 4 3 The System User Maintenance 4 4 Leaving the System User Maintenance 4 4 ADDING A NEW USER ati tert matu temet ete etie eed binos 4 5 The User Information DiSplay uci ie err Eher eet ente tea eau sexos 4 5 Assigning and Entering User 4 6 Entering the Mail 4 6 Finishing Up eee 4 7 Rev 00 i Table of Contents CHAPTER FOUR MAINTAINING USER INFORMATION continued DELETING USER eletti te pdt Sape iu eu 4 7 CHANGING INFORMATION FOR AN AlphaMAIL 4 7 LISTING CURRENT eerte te Hr to I RS ORE c cn be und 4 8 DISTRIBUTING US
23. ALSER keeps track of the messages it is trying to send by creating QUE files in DSKO 7 2 These are random files containing information on messages and recipients Because the QUE files reside on the disk instead of in memory MALSER can continue delivering messages even after your computer system is rebooted Unsuccessful Delivery If the person sending a message determines the delivery process is requiring more time than usual they can use the caNcEL command to remove the message from MALSER s delivery queue Whether or not the message is cancelled a message appearing to take too long in the delivery process could indicate a problem In this case you should troubleshoot to determine why You can do this by generating and looking at the AlphaMAIL error message file MALSER LST The procedures for checking MALSER LST are described in Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints FILES AlphaMAIL USES AlphaMAIL keeps track of all messages and user information by storing those messages and information as disk files In addition AlphaMAIL creates disk files to keep track of errors mail posting and receipt status and distribution lists Some of these files are permanent others AlphaMAIL creates temporarily and deletes when they are no longer needed The files AlphaMAIL generates in addition to the files AlphaMAIL uses to function The files shipped with the AlphaMAIL product are listed in the disk file DSKO MAIL DIR 1 2 The next section
24. AlphaMAIL Administrator s Guide ALPHA MICROS YSTEMS RIGHT FROM THE ST DSM 10198 00 A00 1995 Alpha Microsystems REVISIONS INCORPORATED REVISION DATE A00 November 1985 A01 June 1994 AlphaMAlLAdministrator s Guide To re order this document request part number DSM 10198 00 This Document applies to AlphaMAIL 1 1 The information contained in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable However no responsibility for the accuracy completeness or use of this information is assumed by Alpha Microsystems This document may contain references to products covered under U S Patent Number 4 530 048 The following are registered trademarks of Alpha Microsystems Santa Ana CA 92799 AMIGOS AMOS Alpha Micro AlphaACCOUNTING AlphaBASIC AlphaCALC AlphaCOBOL AlphaDDE AlphaFORTRAN 77 AlphaLAN AlphaLEDGER AlphaMAIL AlphaMATE AlphaNET AlphaPASCAL AlphaRJE AlphaWRITE CASELODE OmniBASIC VER A TEL VIDEOTRAX The following are trademarks of Alpha Microsystems Santa Ana CA 92799 AlphaBASIC PLUS AlphaVUE AM PC AMTEC DART ESP MULTI inSight am inFront am All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective holders ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS 2722 S Fairview St P O Box 25059 Santa Ana CA 92799 TABLE OF CONTENTS PHEFAGE In TU DL ME AAA V CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AUS LNA Dude tria op opa Ped 1 1 THE AlphaMAIL DOCUMENTATION LIBRARY
25. ER LISTS BETWEEN NETWORKED COMPUTERS 4 9 SETTING UP THE MASTER USERLLIST tr ttr rper 4 9 COPYING THE MASTER USER LIS T 4 9 CHAPTER FIVE UPKEEP PROCEDURES CHECKING FOR MESSAGES ce Sees itte eden breed re e oorr deed 5 1 CHANGING THE USER NAME ASSOCIATED WITH A TERMINAL 5 2 FINDING OUT THE USER tert epa Renner b oen 5 2 CHANGING THE USER ne eben rime deae tui 5 2 Security Conscious 44400 5 2 CLEANING UP MESSAGE FOLDERS etre 5 3 MOVING FILES WITH THE AMOS COPY 5 3 CHECKING MALSER 5 5 nod a ex bebe ent 5 3 SHUTTING DOWN MALESER dont eto et Diete eene test ecd ee a Ere RE etus 5 4 RESTARTING MALSER ote Pn Pat nee pi ux E EUN ke RE 5 4 CHAPTER SIX TROUBLESHOOTING HINTS MALSER JOB NOT RUNNING rrt 6 1 CHECK THE ERROR LOG s eset ce lans 6 1 MALSER SUBROUTINES EOADEB 2 5 rette te de Sabio pectet 6 2 DOES MALSER HAVE SPACE FOR ITS QUEUE 6 2 RUNNING MALSER PROGRAM TO DETECT 6 3 MALSER et Pe probe th re eet eer o aep rero eds 6 4 MALSER PROBLEMS NETWORKED 5
26. IC error code indicating an unexpected problem Refer to the AlphaBASIC User s Manual for more information on these error codes Re start AlphaMAIL as described in Chapter 6 after the error is analyzed and corrected Page B 6 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages INTERMITTENT ERRORS An intermittent error can be identified by a message display appearing for five seconds or so then the user is returned to the AlphaMAIL Main Menu or Message Function Menu These kind of errors have to do with multiple requests for the same file For example a user tries to display a message at the same time MALSER is trying to read it in order to send it Generally no intervention is required to solve these errors in a few moments the needed file becomes available for AlphaMAIL s use Just try the operation again Intermittent error messages are File already open Please try again File in use Please try again The File in use error message occurs on systems using the LOKSER file locking System Rev 00 Page B 7 Appendix B FATAL ERRORS Fatal errors are those causing AlphaMAIL to discontinue operation and exit to AMOS command level These errors can indicate problems with your computer system RECOVERY PROCEDURES Once an error is corrected you should use the STAT command to verify MALSER is still running If it is you can re start MALSER for the person who received the error by typing the following from AMOS command level on their te
27. PROCEDURES As System Administrator you are responsible for maintenance activities concerning AlpghaMAIL s operation These operations are straightforward and are performed from AMOS command level This chapter describes why you may need to perform these activities and the procedures for doing so CHECKING FOR MESSAGES You and other people using AlphaMAIL can check for incoming messages from AMOS command level The command to do this is MALCHK which tells you how many messages reside in any users In Folder the folder where incoming messages first arrive You can use MALCHK from any account from AMOS command level by typing MALCHK Devn Project where Devn is the name of the disk device where the Mail Box is located followed by a space and Projects is the project number for this user s Message Folder disk accounts For example if the user you want to check has account DSK2 130 0 as their In Folder you would type MALCHK DSK2 130 RETURN When messages reside in the In Folder you see the message Your In Folder contains n messages where n is the total number of messages in the In Folder The MALCHK command with its device and project number can be included in command files such as a START command file which first appears when you log on to an account Rev 00 Page 5 1 Chapter 5 CHANGING THE USER NAME ASSOCIATED WITH A TERMINAL Although most people using AlphaMAIL use one terminal all of the time there
28. T HISTORY Revision A00 AlphaMAIL Release 1 0 Printed November 1985 New document Revision 00 AlphaMAIL Release 1 1 Printed June 1994 This edition documents AlphaMAIL version 1 1 software A new part number was assigned to this reference material new DSO 00198 00 old DSS 10142 00 The original document files were converted to the current AIphaWRITE software release and laser printed Minor changes were made to formatting and text Information added about new features include new Chapter 7 AlphaMAIL s Initilaization file and new editing keys DEL word ang LONN Line Rev 00 Document History Page 1 00 files 3 8 ATT files 3 7 5 3 files 3 6 DST files 3 8 5 3 FWD files 3 7 5 3 LST files 5 3 MAL files 3 7 5 3 MAX files 3 6 OVR files 3 6 QUE files 3 6 6 2 RUN files 3 6 SBR files 3 6 TEL files 3 8 5 3 USA files 3 6 QUE files 3 5 6 2 A Administrator duties of 2 1 AlphaMAIL files used by 3 5 to 3 8 AMOS commands 2 2 Boolean response initialization file 7 3 Comment characters initialization file 7 2 D DISTRB LST file 3 8 Documentation 1 4 AlphaMAIL 1 1 1 2 AMOS 1 4 conventions 1 3 1 4 E Error log 6 1 6 2 Ersatz names AlphaMAIL account 7 2 remote users 4 6 Exitouter command initialization file 7 4 Rev 00 INDEX F Files moving with COPY command 5 3 used by AlphaMAIL 3 5 In folder disk locatio
29. TC socket Status code n AlphaMAIL Login Procedure or during SEND You are trying to communicate with the MALSER job and can t hook up to the ITC message system Can t read MALSER queue Check with the AlphaMAIL administrator Out Folder Function Menu status command While waiting to read a MALSER queue file you exceeded 20 seconds You can try again If you always get this message check with the AlphaMAIL Administrator Can t SEND this message It is already being delivered Out Folder Function Menu command MALSER is already delivering this message Can t SEND this message It has an invalid user name or dist list name Invalid user name or dist list name is XOOXXXXXXXXXXXXX lt Out Folder Function Menu command A To or CC User Name distribution list name or User Name in the distribution list is invalid You are shown the offending name Edit the message to make corrections then try and re send If the problem is with a name in a distribution list use the Lists command to fix the problem If you are positive that a User Name is valid the problem may be with the system user file USER SYS use the MUSER program to verify the User Name Can t SEND message The delivery program MALSER is not responding Out Folder Function Menu command The MALSER delivery process did not respond to your attempt to communicate with it If MALSER is not running or has aborted follow the procedures described in Chapter
