Welcome to the UBB.classic™ Community

Congratulations on choosing Ultimate Bulletin Board™ software, the most widely distributed Perl-based community software on the planet. This Owner’s Manual will assist you with installations, upgrades, and maintenance. These instructions are specifically designed for use with the UBB.classic™ 5.x series.

Where to Get Help

Almost anyone can administer a UBB.classic™ message board, regardless of technical skill or knowledge. However, many of the tasks described in this manual are a little bit more difficult, and you may require professional or volunteer assistance to complete them.

CAUTION: If you are unsure of how to follow the instructions, ask an experienced webmaster to assist you or seek help from Groupee’s Customer Support (see http://www.ubbcentral.com). When following the instructions, make sure that you go step-by-step and read all notes thoroughly before proceeding.

You can get fee-based professional installations, upgrades, and transfers from Groupee via our website at www.ubbcentral.com (click on Products>>Professional Services).

You may also wish to visit the friendly community of message board administrators in our online support forums (http://www.ubbcentral.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi).

If you’d like to ask a question of our technical staff, you can reach them using our online question tracking system at:

http://www.ubbcentral.com/support/index.php?product=UBB.classic

Please use caution when attempting the more advanced operations, such as transferring your UBB.classic™ community. If you choose to do this yourself, you are stipulating that you have read the instructions and understand them.

What is an FTP program?

FTP stands for “File Transfer Protocol.” Some examples of FTP software include: LeapFTP, CuteFTP, and WS_FTP. Using these programs, you can securely send files to a location on a remote server. If you’re unfamiliar with FTP, you may wish to ask a webmaster for assistance; he/she probably uses FTP to make changes to your website.

A Word About Tools

Throughout this manual, you will find references to special tools that Groupee has created to assist you. These include the following.

Miscellaneous Diagnostic Tools

In addition to the Move Kit folder, additional tools are located in the Help directory of your UBB.classic™ software zip file. They include the following:

· Readme.txt with instructions

· nt_tools.zip

o hello.cgi – used to check whether .cgi is mapped

o hello.pl – used to check whether .pl is mapped

o ubb_test.cgi – used to check paths and permissions

o pathto.asp – used to help identify absolute paths for NT (not Unix)

o serverar.asp – used to help identify absolute paths for NT (not Unix).

ubb_test.cgi, serverar.asp, and pathto.asp should never be left on the server – always delete them when you are done. They may pose a potential security risk if left on the server

Chapter

New Installation

Follow the step-by-step instructions to install your UBB.classic™ software. Remember that UBB.classic™ cannot be installed on a PC; it must be installed on a properly configured web server.

efore beginning the installation, make sure you have the following items readily accessible:

§ A copy of the UBB.classic™ software zip file downloaded from the Member Area at www.ubbcentral.com.

§ Unzipping software such as WinZip.

§ An FTP client such as WS_FTP, LeapFTP, or CuteFTP.

§ A web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape.

§ From your web host:

ü Any CGI FAQ (please read it before starting the installation).

ü Your path and URL. Your URL might look something like http://www.webhost.com/~yourname or http://www.yourname.webhost.com .

ü The location of your cgi directory.

ü The path to Perl for the server on which you will install the UBB.classic™ software. For most servers, the path to Perl looks like “/usr/bin/perl” or “/usr/local/bin/perl.”

For experts with shell access - type this at the command prompt to find your Perl location: whereis perl

These instructions apply to UNIX/Linux and NT servers. Where special instructions are needed, they are noted in context. There are separate instructions for installing on Win98/PWS in Appendix G.

Please check to see that Perl is installed and mapped, before continuing. If you don’t know if Perl is installed and mapped, please consult your host or systems administrator.

1. Unzip the UBB.classic Files on Your Computer - Use your unzipping software to unzip the ubb file into a folder on your desktop or in a location you can find again easily. If you are unzipping on your own Linux or Unix machine, use the -a switch [i.e. unzip -a ubb550.zip].

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure that you keep a copy of the zip file in an offline location (e.g., on a diskette or backup). You will need this again if you ever need to re-install this particular version of the UBB.classic (if your server crashes, or for some other reason). If you let your UBB.classic Member Area access expire, you will no longer have free access to this original zip.

When you have finished you should have a folder containing 4 sub-folders called cgi-bin, Members, NonCGI and variable_files.

2. Log onto Your Web Server - Open your FTP client and log into your web server with the hostname, username and password your Internet provider has given you. Look at the list of files or directories you find there.

