FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO

2. How to install X11 (Xwindow) version of LinFBB

• First of all, you should have running Linux with a GUI installed. I am fully satisfied with Gnome GUI but I suppose that KDE will be OK too (or any other GUI available).
• Download or copy LinFBB (the main ftp site is ftp.f6fbb.org but there are many mirror sites too). For example, if you get a file like

  x700e_full.tgz
  

  it means that it is X11 version 7.00e and it contains all you need in tgz archive to install the BBS. On the other hand, a name like

  xd700g_full.tgz
  

  means that it is not X11 but daemon version 7.00g and it is also complete to unpack. Further,

  x700f01.tgz
  

  and

  x700g.tgz
  

  are "upgrades" to any previous "full" package. For example, after I have upgraded to x700g.tgz I started to run X11 LinFBB 7.00g (04 August 1998). BTW, X11 versions are not maintained anymore, but I still run it here. It has some bugs but I like it.
• Copy the archive file in /tmp directory.
• You have to make a "base" directory where your FBB will be installed. For example you may type: mkdir /usr/local/fbb if you want FBB to be there. You have to be logged as 'root' or 'superuser' to install FBB.
• Then, you should locate yourself in that directory: cd /usr/local/fbb.
• Now, you should unpack the archive: tar xvzf /tmp/x700b25.tgz (<-- use the right name of the archive here).
• When you finished unpacking the archive, you may continue installing the software: ./install.sh is the command for that. The setup will ask you for the 'base' directory where FBB will be installed. If you chose /usr/local/fbb again, you will be told that such directory already exists and all files will be overwritten. It is OK, so you should answer yes. If everything is fine, you should see on the screen that fbb system directories are created. At the beginning of that procedure, program will ask you for BBS's callsign, name of the city, QTH locator, your name etc. That details will become a part of /usr/local/fbb/init.srv file.
• After that, you MUST check this file again manually in order to fix some other details needed (because installation script does not fix all parts within that file).
• Well, so far - so good. After you have checked all configuration files, you may start the software: ./xfbb.sh (<-- type this within an xterm or something similar). When you start your BBS for the first time, it will ask you to create some files it needs, so you should answer "yes" to the questions.