30. UT YOUR ADMINISTRATOR S GUIDE AlphaMAIL Administrators Guide is written for the person who is responsible for maintaining the AlphaMAIL system The information in this book assumes you are experienced using Alpha Micro s Operating System AMOS The Administrator s Guide is divided into chapters and appendices Each chapter is devoted to a specific aspect of AlghaMAIL s upkeep and the appendices provide information outside of general procedures Throughout both we use printing conventions to add clarity to the instructions The next sections give you a topical overview and a list of the conventions we use CONTENT OVERVIEW The Administrator s Guide is organized topically each chapter describing a different aspect in the process of maintaining the AlphaMAIL software Chapter 2 Introducing the AlphaMAIL Administrator describes who the AlphaMAIL Administrator is what experience is required and what duties are performed Chapter AlphaMAIL Technical Overview discusses the basic design of AlphaMAIL how messages are delivered and the files created and used by the software Chapter 4 Maintaining Users on the AlphaMAIL System provides information for creating Mail Boxes adding changing or deleting User Names creating and maintaining a Master User List for multi computer networks Chapter 5 Upkeep Procedures gives instructions for maintenance activities such as checking for messages changing a User Name associated wit
31. alization file contains an EXITOUTER command Rev 00 Page 7 3 Chapter 7 EXITOUTER COMMAND The syntax for the EXITOUTER command is EXITOUTER boolean The EXITOUTER command works in conjunction with the TIMEOUT command When set to TRUE if there is no keyboard activity and AlphaMAIL returns to the AlphaMAIL Main Menu AlphaMAIL will automatically quit and the user is returned to where they originally called up AlphaMAIL When set to FALSE EXITOUTER is disabled and after the passage of all TIMEOUT intervals will remain at the AlphaMAIL Main Menu The default for EXITOUTER is FALSE OVERWRITE COMMAND The syntax for the OVERWRITE command is OVERWRITE boolean The OVERWRITE command controls how AlphaMAIL behaves when a user receives a mail message with an attached file whose name is the same as a file already residing in their In Folder When set to TRUE the incoming attached file overwrites the existing file in the In Folder When set to FALSE the incoming attached file does not overwrite the existing file in the In Folder the user does not receive the new incoming file If the user attempts to view the incoming messagess attached file they will see the original file residing in the In Folder The default for OVERWRITE is TRUE AlphaMAIL S MAIL NEW INITIALIZATION FILE AlphaMAIL initialization file TIMEOUT 0 time out period 0 no time out EXITOUTER FALSE allowed to tim
32. ally located in this appendix Four different types of error messages are described in this appendix Error messages AlphaMAIL writes to the AlphaMAIL error log Intermittent errors Serious system errors causing AlphaMAIL to suddenly exit to AMOS command level fatal errors Error messages in the course of AlphaMAIL s operation In addition to the error messages generated by AlphaMAIL standard AMOS system error messages can also occur for example Cannot Read filespec devic rror Information on the types of error messages resulting from AMOS and corrective measures are described in the AMOS User s Guide The four sections of this appendix are MALSER Error Log Messages Intermittent Error Messages Fatal Error Messages Error Messages During AlphaMAIL s Operation MALSER ERROR LOG MALSER keeps an error log where it writes certain error messages when they occur To generate a displayable version of this error log do the following 1 Log into DSKO 7 2 by typing LOG DSKO 7 2 RETURN Rev 00 Page B 1 Appendix B 2 Type RUN MALERR RETURN 3 MALERR generates the sequential file MALSER LST from the random file MALSER ERR You may look at the MALSER LST file either by using the AMOS TYPE or VUE command MALSER LST contains space for 200 messages When AlphaMAIL fills up the file it starts over with the next message at position 1 The first line of the file tells you the record nu
33. are times when one operator needs to use another terminal or needs to use AlphaMAIL on more than one Since AlphaMAIL remembers what user name is associated with a particular terminal You need some way to change the user name associated with a terminal Although you can effectively create the circumstances to change the User Name associated with a terminal when you reboot this is not necessary You can change the User Name associated with a terminal by using the NAME command This command serves two purposes Tells you what user name is associated with a particular terminal Changes the user name associated with a particular terminal FINDING OUT THE USER NAME To determine the current User Name associated with this particular terminal from AMOS command level type NAME This message appears to let you know what User Name is currently in use Current user name is User Name CHANGING THE USER NAME To change the User Name associated with this particular terminal from AMOS command level type NAME User Name RETURN where User Name is the new User Name to associate with this terminal Security Conscious Systems The NAME command allows anyone to change the User Name associated with their terminal It is therefore possible for someone to attempt to gain access to mail not intended for them As a security precaution you might consider password protecting the In Folder Account and other Folder accounts for those Mail B
34. ched to the message MALSER continues with other activities When the user displays this message they see this message in the Attached AMOS File field File not found in this folder Notify the sender to re send the attached file Can t find message file lt filename gt MALSER is trying to receive a message filename sent from the originating user s Out Folder but cannot do so MALSER tries for 20 seconds and then continues trying intermittently from then on From the sender s point of view this message is not processed according to the status command This error could indicate a damaged file Refer to Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints for corrective measures Duplicate file filename AlphaMAIL is trying to deliver an attached file filename to the In Folder that already contains a file with the same name AlphaMAIL s initialization files OVERWRITE command determines whether the existing file is automatically overwritten Duplicate random file filename On networked systems only An attached random file filename sent from a remote node has the same name as a file already in the user s In Folder AlphaMAIL s initialization file s OVERWRITE command determines whether the existing file is automatically overwritten Duplicate recipients queue file Cancelling request info This error is rare because AlphaMAIL uses a sophisticated method of generating unique message file names and the chances of two having the sa
35. ded messages TEL Telephone messages Attached messages LST files Do not erase any files with the extension DST which are this person s distribution lists or the file MALDST DAT which is the master distribution list file MOVING FILES WITH THE AMOS COPY COMMAND People using AlphaMAIL can use any Folder s Function Menu command to relocate messages and their attached disk files from that Folder to another account However the AlphaMAIL Administrator can perform this service from AMOS command level By using the AMOS COPY command to relocate the file to another account then using ERASE to delete it from that Folder s account If you relocate an attached AMOS file and do not relocate the message it is accompanying the owner of the message sees a warning when they try to display the message The warning lets them know the attached AMOS file is no longer located in this Folder although the message itself is CHECKING MALSER S STATUS From time to time you may need to check on the MALSER job to see if it is up and running properly You can do this at any time by using the AMOS STAT command From AMOS command level type STAT RETURN Rev 00 Page 5 3 Chapter 5 You now see a continuously changing display telling you what each of the jobs on the system is doing Look for the line beginning with the word MALSER information shown on this line tells you about this job s activity When MALSER is up and
