Newsgroups: vmsnet.networks.desktop.pathworks
Subject: RE: Mail from Pathworks
From: C Y Kwok <CCCYKWOK@CPHKVX.BITNET>
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 14:13:00 +8
X-Organization: Computer Centre, City Polytechnic of Hong Kong

>From:  IN%"LANWORKS@MIAMIU.BITNET"  "A discussion of Digital's PCSA product" 14
-
   APR-1992 12:40:33.80
>To:    "C. Y. KWOK" <8CCSF015@CPHKVX.BITNET>
>CC:
>Subj:  Mail from Pathworks
>
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>Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 20:56:20 GMT
>From: jubber_s@KOSMOS.WCC.GOVT.NZ
>Subject: Mail from Pathworks
>Sender: A discussion of Digital's PCSA product <LANWORKS@MIAMIU.BITNET>
>To: "C. Y. KWOK" <8CCSF015@CPHKVX.BITNET>
>Reply-to: A discussion of Digital's PCSA product <LANWORKS@MIAMIU.BITNET>
>Message-id: <6E870F9D29BF601BCD@CPHKVX.BITNET>
>X-Envelope-to: 8ccsx503, CCCYKWOK
>
>Hi
>
>
>I am not to sure whether this is a silly question or not, maybe someone
>can help me.
>
>What I am trying to do is partly automate the mail from within pathworks.
>for example have a check for any new when first connecting to the lan, and
>also when new mail is sent a message is sent to the recievor informing them
>of any new mail.
>
>I am aware of the option in mailsetup that allows your connection to remain
>after connecting to mail, but you still need to run mailchk to see if any
>new mail has arrived. What I would like is something along the lines of
>the message that BCAST is capable of sending. Also the user must enter mail
>for this connection to be established.
>
>
>Any help with this matterr would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Steve Jubber
>
>JUBBER_S@KOSMOS.WCC.GOVT.NZ
 
QUESTION:
 
Can I get real-time NEW MAIL NOTIFICATION on the PC with the new MAIL
utility (which replaces PCMAIL)?
 
 
ANSWER:
 
Version 4.0 of PATHWORKS includes the ability to have 'real-time'
notification of new mail message arrival to the user's mail account on
the VMS PATHWORKS file server.  Notification makes use of the PATHWORKS
network broadcast and receiver capability.
 
Previous versions of PATHWORKS introduced the network broadcast and
receive capability. By enabling a receiver TSR program called RCV on the
PC workstation, a user can receive broadcast messages sent by other
users or by the PATHWORKS system manager, etc.  Version 4 of PATHWORKS
now uses this capability to notify the user of new mail received at the
VMS file server mail account. This is analogous to the "New mail..."
messages that a VMS user receives when interactively logged in to VMS.
 
This is accomplished by setting a forwarding address on the users VMS
Mail profile that makes use of the VMS Mail foreign protocol scheme to
trigger the the file server to send a broadcast message to the user's
workstation.
 
Note, that because new mail notification uses the forwarding field in
the VMS Mail profile, you cannot enable mail forwarding and mail
notification at the same time - but then if you are sending your mail
off to some other address you wouldn't want to be notified anyway.
 
A new feature of V4.0 is the ability to enable group names for broadcast
and receive. For example, you could define a group called PROGRAMMERS
and broadcast a message to that group. All workstations with the RCV
program loaded and the group name PROGRAMMERS enabled would receive the
message.  You can use this feature to allow you to receive new mail
notification regardless of which workstation in the network you happen
to be using.
 
HOW TO SETUP NEW MAIL NOTIFICATION TO YOUR NORMAL WORKSTATION:
 
o   Run the MAIL utility on your workstation and enter the SET PROFILE
    command. You will be presented with a form that allows you to enter
    a personal name string, forwarding address and notify nodes.
 
o   In the "Notify nodes:" field enter the DECNET node names of the
    workstation nodes that you want to receive new mail broadcast messages.
    Normally you would enter your own workstation node name, but you may enter
    any workstation name or multiple names separated by commas.
 
o   Press CNTRL-ENTER to complete the form and update the profile. When the
    profile is updated, the MAIL utility updates the VMS Mail profile on the
    file server to include a forwarding address that looks like this:
 
        $ mail
        MAIL> show forward
        Your mail is being forwarded to PCSA%MYPC$USERNAME
 
    where MYPC is the name you entered in the "Notify nodes" field in the
    profile form and USERNAME is your VMS file server account username. The
    PCSA% is the mechanism used by VMS Mail to trigger the PATHWORKS
    supplied software that broadcasts the new mail message. If you do not
    normally perform an interactive login to the VMS file server then you
    may never actually see this.
 
o   Finally, to allow your workstation to receive the broadcast message,
    enable the receiver program by entering RCV at the workstation DOS
    prompt:
                M:\>RCV
                Broadcast Message Receiver Version 4.0.7
                (C) Copyright 1988-1991 by Digital Equipment Corporation
 
                M:\>
 
    This step can be included in AUTOEXEC.BAT if desired (after the
    CALL \DECNET\STARTNET and before GOTO END) to ensure that it is
    loaded whenever the workstation is booted.
 
        Note: Even when the receiver is loaded, you will not get the
              notification when the workstation is in Graphics mode.
              See the RCV command in the PATHWORKS for DOS Client Commands
              Reference manual for more information on using RCV.
              In MS-Windows, you will get a BEEP only.
 
HOW TO RECEIVE NEW MAIL NOTIFICATION ANYWHERE IN THE NETWORK:
 
In some circumstances a user may move from workstation to workstation in
the network and LOGON the the same file server account. This scenario is
not served well by mail notification to a specific node, but can make
use of the broadcast group capability in PATHWORKS V4.  A group name can
be up to 16 alphanumeric characters and may not be the same as any node
name currently in use in the network. The group name is enabled with the
/A qualifier on the RCV command when RCV is first run on the
workstation. For example, RCV/A:PROGRAMMERS would enable the group name
PROGRAMMERS for a workstation. The /A qualifier can only be specified at
the initial run of RCV. If you have already loaded RCV, you cannot
enable a group name by running RCV again with the /A qualifier.
 
In the "Notify nodes" field of the mail profile specify a group name
to be used for notifying you of new mail. This group name may be any
unique name but it may be easiest to use your VMS file server username
or a variation thereof. If your username is all alphanumeric you can use
it as is, i.e. SMITH. If your username contains underscores or other
non-alphanumeric characters then use a variation, i.e. for M_SMITH use
MSMITH.
 
To receive the new mail broadcast messages to that group name, all you
have to do is enable the group name with RCV at whatever workstation
you are using, i.e. RCV/A:SMITH. If you LOGON to the same file server
account you could add the startup of RCV to the AUTOUSER.BAT file on the
file server.
 
 
=============================================================================
C Y Kwok                                   Voice:     +852 788-8253
Systems Analyst (Network)                  Fax:       +852 788-8281
Computer Centre                            Bitnet:    CCCYKWOK@CPHKVX
City Polytechnic of Hong Kong              Internet:  CCCYKWOK@CPHKVX.CPHK.HK
=============================================================================