National Center for State Courts

 

Improving Justice through Leadership
and Service to the Courts

      

  

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Part III — Bulletin Board Systems

If your court is of modest size or covers an area that fits within a single telephone area code, then you may want to begin with a simple Bulletin Board System (BBS). Such a system can be very inexpensive to create and maintain while still providing easy access to court information. While a BBS does not provide the advanced formatting, fancy graphics, and hyperlinking ability of the World Wide Web, it does allow your court to provide information electronically at a low cost.

Section 1 — What is a Bulletin Board System?

A Bulletin Board System (BBS) is a combination of computers, modems, and software that allows other computers to communicate with it over regular telephone lines. Once connected to the BBS, users at the remote end can send commands, allowing them to ask for information, leave messages, and copy files. BBSs can handle nearly any type of file, but BBSs typically display information on the remote computer's screen as plain text. Graphics are usually quite rudimentary. Sound is not typically a feature. Instead of using a mouse to click on choices, users are required to type in one or two letter commands. However, these more primitive abilities do allow BBS software to run on older 386-based systems.

BBSs have been a popular means of electronic communication for over 20 years. While their presentation capabilities are fairly crude, these systems allow you to transfer nearly any type of computer file. Additionally, they are much cheaper and easier to set up and maintain than an Internet site.

Section 2 — Topology Choices

The first step in setting up a BBS is determining the basic topology of your system. There are three different topologies for a BBS. Each has its own requirements and advantages.

  • Single line BBS
  • Multiple line BBS with multiple PCs
  • Multiple line BBS with a single PC

Single Line BBS

The simplest system is a single line BBS running on a single computer. This set-up has some distinct advantages. It is the least expensive type of system, requiring only a single low-end computer, a single modem, and a single phone line. Such a system is easy to set up. You install the modem and BBS software and attach a phone line. Virtually any BBS software, from the most expensive commercial package to the cheapest shareware, will be more than adequate.

A single line system does have one glaring disadvantage: only one person can access your BBS at a time. If your court is small, this limitation should not be a problem. But as more constituents begin to use your BBS, they may begin to get busy signals.

Choosing Hardware

The hardware requirements for a single line BBS are very modest. A 386 PC provides more than enough horsepower. All a BBS needs to do is send characters back and forth over a modem line. Even the fastest modems are very slow compared to the internal speed of a PC. Even very old PCs can run a BBS, but PCs older than a 386 will not be able to take advantage of the many memory management features in the latest versions of DOS. A BBS also can run on a Macintosh computer, but the majority run on IBM-compatible computers.

If you are using DOS-based BBS software, then a single megabyte of memory (RAM) may be all that you need. Even with Windows-based BBS packages, four megabytes should be adequate.

A single line BBS requires one modem. You should buy the fastest one you can find, typically a 28.8 baud modem. The speed of your modem will determine the fastest speed at which others can connect with your BBS. Another consideration is compatibility with other modems. Some off-brand modems can have trouble communicating with certain other modems. To prevent these problems, you should stay with brand-names.

Choosing Software

For a single line BBS, nearly any commercially available BBS software will do the job. Most BBS software packages are DOS-based, and thus do require some computer experience in order to install and maintain them. A few run under Windows and tend to be easier to set up and maintain. Many capable shareware packages also exist at very reasonable prices.

Multiple Line BBS with Multiple PCs

If a single line BBS is not enough, then the next type is a multiple line BBS. By providing multiple phone lines, you allow more than one person to access your BBS at the same time. You can set up a multiple line BBS using either multiple PCs, one for each phone line, or one PC with special hardware.

With multiple PCs, you use one for each phone line. If you plan to run a three-line BBS, for example, then you will need three low-end PCs, three modems, and three phone lines. Each PC runs its own copy of the BBS software. However, all three PCs must be able to access the same files and message base, which requires a small Local Area Network (LAN). A LAN requires, in addition to the BBS PCs, another low-end PC, network cards for each PC, and network software. Since setting up a network is a nontrivial task, this approach is seldom worth the trouble unless you already have a working LAN that you can also use to hook together the BBS PCs.

Choosing Hardware

The costs for a multiple line BBS using multiple PCs depend on the number of lines you need and whether you have an existing network to use. As with a single line BBS, low-end 386-based computers with one to four megabytes of RAM are more than adequate. In this case, you need one PC for each phone line you plan to support. The modem requirements are also the same, except you need one modem for each phone line.

Since all the PCs need to access the same files, they must be networked together. If you have an existing PC network, then the BBS PCs can all be connected to that network and be mapped to a section of the network drives containing the shared BBS files. If you do not have a network in place, then you need to set up one. You can set up a traditional network, with a dedicated server. That is, you will need to obtain network software and another 386 or better computer to act as a file server. The price of network software often depends on the number of computers hooked into the network. If your BBS uses only three or four PCs, then the cost may be fairly low.

You can also set up a peer-to-peer network and keep all the shared BBS files on one of the BBS computers. A peer-to-peer network means that any computer on the network can see the files on any other computer on the network. Peer-to-peer networks do not require a separate computer to act as a file server. One easy way to create a peer-to-peer network is to purchase copies of Windows for Workgroups. You will need to purchase one copy for each PC on the network. In any of these cases, you will also need the appropriate network cards for each PC on the network. While none of these pieces are expensive, together the cost can be significant.