36. e disk device AlphaMAIL is attempting to access is not mounted and accessible for reading or writing Use the AMOS MOUNT command to mount the disk Rev 00 Page B 13 Appendix B Distribution list already exists Please Re enter Lists command s ADD option You have entered a distribution list name that already exists Assign a unique name for this list and re enter Distribution list does not exist Please Re enter command s CHANGE or DELETE option AlphaMAIL can t find the distribution list you want to change or delete Check the list name for typing errors or incorrect name and re enter Distribution list users file nnnnnn DST not found Lists command s LIST CHANGE or DELETE option The internal file which contains the list of user names can t be found You will have to re enter these names using the CHANGE command Or on DELETE you may proceed File already exists Lists command s PRINT option to store distribution list as LST file You entered a file name for the message to be printed to but that file already exists Enter another file name File already exists Function Menu move command The filename you entered for the message already exists Try a different filename File already exists Function Menu PRINT command You entered a file name to store the message as a LST file but that filename already exists Enter a unique file name and try again File error while reading DSKO USER SYS 1 2 Check with system Adm
37. e out of outer menu OVERWRITE TRUE overwrite attached file To use this particular initialization file you will need to rename it to MAIL INI or Page 7 4 Rev 00 APPENDIX A UNIVERSAL KEY SEQUENCES The Universal Key Sequence appendix contains a listing of alternate key sequences for AlphaMAIL features These key sequences work on all terminals and are especially useful when your terminal does not have the function or special key normally used by AlphaMAIL WHAT IS AN ALTERNATE KEY SEQUENCE Alternate key sequences use a combination of two keys either the CONTROL or ESCAPE and a character key The character key is always pressed last in the key sequence UPPER OR LOWER CASE CONTROL and ESCAPE by themselves are not affected by pressing GT and therefore are not sensitive to upper or lower case Letters in the key sequence may be entered as either upper or lower case They are shown in upper case so you can read them easily Use whichever case is more convenient for you Of course some characters require you to press 5T to use them such as an exclamation point question mark etc When this kind of character is called for in a sequence be sure to press to engage it USING THE CONTROL KEY The key is sometimes labelled CTRL on your keyboard To use this is what to do Hold down and at the same time press the character shown USING THE ESCAPE KEY The
38. eceiving messages all at the same time How do all of those messages get routed smoothly and efficiently between multiple destination and starting points When multiple computer systems are connected via an Alpha Micro networking product things get even more complicated Clearly some entity must act as Postmaster to coordinate and direct all of AlphaMAIL s activity on a particular system and between computers AlphaMAIL s Postmaster is actually a job named MALSER running the MALSER program These next sections describe what MALSER does and how it goes about delivering AlphaMAlL s messages MALSER AlphaMAIL s POSTMASTER The purpose of the MALSER job is to work in the background attending to the needs of AlphaMAIL All AlphaMAIL operations requiring coordination go through the MALSER job When you send an AlphaMAIL message AlphaMAIL actually sends a request to MALSER letting it know a message needs to be delivered By routing all message delivery requests through the MALSER job AlphaMAIL accomplishes two things makes sure no message collisions occur and lets users continue using other AlphaMAIL operations because delivery takes place in the background The MALSER job runs the MALSER program The job sleeps most of the time just waking up every few seconds to see if any requests have been made of it That is why a system status display sometimes shows the status of MALSER to be RN SI running but asleep MALSER is also responsib
39. ecific circumstances when a person logs on to AlphaMAIL they may see the message SYour MAIL box device xxxxx is set no access This message indicates the node where the device is located has been protected with the SET command so users cannot communicate with this device over the network Messages cannot be sent to or received from this device over the network until the System Operator sets access for the indicated disk device CORRUPTED OR DAMAGED MESSAGES If an AlpghaMAIL operator ever sees garbled text in the To From Subject or Msg Id fields of a Message List display this could indicate a corrupted or damaged message file The contents of a message file may have been damaged and AlphaMAIL cannot read the file If you attempt to display this message you may see this error message Cannot read message name If you try to delete it from the Message List screen you might see this message Cannot find this message Or another indication of a corrupt or damaged file is this message Error 8 If an operator receives the Error 8 message they are automatically returned to AMOS command level CORRECTIVE MEASURES The Administrator must erase the message file from AMOS command level If the message file name has been included in the error message you have no problem in detecting the bad file Use the ERASE command to remove it from the folder If the file name is not displayed as a part of the error message text you need
40. equal sign e Blank lines are ignored Any line starting with a semicolon is a comment line and is ignored f you omit any command AlphaMAIL uses the default value for the command Where a boolean response is appropriate in a command s syntax for clarity we use the term TRUE as an instruction after the equal sign However the terms ON YES or 1 are also valid Where a boolean response is appropriate in a command s syntax for clarity we use the term FALSE as an instruction after the equal sign However the terms OFF NO or 0 are also valid You can use as many blank lines and comment lines as you want to make your initialization file easy to read However every comment line must start with a semicolon or AlphaMAIL attempts to interpret it as a command The initialization file commands discussed in the next sections are TIMEOUT EXITOUTER OVERWRITE TIMEOUT COMMAND The syntax for the TIMEOUT command is TIMEOUT n where n is number in seconds in the range 0 to 65535 A setting of 0 disables this feature The default TIMEOUT is 30 seconds when no TIMEOUT statement is included in the initialization file AlphaMAIL s time out input feature backs out one screen level when there is no keyboard activity for the specified period of time AlphaMAIL continues to back out one screen level every n seconds when there is no keyboard activity until it reaches the AlphaMAIL Main Menu where it halts unless your inti
41. er in the Out Folder No 1st TO recipient in msg lt info gt AlphaMAIL could not find any User Name in the first To field of the of the message lt info gt it is trying to deliver Call up the message in question and verify the To field contains a valid User Name No more records in remote request queue No more records in remote response queue No more records in local request queue In adding a record to a queue file MALSER ran out of room Users should wait awhile so MALSER has time to clear out its queues before re sending any more messages On move from Out to Send file lt filename gt not found This message lets you know AlphaMAIL is trying to move a sent message lt filename gt from an Out Folder to the Sent Folder but the message is no longer in the Out Folder MALSER logs the error and continues on with other requests OPNMSG call location n MALSER ABORTING This message indicates a problem when MALSER used the Inter Task Communication ITC system The n is the ITC error that occurred Repeated occurrences of this error should be reported to the System Operator Rev 00 Page B 5 Appendix B Recipient not found in USER SYS in msg message filename gt lt info gt AlphaMAIL cannot find the recipient s User Name info in the USER SYS file for this message message filename Check to be sure the User Name in question is valid Remote attached file lookup error nnn for filespec lt filename gt On network systems
42. er to the documentation listed in Chapter 1 Page 2 2 Rev 00 CHAPTER THREE TECHNICAL OVERVIEW Although the A phaMAIL Reference Guide touches lightly upon many of AlphaMAIL s design and operating concepts as the System Administrator you require a more detailed and technical explanation This chapter gives you a more technical view of the basic concepts behind Message Folders Mail Boxes and User Names AlphaMAIL s operation and files AlphaMAIL creates and maintains AlphaMAIL s BASIC CONCEPTS There are three basic concepts described in the Al phaMAIL Reference Guide as e Mail Boxes Message Folders User Names This terminology is useful to help people visualize what is happening while they are using AlphaMAIL On the other hand as the System Administrator you will recognize Mail Boxes as a group of four specific accounts on one device on your computer system a Message Folder as one of the four accounts on that device and the User Name as any combination of 19 characters To maintain continuity between these books each concept s technical explanation is associated with its more friendly name MAIL BOXES To the person working with AlphaMAIL their Mail Box is where they are when they log on to AlphaMAIL to CREATE SEND and READ mail in their Message Folders To the Administrator the Mail Boxes are the group of disk accounts assigned to a particular AlohaMAIL user for their Message Folders The disk accounts making