Look for the directory where your web pages are stored. You may already be in this directory if you find files called index.html or home.html. You may have to look in directories call www, htdocs or public_html to find where the web pages are stored. If in doubt ask your ISP Customer Support service.

If there is a directory called cgi-bin or cgi-local (or ubbcgi) remember where it is because you will come back to it later. If your web provider CGI FAQ requires you to use a certain directory for your scripts, find it and note the location. You will come back to it later.

3. Upload the cgi-bin Scripts - Use your FTP program to find the cgi-bin, cgi-local (or ubbcgi) or the directory your web host requires for CGI scripts. Click to open this directory.

If there is not already a cgi-bin directory, create one called cgi-bin or ubbcgi in the main web directory. You may also have to create a subdirectory called ubbcgi to keep UBB.classic files separate from other scripts you might have.

UNIX/LINUX: Use the FTP client to CHMOD this CGI directory 755 [owner rwx, group r-x, others r-x] now. Click to open it the CGI directory and set your FTP client to ASCII mode. Upload the contents of the unzipped cgi-bin folder on your computer. Select all the files you have uploaded and chmod them 755 with your FTP Client.

NT: With the CGI directory open, set your FTP client to ASCII mode and upload the contents of the unzipped cgi-bin folder on your computer.

4. Upload the Variables Files - Upload the contents of the variables files to the same cgi directory as above. You must set your FTP client to upload the files in ASCII mode.

UNIX/LINUX: Select all 4 of the variables files you have uploaded [UltBB.setup, Styles.file, forums.cgi, mods.file] and chmod them 777 with your FTP Client [owner rwx, group rwx, others rwx]

5. Create a Members Directory and Upload Files - Inside the CGI directory create a directory called Members [case-sensitive]. This directory can also optionally be located above your web root for greater security.

UNIX/LINUX: Click to select the Members directory and right click to find the option to chmod it 777 [owner rwx, group rwx, others rwx].

Open this directory. Upload the contents of the unzipped Members folder on your computer in ASCII mode.

UNIX/LINUX: Click to select the file called Admin5.cgi and right click on it to find the option to chmod it 777 [owner rwx, group rwx, others rwx].

6. Create a Directory for Your Forum Files - Change directories to your main web directory [see step 2] Create a directory there called ubb.

UNIX/LINUX: Click to select the directory and right click to find the option to chmod it 777 [owner rwx group rwx others rwx]

NT: If you run into permissions problems later in the process, you may also create this directory inside your cgi directory.

Open the directory and upload the contents of your unzipped NonCGI folder to it. You may set your FTP client to upload in automatic. Or you may choose to upload all .html files in ASCII and all the .gif and jpg files in Binary.

7. Edit Your cplinks.html File - On your own computer, open the file called cplinks.html in a text editor like Notepad. You will see basic HTML code.

Edit in the URL to your CGI directory in the BASE HREF line, between the quote marks. For example BASE HREF="http://www.mydomain.com/cgi-bin/" Be sure the path ends with a slash (/) as in the example.

Important, DO NOT EDIT ANYTHING BELOW THE BASE HREF LINE. The UBB.classic will add these in automatically.

Save the cplinks.html file and upload it again to the ubb directory.

8. Open the Control Panel in Your Web Browser - Open your web browser and go to the URL http://www.mydomain.com/ubb/cp.html [you will substitute in your domain name and directories to match the names you have chosen in the steps above]

You will see a UBB.classic control panel with links down the left side. Click the top link called General Settings.

The new page that appears in the right side has a link called 'First Time Install' Click it to open up a page of blank general settings.

Use the “Socket Test” link on the top of the page (licensed version only). If it fails, or causes an error, click your back button and click the “Read This” link for information on how to proceed.

The first section is called 'Absolute Paths'. There may be paths entered there automatically by UBB.classic. Leave them for now.

9. Set the General Settings Absolute Paths - A quick explanation: The path is the full path from your server root, for example /home/usr/htdocs/yourname [the exact path will be different in each server]

You can often find this path exactly if you click on the environmental variables link at the top of your page. Within the list, look for one variable called Script_Filename or path_translated. This will be the path to your script. Cut off the "/cpanel.cgi" from the end and you will have the absolute path to your CGI directory.

Use this path as a reference.

There are 4 absolute paths to fill in. Make sure that you use forward slashes ‘/’ in all of the paths.

