[comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc] Migration of BBS to TCP/IP

CCMARKM@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU (Mark Moody) (04/03/91)

Several of the departments on our campus operate BBS systems for various
purposes using the common dial-up modem technology.  We are interested in
migrating these systems to make them available through our network services
which is using TCP/IP.  Basically we would like to make possible to telnet
to a BBS and access it as if you had dialed it up with a modem.  At the same
time we need to retain the dial-up access at least for the time being.
has anyone attempted any thing along these lines?  I had an idea of developing
a sort of front end that would sit between the BBS software and the COM
port(s) as well as a telnet server of some type and then present a uniform
incoming connection to the BBS software.  I haven't worked directly with
these machines yet, so I don't know any specifics.  I just want to see if
there has been any work in this area before and see what other suggestions
might be had.  please respond to me and I'll summarize if their is interest.


Mark Moody
MOREnet - MissOuri Research and Educational network
University of Missouri - Columbia
CCMARKM@umcvmb.missouri.edu  (preffered)
mark@noc.missouri.edu        (alternate)

lanmaint@nssdcb.gsfc.nasa.gov (Dave Yoest) (04/05/91)

In article <910402.160909.CST.CCMARKM@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU>, CCMARKM@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU (Mark Moody) writes...
>Several of the departments on our campus operate BBS systems for various
>purposes using the common dial-up modem technology.  We are interested in
>migrating these systems to make them available through our network services
>which is using TCP/IP.  Basically we would like to make possible to telnet
>to a BBS and access it as if you had dialed it up with a modem.  At the same
>time we need to retain the dial-up access at least for the time being.
>has anyone attempted any thing along these lines?  I had an idea of developing
>a sort of front end that would sit between the BBS software and the COM
>port(s) as well as a telnet server of some type and then present a uniform
>incoming connection to the BBS software.  I haven't worked directly with
>these machines yet, so I don't know any specifics.  I just want to see if
>there has been any work in this area before and see what other suggestions
>might be had.  please respond to me and I'll summarize if their is interest.
> 
> 
>Mark Moody
>MOREnet - MissOuri Research and Educational network
>University of Missouri - Columbia
>CCMARKM@umcvmb.missouri.edu  (preffered)
>mark@noc.missouri.edu        (alternate)



Have you considered using an ip terminal server configured as a 
"slave" port?. We use ours in a very similar manner and they work
quite well. We actually have RACAL/MICOM/INTERLAN NTS200's that
support LAT and TELNET (as well as LPD for serial printers) and
I have been quite pleased with them. You just replace the modem
with the terminal server, configure the server for IP and the port
wired to the BBS as SLAVE, assign a LAT servicename (if required)
and you should be ready to go. Since the NTS permits password
protection of ports, you can protect a secific port. We also
use different passwords for different ports so multiple services
can be run off of the same terminal server. The user telnets to 
the server, the password he/she enters determines which serial 
port on the server the session gets connected to. 


Dave Yoest
LAN M&O section supervisor
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Md.

DYOEST@zaphod.gsfc.nasa.gov
DYOEST@128.183.43.16