43. h a terminal checking MALSER s status cleaning up Message Folders shutting down and starting up MALSER and moving messages from AMOS command level Page 1 2 Rev 00 Introduction Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints helps you get to the source of problems when their cause is not readily apparent Chapter 7 AlphaMAIL s Initialization File describes how to create the initialization file and commands AlphaMAIL supports Appendix A Universal Key Sequences lists alternate key sequences to use if you don t have the special keys AlphaMAIL uses on your keyboard Appendix B Error and Other Messages contains error messages and recovery procedures CONVENTIONS To make our examples easy to understand and use we have adopted a series of graphics conventions You ll find these familiar if you ve worked with our other office information products documentation CONVENTION EXPLANATION COMMAND AlphaMAIL command names are all capitals bold type in a smaller point size than main text COMMAND AMOS command names and some file names all capitals non bold type and in the same point size as main text AlphaMAIL Main Menu AlphaMAIL screen names are printed like the example no bold initial capitals What You Type Text you are expected to type is in bold Courier typeface What AlphaMAIL Displays Text AlphaMAIL displays as prompts messages or responses to what you type is in non bold Courier typeface Keys you press t
44. he mail message file can t be read and displayed You can use the key to delete this message line in the summary display then re display the message summary list If this doesn t work find the offending message in the folder and ERASE it from AMOS command level This may be difficult but if a MAL file has a different block length than the others it probably is the culprit System user file USER SYS not found in DSKO0 1 2 Please check with the AlphaMAIL system administrator Anywhere AlphaMAIL checks the User Name USER SYS must exist in DSKO 1 2 AlphaMAIL cannot locate it AlphaMAIL will abort if this file is not found System user file USER SYS not found DSKO0 1 2 Please check with the AlphaMAIL system administrator Any display of the User Name list USER SYS must exist and cannot be found Log to DSKO0 1 2 and determine if USER SYS is there It is possible this file has either been accidentally relocated or erased from the system Use DIR to determine if USER SYS exists anywhere on the system If not restore it from a recent backup As a last resort re create USER SYS using MUSER Rev 00 Page B 19 Appendix B 9eThe delivery process MALSER is not running You will not be able to SEND any messages AlphaMAIL Login Procedure MALSER is not running It has not been started up or has aborted In any case you can still use AlphaMAIL but you won t be able to send or receive messages Refer to
45. ile log into DSKO 7 2 then type RUN MALERR RETURN The MALERR command writes the AlphaMAIL error log into a file named MALSER LST 2 Use AlphaVUE to take a look at the MALSER LST file by typing VUE MALSER LST Rev 00 Page 6 1 Chapter 6 or use the TYPE command to see MALSER LST a page at a time TYPE MALSER LST P RETURN 3 If any error messages are located in this file see Appendix B Error Messages in this book to find the meaning and corrective action ARE MALSER SUBROUTINES LOADED Are the subroutines MALSER uses being found and loaded To check this log into DSKO 7 2 and type MALSUB The MALSUB command loads the AlpghaMAIL MALSER subroutines into memory If one or more cannot be loaded you see a message Cannot load FLNAME SBR file not found where FLNAME is the AlphaMAIL subroutine file name in question This means the file identified in the message is not located in AlphaMAIL s library account DSKO 7 2 You might try restoring the file named in the message from the media you received AlphaMAIL on If the subroutines load properly you don t see an error message and you are at AMOS command level again This means the subroutines have been found and are not the source of the problem DOES MALSER HAVE SPACE FOR ITS QUEUE FILES Is there enough contiguous disk space on DSKO for MALSER to allocate its random queue files If there isn t MALSER will not run and this condition
46. information about the User Name associated with this particular mail box Okay to erase MALMSG CUR Contains information on the message the user is currently working on Deleted automatically MALMSG RND Permanent file created and maintained by AlphaMAIL Contains directory type information to keep track of up to 200 messages in the Mail Box Okay to erase automatically rebuilt MESSAG LST Default file name when you print a message If no longer needed okay to erase DISTRB LST Default file name used to print distribution lists If no longer needed okay to erase MALDST DAT Defines all the distribution lists in this users Mail Box Associated with individual DST files Do not erase otherwise all information for distribution lists can be destroyed Rev 00 CHAPTER FOUR MAINTAINING USER INFORMATION One of the most important duties of the System Administrator is maintaining AlphaMAIL s list of User Names and assigning Mail Boxes Every person using AlphaMAIL must have a User Name in order to call up AlohaMAIL and communicate with other people Every person must also have a Mail Box where their Message Folders are located This chapter describes how to set up the accounts for Mail Boxes use MUSER to create and maintain AlohaMAIL s User Name list and maintain multiple User Name lists for computer networks CREATING MAIL BOXES Each AlphaMAIL user on your computer system needs a Mail Box for their Message Folders Although u
47. ining User Information QUIT Causes you to return to AMOS command level without keeping any changes you have made with MUSER The shorthand for quit is Q ADDING A NEW USER The System User Maintenance App command allows you to identify new User Names and their Mail Boxes to AlphaMAIL To add new users type ADD RETURN The User Information Display you see looks like this USER INFORMATION User Name Password Root Account Remote Mail Account None PRIVILEGES Rd Sys Mem Wr Sys Mem Rd Phys Dsk Wr Phys Dsk Use Diag USER CHARACTERISTICS Class of User Experience Level STATISTICS Total CPU Time 00 00 00 Disk Reads Total Connect Time 00 00 00 Disk Writes Press UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to select fields Press NEXT SCREEN to select additional fields Press MENU key when finished User Information Display The User Information Display Two of the fields on the User Information display are used by AlphaMAIL User Name e Mail Account MUSER is designed to be used by programs other than AlphaMAIL therefore you do not need to make entries to any other field unless you are entering other types of information You can exit without making changes by pressing MENU or ESCAPE ESCAPE Rev 00 Page 4 5 Chapter 4 Assigning and Entering User Names The User Name field holds the name you assign to individuals using AlphaMAIL The guidelines to follow are User Names can be up
48. inistrator Anywhere AlphaMAIL checks the User Name Page B 14 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages There is a problem reading the file USER SYS It may be corrupted or have another problem Check to see if USER SYS exists on DSKO 1 2 File not found in your folder Message Summary display A message selected from the message summary display can t be found in this folder File not found in your folder attached AMOS file Any message display The file is attached to this message but is not found in this folder This may not be a problem For example if you attach an AMOS file to a message and sEND it the AMOS file is probably not in your Out or Sent folders This is a problem when the AMOS file attached is supposed to be in the current folder Most often this type of file is a telephone message attached mail message or forwarded mail message In these three cases AlphaMAIL automatically attaches these files to a message and moves them among your folders Filename NNNNNN MAL lt Message file not found Message Summary display A message selected from the message summary display can t be found in your folder Try deleting this entry in the Message List display and re display the message summary list InBox account does not exist for this user DSKn xxx 0 AlphaMAIL Login Procedure The mailbox information for you in the file USER SYS is not correct or invalid Use MUSER to verify the Mail Box Account for this User Name
49. ixing damaged 6 5 MUSER LIT file 3 6 running program 4 1 to 4 9 N NAME command from AMOS 5 2 NAME LIT file 3 6 using from AMOS 5 2 Network MALSER problems 6 4 O Out folder disk location 3 2 Overwrite command initialization file 7 4 P PASS command 5 3 Password protection for accounts 5 2 5 3 Q Queue files size of 6 2 R Read folder disk location 3 2 Remote users defined by MUSER 4 6 Index Page 2 S Search paths initialization file 7 2 Security User names 5 2 5 3 Sent folder disk location 3 2 STAT command checking MALSER job 5 3 5 4 MALSER job status 6 1 SYSACT command passwords 5 3 T Technical overview 3 1 to 3 8 Timeout command initialization file 7 3 Troubleshooting hints 6 1 to 6 5 U Universal key sequences A 2 Upkeep procedures 5 1 to 5 5 User name changing for this terminal 5 2 changing with NAME command 5 2 determining from AMOS 5 2 User Name Lists maintaining with MUSER 4 1 to 4 9 User names 3 1 to 3 3 changing information for 4 7 4 8 deleting 4 7 listing of 4 8 networked computers 4 9 USER SYS file 3 3 3 5 user name list 4 3 Rev 00