Absolute path to your CGI directory [i.e. /home/usr/docs/yourname/cgi-bin
Absolute Path to your UBB.classic directory [i.e. /home/usr/docs/yourname/ubb
Absolute Path to your Members directory [usually the CGI path with /Members added on the end]
Absolute path to your Variables files [usually identical to the CGI path]

There are no trailing slashes in an absolute path.

10. Set the General Settings URLS - The second section is called URLS.

These will all begin with http:// ... If UBB.classic has already filled in a URL, leave it.

Check that each URL ends with a directory name corresponding to the directory names on your web server. For example, the CGI URL in a common installation will end with /cgi-bin or /ubbcgi.

The NonCGI URL will also end with a directory name, i.e., /ubb.

There are no trailing slashes on the URLS. The web site URL should be the main URL for your web site.

11. Choose Your Options - Below the absolute paths and the URLs are many choices about the names, addresses and functions of your UBB.classic.

Fill them in accurately or leave the defaults. In the licensed version, be sure to enter a valid SMTP server name and select the SMTP option. Do not use the sendmail option.

12. Submit Your 'General Settings' - At the bottom of the general settings page fill in the default username Admin5 and the password 4tugboat. Spelling and case must be exact.

Click submit. If your paths and permissions are correct, you will receive a message saying the settings have been updated.

If you get a blank screen or an error message see the troubleshooting suggestions in the Appendices of this document.

13. Submit your Styles Settings [licensed version only] - Click 'Styles' on the left hand side of your control panel. You may change any of the options listed or leave the defaults until your installation is tested completely. Check that your Admin5 name and password are filled in at the bottom and click submit.

14. Submit your Forums Settings - Click 'Forums' on the left hand side of your control panel. You may change any of the names and options there or leave them to change later. Check that your Admin5 name and password are filled in at the bottom and click submit.

15. Submit your Moderators Settings - Click 'Moderators' on the left hand side of your control panel. You may add only Admin5 as a moderator until other users are registered [only a valid registered user can be a moderator]. Check that your Admin5 name and password are filled in at the top and click submit.

16. Update Threads - It is always good practice to update threads after performing any routine maintenance of your UBB.classic.

17. Index - Click “Index” to create the search index. If you do not perform this function, your search will not operate properly.

18. Open your UBB.classic for the First Time - Click 'Your UBB.classic' on the left hand side of your control panel. A new window will open with a list of forums. Click the first forum name to open it. Look for a link to 'post new topic'. Click it and use the Admin5/4tugboat login to post a new message.

Click Register at the top right of your UBB.classic page. Register yourself and make sure you can post and reply to messages.

19. Secure Your UBB.classic Admin Name - After you have registered your own name successfully, go back to the control panel and click on 'User Info and Permissions' on the left hand side.

Log in with Admin5/4tugboat and search for your own name. Use the option check box to make yourself an administrator. Test that your own name is accepted for administrative functions.

Close your browser, and then re-open it; this is VERY IMPORTANT. Because UBB.classic uses cookies to recognize you, you will not be able to perform the next step unless you re-set the cookie to recognize your new username as the administrator.

AFTER you have given yourself admin permission, tested that function, and closed/reopened your browser, we strongly recommend that you use the 'User Info and Permissions' link to delete the Admin5 user for security reasons. If you wish to keep the Admin5 user, you must change the password by clicking the 'profile' link on any regular UBB.classic Page.

Chapter

Upgrading

When you upgrade your UBB.classic to a new version, you can keep all messages, members and styles.

Groupee offers professional upgrades as a fee-based service, so if you’d prefer not to perform the upgrade yourself, you can purchase professional services from Groupee via the website at http://www.ubbcentral.com.

1. Unzip the program file - Once you download the zipped program file, you will have to unzip it using a program like WinZip. After you unzip the program, you will notice that all files are in four separate folders: cgi-bin, NonCGI, Members, and variable_files. (If you are upgrading with an update patch, you will only have the files that need to be replaced or added, so you may not have four folders.)

If you are upgrading to 5.38 or higher from the freeware version OR from a licensed version before 5.38, realize that there are new icons that have been added to the UBB.classic. You need to create a new subdirectory called "icons" in your UBB.classic NonCGI directory. Create that directory and then upload all files in your zip NonCGI/icons folder into your UBB.classic icons directory.