Choosing Software

Most commercial BBS packages work fine running on multiple PCs. PCBoard is one package better designed for this configuration.

Multiple Line BBS with a Single PC

A multiple line BBS can run on a single PC. Special multiple-port I/O boards connect many modems to the same PC. For the BBS to handle more than one caller at a time, separate copies of the BBS software run at the same time on the single PC. So such a set-up also requires multitasking software, such as Windows.

Choosing Hardware

While the previous method of setting up a multiple line BBS required the purchase of many inexpensive parts, the one PC method requires buying fewer, but more expensive, components. With this topology, you need just one powerful PC. For just three or four lines, a 486-based PC is adequate. A Pentium PC will handle many lines, even into the hundreds. The amount of memory required will depend on the number of lines supported, since each line requires running a separate copy of the BBS software and each instance its own part of memory. Eight megabytes of RAM should be sufficient for four or so lines; 16 megabytes for up to a dozen.

In addition to the PC, you will again need one fast modem for each BBS line. If your BBS will be supporting more than two lines, then you also will need a multiple I/O card. PCs communicate with modems through serial ports. Most PCs have only two such ports. Multiple I/O cards add additional serial ports, allowing the PC to talk to more modems. Most multiple I/O cards increase a PC's capacity to 4, 8, or even 16 modems. By using more than one multiple I/O card, one PC can support many lines, up to a maximum of 255. For most courts, a more modest number of lines will suffice.

Choosing Software

Most commercial packages work fine with this topology. Because multiple copies of the program are running at the same time, smaller, simpler programs that require fewer resources will perform better than those that have many features and options. Most BBS packages today are designed for this configuration, including Mustang and Wildcat for DOS and PCBoard for OS/2.

Section 3 — Choosing Personnel

Running a BBS is a small enough task that one person is usually enough. This person is the system operator, or “Sysop” for short. The Sysop should be very computer literate, to the point of being very familiar with the DOS operating system. Even Windows-based BBSs require a knowledge of DOS. Additionally, the Sysop should have experience with telecommunications. Ideally, the Sysop will be an experienced BBS user. Since most BBSs do not provide the fancy formatting and graphical design available in World Wide Web pages, design skills are not as important. The Sysop should be skilled in organizing information even though BBSs do not provide the linking ability of the World Wide Web, and are thus limited in the ways in which files and information can be organized.

Section 4 — Security

Security is always an issue when you give others access to a computer. Commercially available BBS packages have many built-in security features. But there are still two areas to which you should pay special attention. First, most BBS packages allow the Sysop to perform maintenance functions by dialing into the BBS from a remote location. If someone managed to guess the Sysop's password, then that person could dial into the BBS and modify or destroy information. Thus, it is important that the Sysop has a well-chosen password that would be hard to guess. Even better, most BBS systems can be configured to allow the Sysop to access the system only via the actual BBS computer. Even if someone guessed the Sysop's password, he or she would not be able to dial in from a remote location.

The second area to watch is the use of external programs with your BBS. Operators often want their BBS to provide some service beyond the system's capacity, such as database access. Most BBS packages can be configured to run other programs to perform these tasks. While the other program is running, the BBS security features can be compromised. If the external program ends unexpectedly, such as via a programming error, the person using the BBS might end up being out of the BBS program but still connected to your system. This is especially dangerous if your BBS is a multiple line/multiple PC system using your existing network. There are steps you can take to help prevent or limit this danger:

  1. Do not use external programs. There are many external programs available that allow callers to play games. Besides being possibly inappropriate for a court BBS, such programs can be security risks. Resist the temptation to add such programs.
  2. If you need extra functionality, use the BBS's built-in programming language. Many of the leading BBS packages include an internal programming language for adding increased functionality. These languages are usually similar to BASIC and are easy to learn. Because the program is written in the BBS's internal language, it runs from within the BBS, not as an external program. If some sort of error occurs, the BBS can handle it without compromising security.
  3. If you must use an external program, then configure your network so that the BBS's account on the system cannot access other areas of the network. The steps to take will depend on the type of network as well as the particular configuration. If a security breach occurred, the BBS files could be damaged, but the remainder of your network would still be secure.

Section 5 — Liability for Information

Anytime that you make data available, you run the risk that others will make decisions based on that information. If it is incorrect, there may be liability. To prevent such problems, you should include on any on-line forms the same disclaimers that would appear on printed versions. You should include disclaimers regardless of whether you are disseminating information through the Internet or through a BBS. A BBS also gives you one additional safeguard. Before granting access, a BBS usually requires a prospective user to create an account on the system. This creation process requires the person to supply some general information, such as name and address. This process also can be a good place to require the prospective user to read and accept a “Caller Contract,” a document that specifies the responsibilities of both the user and your court. In the Caller Contract, you can specify what liability your court accepts regarding materials available on the BBS. Further access to the BBS would be contingent on the user agreeing to this contract. Users generally do not create such accounts on the Internet. The BBS Caller Contract provides a level of protection lacking on the Internet.

Section 6 — Resources

Bulletin Board Software

Multiple I/O Card Vendors

Modem Vendors

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