50. k DSKO Log into account OPR and run the VERIFY command on MAIL DIR If VERIFY confirms the SBR files are present start up AlphaMAIL by typing MAIL RETURN If this effort does not cure the problem try rebooting the system to clear memory and try again If VERIFY reports an SBR file is missing from DSKO 7 2 restore it from the AlphaMAIL release media and try again PPN does not exist When this message appears it may indicate the MUSER User List contains incorrect information for the recipient of a message Use MUSER to check the Mail Account field for the recipient User Name specified by the person sending the message Make sure the Message Folder accounts exist if this recipient User Name is on your computer system Rev 00 Page B 9 Appendix B ERROR MESSAGES DURING AlphaMAIL S OPERATION The following error messages are ones which can appear during the course of AlphaMAIL s operation The messages are listed alphabetically shows where in AlphaMAIL s operation the message occurs offers the probable cause and recommends corrective measures Attached AMOS file not found in this folder Function Menu move command The message indicates an AMOS file is attached but it is not located in the current folder Check other folders for the attached AMOS file 9eCan t CANCEL this message The Mail delivery process is not running Out Folder Function Menu cANcEL command The MALSER job is not responding to your cancel reques
51. key is sometimes labeled ESC on your keyboard When an alternate key sequence signals you to use 50 this is what to do Rev 00 Page A 1 Appendix A Press once and release it then press the character shown IF YOU DON T HAVE AN ESCAPE KEY If you do not have Esc hold down and at the same time press 1 left square bracket key Release both keys then press the character shown UNIVERSAL KEY SEQUENCE TABLE If a key sequence in the table contains a hyphen press the first key and simultaneously press the next key For example to use CTRL C press the key labelled CTRL while you press the C key If a key sequence contains ESC press the key labelled ESC release it and then press the rest of the keys shown For example to use ESC P press and release the ESC key then press the P key Page A 2 OPERATION Down Arrow Left Arrow Right Arrow Up Arrow Shift amp Left Arrow Shift amp Right Arrow Auto Ins Char Cancel Char Del Char Ins Escape Help Home Shift amp Home Join Line Line Del Line Ins Menu Next Screen Next Word Prev Screen Prev Word Return Word Del UNIVERSAL KEY SEQUENCE CTRL J CTRL H CTRL L CTRL K CTRL U CTRL N CTRL Q ESC ESC CTRL D CTRL F CTRL CTRL ESC CTRL CTRL E CTRL O CTRL Z CTRL B ESC ESC CTRL T CTRL W CTRL R CTRL A CTRL M CTRL V Rev 00 APPENDIX B ERROR AND OTHER MESSAGES Error messages which can appear when working with AlphaMAIL are centr
52. le for communicating with the different MALSER jobs on each network node on each separate computer system connected via a network This communication between MALSER jobs is how messages are transferred between computers One final note about MALSER like any background job MALSER opens and closes files writing to the disk without it being obvious that it is doing so This means when the System Operator is using DSKANA the disk analysis program or when unattended system backup is taking place MALSER should be shut down to avoid problems Rev 00 Page 3 3 Chapter 3 MALSER S DELIVERY PROCESS Sending messages with AlphaMAIL is a multi step process most of which are transparent to the person sending the message These are the steps apparent to the person who sends a message 1 Create a message 2 Use SEND command Receive message acknowledging the seno Message posted for delivery 4 Upon delivery AlghaMAIL moves message from Out Folder to Sent Folder When the message is at the posted stage the person sending it can use STATUS command to check the delivery status of the message or use the caNcEL command to remove it from the delivery process Nonetheless there is more to the delivery process than meets the eye Assuming the person sending the message does not use cancel to halt delivery MALSER s part in the delivery goes something like this 1 Receives delivery request from user via the SEND command 2
53. mber most recently recorded in the file MALERR writes both the error message and any pertinent information to the log day and time the error occurred User Name involved etc ERROR LOG MESSAGES An alphabetical list of error log messages follow with information about their probable cause and remedies Can t create message file in recipient s InBox Error nn User name user name gt Msg id filename error message text gt MALSER cannot create the message file shown by Msg id lt filename gt in the intended recipient s In Folder shown as user name If the reason is one of the ones listed below the error message text appears in the error message ERROR nn Error 18 Error 19 Error 20 Error 22 Error 24 Error 27 Error 28 MESSAGE TEXT DEVICE NOT READY DEVICE FULL DEVICE ERROR INVALID MAILBOX PPN Aborting delivery for this recipient WRITE PROTECTED BITMAP KAPUT DISK NOT MOUNTED Any of these messages could indicate hardware problems For all errors except error 22 please refer to the AMOS User s Guide for corrective measures Page B 2 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages If error 22 appears use the MUSER program to check the Mail Box Account entry for this recipient Be sure all Message Folder accounts exist for this recipient Can t find attached file lt filename gt AlphaMAIL has delivered a message to a user s In Folder but cannot find the AMOS file filename atta
54. me name and being delivered at the same time are remote MALSER automatically cancels delivery of message info and the sender can re send the message at a later time Rev 00 Page B 3 Appendix B Error copying remote message to local user name gt filename ISTAT nn OSTAT nn TRYS nn On network systems only MALSER is trying to copy a message from another node but a problem has occurred ISTAT shows the error code on the input file OSTAT shows the error code on the output file MALSER tries to transfer the message 16 times and if unsuccessful cancels the delivery The message sender needs re send it Error on copy of attached rnd file from remote to local lt info gt lt filename gt IRSTATUS n ORSTATUS n TRSY n On network systems only AlphaMAIL is trying to copy an attached random file from another node IRSTATUS shows the error code on the input file and ORSTATUS shows the error code on the output file MALSER tries try to receive the file 16 times if unsuccessful AlphaMAIL indicates this problem in the SUBJECT field of the message Can t copy AMOS file MALSER will not try again to copy the file The message sender must re send the file Error on copy of attached seq file from remote to local info filename ISTATUSzn OSTATUS n TRYSzn On network systems only AlphaMAIL is trying to copy an attached sequential file from another node ISTATUS shows the error code on the input file and OSTATUS shows the error
55. n 3 2 Initialization file 7 1 to 7 4 command list 7 3 comment characters 7 2 creating 7 1 Exitouter command 7 4 location 7 1 Overwrite command 7 4 rules for 7 2 7 3 search path for 7 2 Timeout command 7 3 K Keys universal sequences A 2 L Language definition file extension 7 1 Local users defined by MUSER 4 6 Mail Box assigning with MUSER 4 1 4 2 set no access 6 5 Mail Boxes 4 6 MAIL DIR file 3 6 directory 3 5 MAIL INI initialization file 3 7 7 1 MAIL LIT file 3 5 MAIL NEW initialization file 7 1 7 4 Mailboxes 3 1 Maintenance activities 5 1 to 5 5 MALCHK command 5 1 MALCHK LIT file 3 5 MALDST DAT file 3 8 5 3 MALERR command error log 6 1 6 2 MALERR RUN file 3 6 MALMSG CUR file 3 8 MALMSG RND file 3 8 Index Page 1 Index MALSER job checking status of 5 3 5 4 delivery process 3 3 3 4 network problems 6 4 not running 6 1 re initializing 6 4 restarting 5 4 5 5 shutting down 5 4 unsuccessful deliveries 3 5 up and running 6 1 MALSER program running for troubleshooting 6 3 MALSER subroutines troubleshooting 6 2 MALSER CMD file 3 7 MALSER ERR file 3 6 MALSER LST file 3 6 error log file 6 1 6 2 MALSUB CMD file 3 7 load subroutines 6 2 MALUSR DAT file 3 8 MALZAP CMD file 3 7 re initializing MALSER 6 4 MESSAG LST file 3 8 Message files moving with COPY command 5 3 Message Folders 3 1 cleaning accounts 5 3 disk location 3 2 Messages checking for from AMOS 5 1 f
56. nent files AlpghaMAIL Help Information Permanent files used by AlphaMAIL s initialization program MAIL LIT Permanent files command files used by AlphaMAIL Permanent files AlpghaBASIC program files used by AlphaMAIL Permanent files AlpghaBASIC subroutine files used by AlphaMAIL MALSER ERR Permanent random file containing AlphaMAIL error information not viewable MALSER LST Sequential file containing AlphaMAIL error information created by MALERR RUN and viewable Okay to erase when you are through MALERR RUN Permanent file program creating MAIL DIR MALSER LST from MALSER ERR Permanent file contains list of all files shipped as part of the AlphaMAIL product Rev 00 Chapter Title ACCOUNT FILENAME DESCRIPTION DSKO 7 2 MAIL INI AlphaMAIL initialization file Arrives with software as MAIL NEW should be renamed to or Do not erase DSKO 7 2 MALSUB CMD Permanent command file Loads the subroutines used by MALSER This command included in the system initialization command file also used by you in troubleshooting to run the MALSER program DSKO 7 2 MALSER CMD Permanent command file Runs the MALSER job This command is used to restart MALSER if it stops for any reason after the system has booted DSKO 7 2 MALZAP CMD Permanent command file Used as a last resort when restarting AlphaMAIL due to severe system problems or AlphaMAIL problems Cancels delivery of all message