If you already have Version 5.25 or higher installed, you should go to your control panel and turn your UBB.classic off (general variables option) while you are upgrading. This will prevent your visitors from causing any problems while you upgrade. (The option to turn your UBB.classic off is not available before Version 5.25.) Then, Upload files to appropriate directories. Upload all of the files in the cgi-bin folder to your UBB.classic CGI directory. Upload all of the files in the NonCGI folder into your UBB.classic non-CGI directory (usually this directory is called "ubb").

Do not upload the files in the Members and variable_files folders; those are for users installing the UBB.classic for the first time only.

Remember to upload all of the CGI folder files in ASCII (not BINARY). If you are a Mac Fetch user, "Text" mode is equivalent to ASCII.

Some FTP programs have an auto-mode that chooses the mode for you. If you upload in auto-mode, make sure you add the following extensions to your FTP program's ASCII extension list: ".setup", ".file", ".pl", ".cgi". Also, make sure that your FTP program does not convert the file names to lowercase.

2. Set Directory Permissions

NOTE: If you are installing on a Win32/NT web server, you can skip this step. If you are installing on a UNIX system, you MUST perform this step. If you are upgrading on a UNIX-based server, you don't have to reset any directory permissions, but if new CGI files are being added in the upgrade, you should ensure that the following permissions apply to all of your files:

NON CGI directory: 777
CGI directory: 755
Members directory: 777
All Forum directories: 777

Within the CGI directory, set all files to 755, except for the variable_files (mods.file, Styles.file, UltBB.setup and forums.cgi), which must be set to mode 777.

If your web server does not allow you to have files set to mode 777 within the CGI directory, you will need to make the changes noted in Appendix B (What to Do if Your CGI Directory Will not Accept Writeable Files). Most web servers do not have this restriction.

3. Set the Path to Perl - All of the .cgi files (except the cgi files in your Members directory) run using the Perl that resides on your server. The first line of each Perl program starts with #!. For instance, in our scripts, the default Perl line is:

#!/usr/bin/perl

This refers to the absolute path location of Perl on the server. Most servers follow this path for Perl. But your server may be configured differently. If so, ask your provider or system administrator for the correct path for Perl. Then replace your path with the path we have listed on each of the files that ends in ".cgi". Remember that Perl 5 is required. The UBB.classic will not run with Perl 4. [Exceptions: the Admin5.cgi and forums.cgi files are not really CGI applications and thus no Perl path is required.]

4. Customize your Script - If you are finished doing all of the above, it is time to start customizing your script. You will do this from the browser.

You should manually edit the cplinks.html file to reflect the correct location of the links at the side of the page.

If you are installing the freeware version, there are only 6 links you need to change: Variables, Moderators, User Info & Permissions, Edit/Prune Messages, Your BB, and Update Threads. Do not modify the link for "Order UBB".

If you are installing the licensed version:

On your own computer, open the file called cplinks.html in a text editor like Notepad. You will see basic HTML code.

Important, DO NOT EDIT ANYTHING BELOW THE BASE HREF LINE. The UBB.classic will add these in automatically.

Save the cplinks.html file and upload it again to the ubb directory.

IMPORTANT--- Every time you upgrade, you should reset your General Settings, your Styles Settings, and all FORUM Settings and then Update Threads (in your control panel). You should then re-Index, just to be safe. Even if you are making no changes, just click on the SUBMIT button on each page. This will ensure that any new variables added in the upgrade are added to your system.

If you are changing the location of your UBB.classic, you will need to adjust your Absolute Paths in the General Variables. A reminder about setting absolute paths:

Absolute Paths - NT

The proper way to designate an absolute path in Windows NT for a directory that is on the D: drive that is at the path d:\www\user1\ubb is:

D:/www/user1/ubb

Note: The / is used instead of the normal \ in the path name. You should always include the drive letter in your absolute paths.

HINT: Don't forget to Update Threads in your control panel each time you upgrade. This can be a time-consuming step if you have many messages stored, so make it the last thing you do when upgrading.

NOTE: Be sure to register your UBB.classic name and URL either in the UBB.classic Members Area (follow the link for updating your registration) or in the Control panel of the licensed version (there is link entitled "Your License").

Absolute Paths - UNIX

Remember that the absolute path means that you need to list the entire path from the server root, not the web root. An example of an absolute path for UNIX is:

/usr/www/yourdomain/cgi-bin

You can use the Environmental Variable link on your General Variables page to help you configure your absolute path variables.

