Frequently Asked Questions for setting up Elm+POP using OS/2 Warp IAK

Frequently Asked Questions for setting up Elm+POP using OS/2 Warp IAK, version 1.02.

By Modem Biker, mdmbkr@qnet.com.

Index: I. Credits II. Introduction III. How to set up Elm+POP IV. Other things

Credits
People who contributed to the FAQ:

Lachlan O'Dea - figured out time zone settings, thanks! Nuisance, on IRC, for pointing out some path errors and other trivial things :)

Special Thanks: villeww, the most patient guy on IRC...

Introduction:
Elm was originally a UNIX based mail reader/sender. At the time, it was a vast improvement over UNIX's original 'mail' program, which sucked. Today, many people use Pine, though I still prefer Elm.

Anyways, Elm was recently ported to OS/2 for use with the IAK (Internet Access Kit). By itself, Elm can be used on a network with a full time link, but doesn't work too well with a PPP modem dialout or other temporary connection. This is where POP Client comes in. When used in conjunction with Elm, one can have a very functional and powerful mail system based on POP3 and using Elm as their reader.

Following are step-by-step instructions for getting it to work. (BTW, you may have noticed that this isn't a FAQ, I just call it that anyways.. :^)

How to set up Elm+POP:
First, you will need to get three things: The Elm program, the POP Client, and EMX (including run-time files). These can all be found on the Hobbes FTP site: hobbes.nmsu.edu:/os2/unix/popcl221.zip         The Pop Client hobbes.nmsu.edu:/os2/unix/elm23_2.zip          The Elm program hobbes.nmsu.edu:/os2/unix/emx09a/emxrt.zip     EMX

When you get the files, do the following:

a) unzip emxrt.zip into \os2\dll

b) unzip elm23_2.zip into \elm (make the directory) (be sure to use the -d option when unzipping)

c) unzip popcl221.zip into \elm

Now, go to the \elm directory and copy the following files into \tcpip\bin: POPCLIENT.EXE POPCLID.CMD

Then modify popclid.cmd to reflect your system (this should be fairly self-explanatory). The only thing to note is that mda_path should be set to 'filter.exe' and mda_args should be set to '-v -u username' where username  is your login ID.

Now you will need to edit your config.sys and add several environment variables: SET TERM=ansi SET TERMCAP=D:\ELM\BIN\TERMCAP.DAT SET UUPCSYSRC=D:\ELM\ELM-TCP.RC SET UUPCUSRRC=D:\ELM\ELM-TCP.RC Also add the following to your PATH statement: \ELM\BIN; Next, edit \elm\elm-tcp.rc to reflect your system (should be fairly self-explanatory). Be sure to create the directory \tcpip\home.

Finally, copy \tcpip\etc\sendmail.uml to \tcpip\etc\sendmail.cf. Edit sendmail.cf to reflect your system; this may need some tweaking. One thing to watch out for: be sure to leave the V_ heading for each line (where _ represents a letter). For example:

DVpop3 DHhub.qnet.com Djlute.qnet.com
 * 1) The unqualified (domain-less) name of the mail relay
 * 1) Notice the 'DV' before 'pop3'.
 * 1) The fully-qualified domain name of the mail hub
 * 1) Again, notice the 'DH' before 'hub.qnet.com'.
 * 1) Official canonical hostname.
 * 1) This time, it's 'Dj'.  I'm not sure if the case matters, but I decided
 * 2) not to fool with it.

When you're done doing all of this, reboot. Connect to your service, and run Elm. Hit 'o' from the menu, and enter 'builtin' in the 'Display mail using' field. Then hit '>' to save the change and hit 'i' to return to the menu. Now hit 'q' to quit Elm.

This should get you set up just fine.

Other things
1. PMBiff

PMBiff is the equivalent of X-Biff. It is a small (37k) program that displays a little mailbox icon on your screen. If you have mail, the flag on the mailbox goes up and a .WAV file of your choice is played. Nice.

2. Timezones

The time is automatically stamped to all messages that you send. This is done in two ways: 1) the LOCAL time is stamped, and 2) The time in relation to GMT is stamped. In order to get a correct GMT stamp, you must set the TZ environment variable. It is done in a way very much like that of Unix, since the TZ variable is actually used by EMX, not Elm (EMX is a library originally created for Unix systems). Here is the syntax:

SET TZ = (local timezone)(hours away from Greenwich)(daylight	savings timezone)(hours away from Greenwich during DS) (date of DS start)(date of DS end)

If you live to the east of Greenwich, use -N hours. If you live to the west, use +N hours.

Example: SET TZ = EST+8EDT+7,M10.1.0,M4.1.0 This would set the time zone to Eastern Standard Time, 8 hours west of Greenwich, and 7 hours west during Daylight savings time. Daylight savings would go into effect on the 10th of October, and end on the 4th of January.

More information is available in the Unix man pages for C functions.

Well, that's it.. I hope this has been helpful. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to email me at mdmbkr@qnet.com.