57. nitialzation Guide DSO 00002 00 All topics regarding the system initialization command file e AMOS L System Commands Reference Manual DSO 00043 00 Reference sheets for all AMOS commands e AMOS User s Guide DSO 00042 00 General guide to working with the operating system Page 1 4 Rev 00 Introduction e AlphaVUE User s Manual DSO 00023 00 Operation of Alpha VUE Alpha Micro s text editor AlphaBASIC User s Manual DSS 10073 00 or AlphaBASIC Plus User s Manual DSO 00045 00 Specific references to AlphaBASIC error codes used in AlphaMAIL s error message handling Rev 00 Page 1 5 CHAPTER TWO INTRODUCING THE AlphaMAIL ADMINISTRATOR AlphaMAIL is easy to use people who communicate with one another using it will probably never be aware of how it interfaces to their Alpha Micro computer system and they shouldn t have to be This is where the AlphaMAIL Administrator steps in taking care of the ins and outs of AlphaMAIL and how it interfaces with AMOS WHAT DOES THE AlphaMAIL ADMINISTRATOR DO First and foremost the AlphaMAIL System Administrator acts as a resource for the rest of the people using AlphaMAIL on the computer system In addition the Administrator also maintains this communication system by keeping AlphaMAIL s list of users up to date and complete Here are the Administrator s general duties and the chapters where detailed information is given Assists people using AlphaMAIL by performing proced
58. ntering it again Verify the password is correct Page B 16 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages Invalid printer selection Lists command s PRINT option You selected a printer number that is invalid Only printer numbers displayed on the list of printers are valid entries Re enter a number displayed on this list Invalid User Name Please Re enter PHONE command You have entered a User Name that can t be found in the system user file USER SYS Check for typing errors or use the USERS command to verify who the available users are ITC error n attempting communication with MALSER AlphaMAIL Login Procedure AlphaMAIL is checking that MALSER is running and received an ITC error ITC open error n ITC send error n PHONE command When trying to communicate with the AlphaMAIL delivery process MALSER an ITC error occurred Check with your AlphaMAIL Administrator ITC open error n ITC send error n CANCEL command In trying to communicate the cancel request to the MALSER job via ITC an unexpected problem occurred ITC open error n Check with the AlphaMAIL administrator ITC send error n Check with the AlphaMAIL administrator SEND Command When attempting to communicate with MALSER the seNp command received ITC open error or ITC send error Rev 00 Page B 17 Appendix B Mail subroutine not found Anywhere in AlphaMAIL s operation This message indicates that a program necessary for AlphaMAIL to run cannot be found Follow the
59. o use AlphaMAIL are in a keycap box Characters inside the box are either function key names such as symbols such as 1 or key names such as TA8 or RETURN Rev 00 Page 1 3 Chapter 1 CONVENTION EXPLANATION Indicates a control key sequence to use a particular AlphaMAIL feature such as to delete text to end of line See Appendix C for complete operating instructions Indicates an escape key sequence to use a particular AlphaMAIL feature such as for help See Appendix C for complete operating instructions The halt symbol denotes an important piece of information you should read carefully before continuing Usually text next to this symbol contains instructions for something you MUST or MUST NOT do read carefully The hint symbol denotes a helpful bit of information It is often used to point out a short cut which may save you time or trouble The remember symbol denotes information you need to keep in mind while you are following a set of instructions REFERENCES TO OTHER DOCUMENTS In this guide we sometimes refer to other Alpha Micro documents which pertain to AMOS Alpha Micro s Operating System or some other software related aspect of working with AMOS Although we give general instructions for using AMOS commands and other procedures you may need more detailed information found in these books e AMOS System Operator s Guide DSO 00001 00 and AMOS System I
60. only An AMOS file filename attached to a message just received from another node cannot be found because of error nnn If this is not just a case of the node being temporarily off the network MALSER abandons the attempt and notes the problem in the SUBJECT field of the message being received Can t copy AMOS file If the file does exist MALSER tries again an indefinite number of times to copy the message and attached file which can result in a duplicate message in a user s In Folder Remote lookup error nnn for filespec lt filespec gt message file On network systems only MALSER is trying to copy a message file from another node but cannot do so If the error code is 3 the file is not there and AlphaMAIL gives up trying If the error code is a 229 the originating node is not currently up on the network and MALSER keeps trying Remote request recip not in local user file info On network systems only AlphaMAIL has received a message request from a user on another node but cannot find the requested User Name info on the local system The message being sent remains in the originators Out Folder with the status Request made to remote MALSER and is not moved to the Sent Folder The Administrator should verify the recipient s User Name is valid on both systems Unrecoverable error MALSER aborting Error nn at line nnnnn in program MALSER MM DD YY at HH MM SS This is a general error message showing an AlphaBAS
61. ou ve made LISTING CURRENT USER NAMES The System User Maintenance LIST command displays the current User Names A similar list is also available from within AlphaMAIL to identify User Names available for communication To see a current list of User Names at the System User Maintenance screen s command line type LIST The shorthand for LIST is L A sample User List display is shown below All existing names and Mail Box accounts are displayed here Press any key to see additional screens RENT USER LIST Name Root Mailbox Bob Shelton DS 60 0 DSK1 67 0 Bob Currier DSK0 1 4 FS2000 DSK0 Bonnie Morse DSK3 1 0 SQA DSKO Bob Dillard Remote SQA DSKO Brendan Byrne Remote SQA DSKO Bryon Brookshier DSK3 1 0 SQA DSKO Chan Ho Remote SQA DSKO Dan Twaddell DSK6 200 0 DSK6 200 0 Dave Canfield Remote SQA DSKO Dan Danknick Remote SQA DS Dave French Remote SQA DS David Pallmann DSKO 1 4 DP DSKO Eric Horwitz Remote SQA DS ET DSK3 25 10 None George Hinze Remote SQA DS GaryN Remote GENADM Hazel Wells Remote SQA DS internet Remote SMTPGW John Glade Remote ENGCEN Press any key to continue Current User List Display Page 4 8 Rev 00 Maintaining User Information DISTRIBUTING USER LISTS BETWEEN NETWORKED COMPUTERS Networks pose a special consideration for maintaining User Names and Mail Boxes Multiple User lists on different computer systems connected via network can be difficult
62. oxes where security is important When a user calls up AlphaMAIL the first account AlphaMAIL accesses is the Disk Account p O the In Folder Account When a password is associated with p 0 the AlphaMAIL Login Procedure screen requires the user to enter the password for this account after entering the User Name and before AlphaMAIL will display the Main Menu In addition the password is requested each and every time this Mail Box is accessed and when logging into this account at AMOS command level Page 5 2 Rev 00 Upkeep Procedures There are two ways to assign a password to the In Folder account by using SYSACT described earlier in this book or by using the PASS command The PASS command is specifically designed for changing passwords associated with account numbers Refer to the AMOS System Commands Reference Manual for complete details on using either of these methods to assign or change passwords CLEANING UP MESSAGE FOLDERS Many files can accumulate in the Message Folder accounts taking up valuable disk space Although the person using AlphaMAIL can eliminate these files from within AlphaMAIL it is sometimes faster for the Administrator to do so from AMOS command level with the ERASE command Begin by logging into the Message Folders account where you want to remove excess files Use the DIR command to see what files are located here Particularly look for files with these extensions MAL Message files FWD Forwar