Finally, if you are upgrading to the licensed version for the first time, or if you are upgrading from a licensed version before 5.0, you should create your index for searches. You only need to do this once... the UBB.classic will update it for you automatically after that. To create your index, go to the Index area of the control panel. You must also re-enter your Forum names and descriptions in the Forum Settings (only if you are upgrading from a pre 5.10 Freeware version for the first time).

Copyright Notice & Usage Disclaimer

Although you may customize the UBB.classic™ software as you see fit for your own personal use, you MAY NOT alter the copyright and "powered by" notices throughout the script. You must also make sure the notices are VISIBLE on your web pages.

Also, by using this script you agree to assume full liability for any content you or others post on the message board. You also agree that Groupee, Inc. is not liable for any mishaps that may result due to installation of the script. This script MAY NOT be sold or in any way licensed without the express written consent of Groupee, Inc. For the complete license agreement, see:

http://www.ubbcentral.com/terms.php?product=UBB.classic

Chapter

Moving Your UBB.classic™ Community

It’s possible to move an entire UBB.classic™ message board to a new server and keep all messages, members, and styles intact. The process requires you to take care to preserve permissions and data types.

Groupee, Inc. offers support for transfer issues as a fee-based service, so if you’d prefer not to perform the transfer yourself, you can purchase professional services from Groupee via the website at http://www.ubbcentral.com

HINT: Do not try to attempt an upgrade of your UBB.classic at the same time as you transfer. It is recommended that you perform the transfer first, then the upgrade. Also ensure that your existing UBB.classic works correctly at its present location, as attempting to transfer a broken board will create serious problems.

CAUTION: You will be adding some very large files to your old server. Be absolutely sure there is disk space for the task.

The Move Kit

There are some tools available to help you forward your members from your old UBB.classic™ location---see http://www.ubbcentral.com/downloads and look for the Move Kit.

Before you begin, turn off your existing UBB.classic™ message board in the control panel General Settings.

1. Confirm that UBB.classic Will Run in the New Location - Install a copy of your own licensed version on the new server. Confirm every function: posting messages, register new members, editing and updates. Use the first time installation instructions as needed (they are located on the same web page as this document).

Copy all the paths and URLs from the control panel General Settings.

Delete all of the UBB.classic files, but leave the directories you created.

2. Gather the Old Files - For a small UBB.classic, the process can be as simple as selecting the relevant CGI, Members and NonCGI directories and using your FTP to download files to your own computer. You must set your FTP client to transfer all files with the .cgi, .pl, .file and .setup extensions in ASCII mode. Do not forget this step or your files will not work in the new location.

For the sake of simplicity, download your Members directory, your NonCGI directory and your CGI directory separately.

On larger UBB.classic's you will want to compress files to speed up the process.

UNIX/Linux Users can 'tar' up whole directories with: tar -cfp filename.tar * in the directories they want to transfer all at once. This option will be available only if you have telnet and shell access on your old server. Type man tar or man gzip for detailed instructions.

Windows NT users can zip up directories where it is possible. Be sure to preserve the directories when you do so.

3. Transfer the Old Files to the New Server - You can download files to your own computer and upload them to the new computer. Zip or tar files must transfer in binary not ASCII.

If you have telnet and shell access on at least one server, you can open an FTP session directly between the two servers. This is for advanced users who are comfortable with command line FTP. This is much faster than using your own personal computer.

4. Recreate the Old Directories on the New Server - If you are transferring a small number of files up from your own computer you can do so by FTP. Upload each batch of files to the corresponding location on the new server [i.e., the contents of Members to Members and all files in the NonCGI folder to your new NonCGI location].

For Linux/UNIX you can 'untar' the tar file you made on the server. Use tar xfp filename.tar. Type man tar or man gzip for detailed instructions.

For Windows NT users you can unzip your compressed file on the new machine if you have the rights to this. You may have to ask the admin for help.

5. Inspect your New Installation - Make sure that there are directories and files corresponding to your old site in your new location. Do NOT try to run your UBB.classic yet. If you somehow failed to transfer over all files, you will have to go back to Steps 2 and 3.

6. Set Permissions - If the new server is a Windows NT machine, your work is minimal. Your directory permissions will be correct if you performed Step 1 properly and your files are in the same directory locations as your test installation.

UNIX/Linux users will have to recreate correct permissions in the new location. Do not trust the tar process to keep your permissions accurately. Go through your CGI directory and apply 777 permissions to the 4 variables files. Apply 755 permission to the scripts.

You must apply 777 permissions to the contents of the Members directory and to the contents of all Forum directories. There are many.

