Hi,

I need some advice on converting a Windows 2000 workstation that runs my BBS
into Linux or BSD.  I've been thinking about changing things over for
stability reasons...

The machine runs both Telnet AND dialup, and I wish to preserve as closely as 
possible, the original configuration (BBS Software, mailer, doors, etc).

Machine: Dell Optiplex P166, 64MB RAM, 3gb HDD.
Mailer/tosser/editor: D'Bridge (I am now the current developer)
BBS: Renegade (of which I also write utilities for)
Doors: Variety, including LORD, Tradewars, etc etc.
News: Vsoup/NT.
Telnet Server: Zoob Telnet Server.
Telnet FOSSIL/DOS interface: NetFoss/NT.

Whenever someone telnets to my BBS, Zoob answers and then spawns a DOS session
which fires up a batch file that loads NetFoss, then Renegade. After the user 
disconnects, NetFoss is unloaded and the Dos session terminates.

Dialup is all handled by D'Bridge, which runs in its own DOS session under 
Windows with X00 loaded, and talks to another Windows machine on the network 
for storing the mass volumes of messages I'm tossing here (mostly Usenet)

I guess the big thing is NetFoss, it's a FOSSIL driver that interfaces any DOS
application to the Internet, and Zoob just passes the open telnet 
socket/handle and away it goes.

So I need to know, if I move over to Linux, can I have a Telnet server that 
will properly run my BBS software and doors, and can I simultaneously run my 
mailer to answer the dialup line?

I keep hearing about DosEMU but I have not yet heard how the issue of FOSSIL 
is handled by Linux... FOSSIL is the most important thing as I'm running 
nothing but DOS-based programs for the BBS and mail tossing.

Nick Andre
Andre Consulting

--- Renegade vY2Ka2