63. r Re sending these messages may cause the user to receive the message already posted for delivery but that causes no harm Of course you should try to determine what caused the message delivery backlog in the first place One possible area of investigation for systems on a network is to see whether there are network communication problems keeping AlphaMAIL from accessing another computer system MALSER PROBLEMS ON NETWORKED SYSTEMS If MALSER is not running and the STAT display shows the MALSER job is stuck in a wait state with this code RN EW you may want to begin troubleshooting with the steps outlined in the previous section If none of these methods solve the condition try the steps outlined here If you are on a computer connected to another computer via network a wait state may indicate a problem with the network Use whatever diagnostic procedures are appropriate for your particular network to determine the problem For example if your computer is using AlphaNET you can determine if your node is up and running on the AlphaNET network To do so from command level type NTSTAT C RETURN If the network node is not up refer to the troubleshooting procedures in the documentation accompanying your network for help That documentation should also contain information on the diagnostic programs available for your network Page 6 4 Rev 00 Troubleshooting Hints MAIL BOX SET NO ACCESS NETWORK SYSTEMS Under sp
64. rminal DEL RETURN MAIL RETURN The DEL command deletes the AlphaMAIL subroutines from that users memory partition which may have been corrupted or not deleted depending on the particular error The MAIL command calls up AlphaMAIL and lets the user start again If MALSER is not running follow the instructions in Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints to re start it ERROR MESSAGES Disk is full The user who received this message is out of room on their disk Make more room by erasing unnecessary files as described in Chapter 5 Upkeep Procedures Disk is write protected AlphaMAIL is trying to write to a disk which has been set to write protect preventing any data being written to it Have the System Operator write enable the disk and try the AlphaMAIL operation again When this error occurs the message currently being worked on may be lost or corrupted and may have to be re entered Error nn encountered at line nnnn in program lt name gt Where nn represents AlphaBASIC error code number and nnnn represent references to program identified as name An unexpected error has occurred See the System Operator for help in determining what error occurred The error codes are documented in the AlphaBASIC User s Manual Page B 8 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages Mail subroutine DSKO xxxxxx SBR 7 2 not found AlphaMAIL aborted This message can indicate a problem with memory or a problem with your System Dis
65. running correctly you can see any of three status codes RN 51 RN IO RN MS If a problem has occurred and MALSER is not up and running the status begins with C g STAT is useful when troubleshooting letting you know right away if problems you may be experiencing are due to MALSER More information about troubleshooting is in Chapter 6 SHUTTING DOWN MALSER Like any job running in the background MALSER performs activities under its own control meaning MALSER may open and close files by reading and writing to the disk without your knowledge Whenever any event is scheduled requiring everyone be logged off the system it is imperative for you to shut down MALSER A good example of such an event is your regular system backup One step of your backup is probably running the DSKANA program to analyze the disks on the system to make sure the file structure of those disks is OK If a job for example MALSER were to open and close disk files while DSKANA is running the file structure on that disk could be corrupted causing lost or damaged files Before using DSKANA or any other program requiring no activity occurring on any disk devices shut down MALSER by entering KILL MALSER RETURN Use STAT to verify MALSER is indeed inactive The status for an inactive MALSER job should be C Ti RESTARTING MALSER When MALSER has been intentionally shut down as described earlier or if it has discontinued operation due to an
66. s are organized by the location of the files telling you what files are permanent and temporary briefly describing their purpose and letting you know if they are okay to erase If the file is a permanent file it is generally not okay to erase it ACCOUNT FILENAME DESCRIPTION DSKO 1 2 USER SYS Created and maintained by MUSER program Contains the list of valid User Names for AlphaMAIL and other software packages Do not erase DSKO 1 4 MAIL LIT Permanent file AlohaMAIL s initialization program DSKO 1 4 MALCHK LIT Permanent file checks Mail Box for incoming messages Rev 00 Page 3 5 Chapter 3 ACCOUNT 5 0 1 4 DSKO 1 4 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 DSKO 7 2 Page 3 6 FILENAME NAME LIT MUSER LIT MAX USA OVR CMD RUN SBR DESCRIPTION Permanent file lets you check or change the User Name associated with a terminal Permanent file defines AlphaMAIL User Names their Mail Boxes and other information DSKO 7 2 holds the permanent files making up the largest portion of the AlphaMAIL product Both permanent and temporary files containing message transfer information Temporary QUE files have the name nnnnnn representing numbers and are automatically deleted by MALSER Permanent files AlpghaMAIL terminal translation files Perma
67. s by deleting all QUE files and restarts MALSER FILES IN MESSAGE FOLDER ACCOUNTS Many files found in Message Folder Accounts are created by AlphaMAIL and make up messages and attached files Other files may appear in these accounts and are used to hold other information As the System Administrator you can remove any unnecessary files by using the AMOS ERASE command FILENAME PURPOSE Created by AlphaMAIL contains the message and recipient information specified by user Each file is a unique AlphaMAIL generated name for example 104355 MAL If no longer needed okay to erase Files specified as Attached AMOS file when sender creates a message by using the ATTACH command If no longer needed okay to erase Files created with FORWARD command contains message Filename is a unique AlphaMAIL generated name If no longer needed okay to erase Rev 00 Page 3 7 Chapter 3 Page 3 8 FILENAME PURPOSE Files created with PHoNE command contains phone message Filename is a unique AlphaMAIL generated name If no longer needed okay to erase Generated by AlphaMAIL when a distribution list is created Contains information for individual distribution list recipients Do not erase 001 etc Files generated to spool messages to printer AlphaMAIL deletes these files when printing is complete If printing is interrupted these files may remain okay to erase MALUSR DAT Data file created by AlphaMAIL contains
68. s up and running your display shows scrolling messages like this MALSER Version x x running Receiving ITC msg Servicing remote requests queue Receiving ITC msg Servicing local requests queue Receiving ITC msg Servicing local responses queue Receiving ITC msg Servicing remote requests queue Receiving ITC msg Servicing remote responses queue Receiving ITC msg Servicing local requests queue Receiving ITC msg Servicing remote requests queue Receiving ITC msg Repeats indefinitely Rev 00 Page 6 3 Chapter 6 RE INITIALIZING MALSER If a particular message or a group of messages appear to be stuck when you look at AlphaMAIL s error log MALSER LST and users who sent these messages cannot use the CANCEL command to halt delivery you may need to re initialize AlphaMAIL This method is a last resort in the process of using it you clear out AlphaMAIL s delivery queues and allow it to get a fresh start The side effect is all messages in the process of being sent must be re sent they have been effectively cancelled by this re initialization method The command to use in this case is named MALZAP To re initialize log to AlphaMAIL s account DSKO 7 2 and type MALZAP MALZAP erases all of AlghaMAIL s QUE files containing information on messages the process of being delivered and restarts MALSER All AlphaMAIL users need to use the SEND command to re send messages from their Out Folde
69. sers on networked systems also need Mail Boxes the System Administrator is only responsible for setting up disk accounts on their own local computer system A Mail Box is comprised of four disk accounts on the same device one disk account is used per Message Folder If you are just getting started with AlphaMAIL and this is the first time you are defining Mail Boxes and subsequently User Names a systematic approach is the easiest Before you begin make a check list of all those people on your computer system who will use AlphaMAIL to determine how many sets of Mail Boxes to create and what User Names to assign STEPS TO CREATE A MAIL BOX These steps show you a systematic approach for defining Mail Boxes on your computer system 1 Choose the Disk Accounts to Use Disk accounts are designated by two numbers the project number and the programmer number which are separated by a comma For example the disk account 100 1 has a project number of 100 and a programmer number of 1 Any accounts having the same project number are said to be within the same project Rev 00 Page 4 1 Chapter 4 Choose an unused project number on one of the disks on your computer for each person s Mail Box You create four disk accounts using that project number and the programmer numbers 0 1 2 and 3 For example If you decide to use project number 200 on DSK1 you need to know these disk accounts are not already in use DSK1 200 0 DSK1