Failure to apply correct permissions to all files is the most common transfer mistake.

In small transfers it is simplest to use your FTP client to select batches of files and apply the new permissions. For larger numbers of files you can use the chmod -R 777 yourdirectoryname to apply permissions recursively through a directory. This is very fast and highly recommended if you have shell access. Apply this command to the Members directory and the NonCGI directory.

7. Edit Your cplinks.html File - Make a local copy of cplinks.html on your own computer. Use Windows Notepad or some other text editor to open the file for editing.

Edit the <BASE HREF = ... tag so that it contains the full URL to your CGI directory. For example: <BASE HREF="http://mynewdomain/cgi-bin/">. Make sure this URL ends with a single slash and no extra white space.

On pre-5.45 version UBB.classics you will have to edit each link in cplinks.html.

8. Configure Your General Settings - Open the control panel in the new location and click 'General Settings'.

Click the link to configure UBB.classic for the first time. Do not attempt to login with your old username and password.

In the Paths and URLs section of the General Settings, enter your new paths and URLs for the new site. Use the values you saved from Step 1.

Enter a new sendmail location or SMTP server name as needed. Consult your ISP for help.

Scroll to the bottom of the screen and enter your admin username and password.

9. Submit the General Settings.

10. Submit Styles, Forums, and Moderators Values

Open each control panel link for Styles, Forums, and Moderators and submit the settings. You do not need to change any values.

11. Update Threads - Use the 'Update Threads' link in the control panel to apply the new settings to all of your topic files. Do not skip this step.

12. Test All UBB.classic Functions - Browse though your UBB.classic making sure new, topic, reply, edit and new registration work correctly. Errors in these functions almost always result from incorrect permissions. See Step 4. Test the email functions with the UBBFriend feature.

13. Redirect Users from Your Old UBB.classic - Download ubbmove.zip (see www.ubbcentral.com Customer Support) and open the archive onto your desktop.

Open both the Ultimate.cgi and forumsdisplay.cgi file (from ubbmove.zip) in Windows Notepad or any other text editor.

Edit in the full URL to your new UBB.classic location. For example http://mynewdomain/cgi-bin?Ultimate.cgi. Save the files and then upload them in ASCII mode to your old UBB.classic CGI directory. This will overwrite the old Ultimate.cgi and forumsdisplay.cgi files.

Test the redirect script by entering your old UBB.classic URL in a browser. You should be redirected to the new location.

14. Troubleshooting

Images Appear Broken - re-transfer all the .gif and .jpg files in binary instead of ASCII.

Control Panel Values are Not My Old Settings - re-transfer UltBB.setup, Styles.file, forums.cgi and mods.file in ASCII mode from the old site.

Old Information and Links still Appear in Topics - update threads in all the forums through the control panel

Email does not work - enter a correct sendmail or SMTP setting in the control panel General Settings.

If you are having other problems, first go through the instructions again and see if you missed a step. You can also ask a question on our Ultimate Bulletin Board support forums, or using our online inquiry system (see the Customer Support area of http://www.ubbcentral.com.com).

Chapter

Administering Your UBB.classic™ Community

This chapter will help you make basic changes in the control panel to suit the needs of your online community.

Each control panel link below is described in detail.

§ User Info & Permissions

§ Ban Lists

§ Moderators

§ Edit/Prune Messages

§ Announcements

§ Miscellaneous and/or Debugging

§ Your UBB [this link opens your UBB]

§ Index

§ Archives

§ Mail Users

§ Digest Center

§ Your License and Version Updates [this link provides license information]

§ Quick Start Help [this opens a set of help links]

§ Visit UBB Support Forums

General Settings

This section controls site-wide options for your UBB.classic. Many will require an ‘Update Threads’ cycle to apply across all your UBB.classic pages.

Absolute Paths

These values have been set at installation and should not be changed if your UBB.classic is operating properly. It is wise to copy these paths and store them somewhere in case you ever need to restore your UBB.classic configuration.

URLS

These values have been set at installation and will not normally be changed.

If you are switching from an IP address (e.g., http://123.456.78.99/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi) to a domain name (e.g., http://mydomain/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi), you need to run an ‘Update Threads’ cycle to apply the settings across all UBB.classic pages.

Display Options

Your Email Address
The setting must be a valid email address in order for your UBB.classic email functions to work correctly. It is also the address used by the ‘Contact Us’ link on every UBB.classic page.

Name of Your UBB.classic
See instructions in the control panel

Name of Your Homepage
See instructions in the control panel

Default Topic View (Days)
A new visitor will see topics dating back this number of days on your UBB.classic. When your UBB.classic is new, it is wise to set a high number [60+ days]. If you have a very busy UBB.classic, reduce this number accordingly. If you are using the UBB.classic as an archive, use ‘Show All Topics’. Remember that users can set their own page view preferences. If users complain that topics have ‘disappeared’ ask them to check their page view setting with the preferences link.

Header/Footer
You can enter HTML code here that will appear at the absolute top and bottom of all your UBB.classic pages. It is a powerful tool for adding advertising banners, custom page layouts or navigation menus.

Banners
Cut and Paste the banner code supplied by the advertiser directly into the text box. If your banner requires a random number, substitute the word UBBRandomX or UBBRandomY in every place where a random number is required (ie. longlink& adnumber=UBBRandomX).

Ad Banner code that requires an SSI [Server Side Include] will not work in the header/footer section.

The UBB.classic can appear within a custom page layout through the use of tables. For example, a common way to add a left hand side menu is to add the code below.

In the header box insert this code:

Put Your Own Side Menu HTML code here

</td>

<td>

In the footer box insert this code

</td></tr>

</table>

If you are comfortable with more advanced HTML you can create other sophisticated layouts for the UBB.classic. Be very sure to create correct opening and closing HTML tags. If you add form content, do not forget the closing </form> tag in the header. Without it, the UBB.classic will not function. Likewise all custom JavaScript entered in the header/footer must be correct or the UBB.classic ‘Lightbulbs’ and user preferences will not work.

Category Display Option
Use the “Yes” option only when you plan to use categories to organize your forums. You must define categories first in the ‘Forums Settings’ section of the control panel. You must also assign each forum to a category. See the instructions for ‘Forum Settings’ elsewhere in this guide.

Display Only the Categories on First Page?
A very large UBB.classic with multiple categories and dozens of forums can set this option to “Yes”. Doing so will display only the category names on the UBB.classic main page. The user will click a category name to display a list of forums within the category. Do not use this option unless you have Categories defined.

Display Forum Descriptions?
You can save space by suppressing all forum descriptions. Only the forum names will appear.

Display Privacy Statement Link?
Setting this option to “Yes” will insert a Privacy policy link at the bottom of each page. Be sure to define a correct privacy link URL in the URLS section. Run an ‘Update Threads’ cycle to apply the link to all existing UBB.classic pages.

UBB.classic Rules
Cut and paste your community rules here. Users will have to agree to them before they can register. Since these rules have legal significance, think carefully about the content. The default content is an example only and must not be used without editing.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Policy Wording
American-based web sites that expect users under age 13 must comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Consult competent legal advice to determine whether you need to comply with this law.

Children's Online Protection Policy Instructions
This wording will appear at the top of the registration form if you are using the Children's Online Privacy Protection [COPPA] ‘Age Check’ option [see below]. Enter the information that will allow a parent to FAX, mail or otherwise grant permission for a child to use your UBB.classic.

Your Copyright Wording
See instructions in the control panel.

UBB.classic Copyright Type
Choose image or text to suit your UBB.classic page. It is a requirement of the UBB.classic license to keep visible all ‘Powered by’ notices in the UBB.classic.

Block Public Display of User Email Addresses?
See instructions in the control panel.

Allow Signatures?
See instructions in the control panel.

Allow Images in Signatures?
Use this option to allow the UBBCode™ image tag in a signature. Users can enter a link to any image on the web so this option is not advised.

Show Total Topics/Posts/Both?
See instructions in the control panel.

Reverse Thread Order?
This option is not advised.

Display Member Total?
See instructions in the control panel.

Header Insert
Code entered here will appear between the <Head> </Head> tags of each UBB.classic page. Common uses for these values are custom meta tags or Javascript functions. Do not confuse this section with the Header/Footer options above. The code in this section is not visible.

Allow Posting Icons?
See instructions in the control panel.

Use Reply with Quote?
See instructions in the control panel.

Include Inline Frame View of Topic on Reply Page
See instructions in the control panel.

Maximum Topics Displayed Per Page
See instructions in the control panel.

Display Hot Topic Icons?
See instructions in the control panel.

Search Options

§ Allow Searches?

§ Allow Searching of All Forums?