70. t Either MALSER has not been started up or has aborted Re start MALSER as described in Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Hints 9eCan t EDIT this message It is currently being delivered Out Folder Function Menu command MALSER is delivering this message and it can t be changed In order to it you must first CANCEL delivery 9eCan t ERASE this message It is currently being delivered Any Folder s Function Menu ERAsE command Using at any Folder s Message List MALSER is currently delivering this message and it can t be erased You must first CANCEL delivery then use the ERAsE command or from the Scan Messages in Folder display 9eCan t find current user name in user file Please enter your user name AlphaMAIL Login Procedure The name associated with your terminal can t be found in the file USER SYS If a seemingly correct User Name is used and this message appears check MUSER to verify the User Name Page B 10 Rev 00 Error and Other Messages 9eCan t find mail notification program MALINB LIT in mail library account Please contact the AlphaMAIL administrator AlphaMAIL Login Procedure AlphaMAIL requires the presence of MALINB LIT in account DSKO 7 2 Verify this file is present If it is not copy this file from your AlphaMAIL software media 9eCan t find this user in system user file Please re enter AlphaMAIL Lists command s ADD or CHANGE option A User Name you entered can t be found in the file USER
71. t p 1 The Read Folder contains messages originally located in the In Folder Messages arrive in the Read Folder when the In Folder command is used on that particular message Disk Files are also relocated to the Read Folder with the message they accompany Out Folder Disk Account p 2 The Out Folder contains messages the user originates using any of the means AlphaMAIL offers to create messages Messages remain here until they are sent When the message is delivered to all recipients AlphaMAIL moves it to the Sent Folder Sent Folder Disk Account p 3 The Sent Folder contains messages the user created and sent that have been delivered to all recipients Messages located here originated in the Out Folder USER NAME A User Name is how AlphaMAIL identifies a particular person as a valid AlphaMAIL user People using AlphaMAIL need their own User Name to log on to AlphaMAIL as well as other people s User Names to specify recipient names on messages and distribution lists Page 3 2 Rev 00 Chapter Title The AlphaMAIL Administrator maintains the list of valid user names on each computer system by using the MUSER program which automatically creates and maintains the file DSKO USER SYS 1 2 Whenever someone using AlphaMAIL enters a User Name AlphaMAIL refers to USER SYS to determine if the name is correct and valid HOW AlphaMAIL WORKS On a typical AlpghaMAIL system several people may be creating sending and r
72. to 19 characters long Upper or lower case characters may be used to assign a name User Names must be unique to this computer system and all computers on a network Entering the Mail Box Account There are two types of format for the Mail Account One format is used for local users those residing on your own computer system the other is used for remote users those residing on a computer system connected to yours by a network Local Users Remote Users Page 4 6 Those people using AlphaMAIL on your own computer system are referred to as local users When entering the Mail Account for them you enter the Device and comma zero account you assigned Devn p 0 RETURN By specifying the comma zero account belonging to the In Folder AlphaMAIL knows the remaining folders are located on the same Devn but in the accounts p 1 p 2 and p 3 For example if this user s first Message Folder account is located on DSK5 in account 157 0 enter DSK5 157 0 Those people who you can communicate with on another computer system connected to yours via network are remote users When entering the Mail Account for them you enter the CPU identification for their computer in this format cpulD where cpulD represents the CPU identification number of the remote computer where that user resides For example on an network a sample Mail Account entry for a remote user might look like this 16842757
73. ts 0 1 2 and for this Mail Box 7 Repeat steps four through five until you ve created all the Mail Boxes you need 8 When you are done exit SYSACT To do so from the prompt type E RETURN When you are finished assigning account numbers for the Mail Boxes go on to use the MUSER program to assign User Names and inform AlphaMAIL of Mail Box locations SETTING UP USER NAMES AlphaMAIL determines whether or not a particular User Name designates a valid AlphaMAIL user by consulting the disk file DSKO USER SYS 1 2 USER SYS contains a list of all AlphaMAIL users on a particular computer In the case of a network of multiple computers USER SYS contains all the AlghaMAIL User Names for users on every other computer in the network The USER SYS file is created and maintained by the MUSER program which allows you to Define new AlphaMAIL User Names and their Mail Boxes Change information for existing User Names Delete information for existing AlpghaMAIL User Names Request a list of all current AlohaMAIL User Names and Mail Boxes These operations are available from the System User Maintenance menu displayed when you use the MUSER program The following sections describe how to call up MUSER and what to do for each type of operation CALLING UP MUSER To use the MUSER program you must LOG to DSKO 1 2 OPR These next sections show you the steps to call it up what you see when you do and how to exit
74. ur system Language Definition File Each command within the file occupies one line You can create an initialization file in any account on your system Which users are affected by an initialization file depends on the file location In most cases you will call the initialization file MAIL INI However if your system is set up to use AlphaMAIL in more than one language you should delete all MAIL INI files and create separate initialization files for each language using the appropriate extensions The initialization file named MAIL INI has priority if both MAIL INI and MAIL an exist AlphaMAIL uses the MAIL INI file LOCATION OF THE INITIALIZATION FILE Rev 00 Page 7 1 Chapter 7 You can locate an initialization file in any account or any AlphaMAIL Mail Box account The file s location determines whether it affects all Mail Box accounts or only one user s Mail Box accounts TO AFFECT PLACE FILE IN One User Current account where AlphaMAIL will be called up from One User Project library account project 0 All accounts BOX DSKO 7 2 You may have several initialization files on your system When there is more than one initialization file AlpghnaMAIL searches your system a specific way AlphaMAIL s SEARCH PATH FOR ITS INITALIZATION FILE AlphaMAIL first looks for MAIL INI in the current account where the user has entered the MAIL command If found there AlphaMAIL uses this initalization
75. ures they may not be familiar with Chapters 5 and 6 Tracks down and fixes problems both on the computer system and in AlphaMAIL Chapter 6 Adds and deletes AlphaMAIL User Names from the computer system Chapter 4 WHAT EXPERIENCE DOES THE AlphaMAIL ADMINISTRATOR NEED As a matter of course AlphaMAlL s System Administrator must be thoroughly familiar with the operation of AlphaMAIL as discussed in the AlohaMAIL Reference Guide BASIC CONCEPTS Many of the procedures performed by the Administrator require working familiarity with these basic Alpha Micro computer concepts Rev 00 Page 2 1 Chapter 2 Disk Accounts Files Random Files Memory Sequential Files Contiguous Disk Space AMOS COMMANDS AND UTILITIES To properly maintain AlphaMAIL the Administrator should be familiar with using these AMOS commands and utilities COMMAND PURPOSE COPY DIR ERASE LOG PASS STAT SYSACT TYPE VUE Transferring disk files between disk accounts Listing filenames residing in a disk account Removing disk files from disk accounts Moving from one disk account to another Changing or creating a password associated with a disk account Observing the status of AlphaMAIL when checking for problems Adding changing deleting and password protecting disk accounts Looking at a sequential disk file Editing a sequential disk file For more information about AMOS and in its commands ref
76. when you are through 1 From AMOS command level type LOG DSKO 1 2 RETURN Rev 00 Page 4 3 Chapter 4 2 Call up MUSER from AMOS command level by typing MUSER RETURN This is the System User Maintenance screen you see SYSTEM USER MAINTENANCE 46 users defined sufficient room for 3825 more users remains ADD CHANGE DELETE LIST QUIT FINISH Enter function name add a new user change an existing user delete a user display list of users exit to AMOS without update update list and exit to AMOS and press RETURN System User Maintenance Screen The System User Maintenance Screen The System User Maintenance screen shows a status display of the number of users already defined and how many more users can still be accommodated Near the center of the screen you see six commands Include a new user ADD command Modify information for an existing user CHANGE command Remove an existing user DELETE Command Display a list of all existing users Lisr command Leave this screen without making changes command Save your changes and update the list FINISH command Leaving the System User Maintenance Screen There are two commands you can use to leave the System User Maintenance screen FINISH and FINISH Instructs MUSER to keep all the changes you have made and return you to AMOS command level The shorthand for is F Page 4 4 Rev 00 Mainta

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