§ Index File Method

A smaller UBB.classic will find the ‘Create One Index File’ option speeds up a search. However, larger UBB.classics are strongly advised to leave the default setting. You may switch between these options as long as you run an ‘Index’ cycle though the control panel.

Email Options
UBB.classic functions that depend on correct configuration of these settings include, Lost Password, Notification on Reply, UBBFriend, Mass Mailing, COPPA and Digests.

Email On/Off
Turn Email ‘Off’ to suppress all UBB.classic email functions or if you do not have correct email settings available.

Email Service to Use
See instructions in the control panel

Sendmail Location [Unix/Linux Only]
See instructions in the control panel.

SMTP Server Name [Win32]
See instructions in the control panel.

UBBFriend
Set this option to ‘Registered Users Only’ to minimize potential abuse of the feature and to encourage guests to register.

Date/Time Display Options

Time Zone
See instructions in the control panel

Server Time Zone Offset
See instructions in the control panel

Registration Options

Verify User Email Address During Registration?
Unless you have a need to verify all email address, leave this option set to ‘No’. Users will then be able to choose their own passwords and begin posting on your UBB.classic immediately.

Email Duplicate Check
See instructions in the control panel.

Children's Online Privacy Protection [COPPA]
See instructions in the control panel

Show Permission Form Only
See instructions in the control panel.

Moderate Registration Requests
If you choose this option, users can register but not post until you approve their membership in the User Info & Permissions section of the control panel.

Notify Admin of New Registrations
See instructions in the control panel. Email settings must be correct.

Email Address used for Notification
This address must be a valid email address. Do not leave it blank if you plan to use the COPPA Age Check or Membership Moderation.

Suspend Registration
See instructions in the control panel.

Use Registration Fields for Your UBB.classic
Leave this option set to “Yes” unless you plan to have a board with no registration requirements whatsoever, no moderators and no need to identify yourself as an administrator when posting. If you wish not to allow registration, use the ‘Suspend Registration’ option above.

Miscellaneous Options

Turn Your UBB.classic Off?
It is wise to turn your UBB.classic off when running an Update Threads Cycle or when Pruning Messages. This will lessen load on the server, speed the process and prevent inadvertent corruption of the data by another user.

Bulletin Board Closed Message
See instructions in the control panel.

Minimum Number of Messages For Full Member Status
If you do not want the ‘Junior Member’ status for any user, set this number to 1.

Use Alternate User Titles?
See instructions in the control panel.

Censor Option
See instructions in the control panel. Understand that this filter does not prevent users from figuring out new ways to spell and type banned words. It is wise to use membership settings and the Ban List functions to deal with troublesome users.

Allow User Editing of Messages?
See instructions in the control panel.

Log/Display IP Numbers For Posts?
See instructions in the control panel

Administrative Activity Log
See instructions in the control panel.

Cookie Option
See instructions in the control panel.

Author Column Display
See instructions in the control panel.

Require English Letter or Number in Subject?
See instructions in the control panel.

Flood Check?
See instructions in the control panel.

Check here to rebuild the forum thread files
This option will be checked by default. It is necessary to rebuild data files after an upgrade or transfer. It is useful if you suspect the counts are incorrect in your forum numbers. You may uncheck this option to speed up the process of submitting your general settings.

Style Settings

This section of the control panel sets the Site Wide Style Settings for your UBB.classic. You can change fonts, table colors, table border colors, text sizes, and graphics.

Custom Styles may also be set on individual forums. This means that site-wide Styles will not apply to the individual forums unless you use the Forums details link to apply the new Styles. See the Forum Settings section elsewhere in this guide.

Keep in mind that whenever you change your Style settings, you must run an ‘Update Threads’ to apply the new Styles to UBB.classic pages

Color Options

Samples of the current color set are beside each option. Use the ‘Select New Color’ drop down menu to choose from predefined colors or enter the HEX color code for the new color.

The copyright text color may not be set to the same color as the background to hide the UBB.classic ‘Powered by’ notice.

Miscellaneous Graphic Options

When defining a default font, select fonts that will appear well on all platforms. Do not select fonts which users are unlikely to have. A shorter list of fonts will speed page loading.

Graphic Images

Use FTP to upload your custom images to the NonCGI directory you created at installation. This is the directory where the UBB.classic graphics and HTML files already are stored. All custom graphics must go in this folder. If you decide to change the image name in this section, enter only the filename (i.e. newgraphic.gif) not the full URL to the graphic. Any graphic format is acceptable.