Log onto the Unix conference administration account.
This is the account that owns all the conference files and the backtalk
program itself.
change directory to conference directory
Each conference has a directory where all its files are kept. There is a
pointer to this directory in the conflist file. The location
of the conflist file depends on how your system is configured.
Edit the conference config file
Inside the conference directory, you will find (among other things) a
file named config . This is the file we need to edit to open or
close the conference.
A typical config file looks like this:
!<pc02>
.martian1.cf
0
marvin,carter
0
The fifth line of this contains a numeric code which tells if the conference
is open or closed. That line may be missing in which case the conference
is open.
There may be some other lines after these.
We need to change the value in the fifth line (or add the line if it doesn't
exist).
The possible values that can be used here are:
0
all users may read and post [default]
4
only users in the ulist may read and post
5
only users who know the password may read or post
6
only users who are in the ulist and know the password may read or post
8
all users may read and post (but item files not directly readable)
20*
only users in the ulist may post / all may read
21*
only users who know the password may post / all may read
22*
only users who are in the ulist and know the password may post / all may rea
* Picospan doesn't support fishbowl conferences (though Yapp does),
so if you want to be compatible with Picospan,
modes 20, 21, and 22 are unusable.
So all you have to do is change the fifth line of the conference
config file to one of the other values in this table.
Update the conference ulist file
For conferences with modes 4, 6, 20, or 22 there is a list maintained of
which users may enter the conference.
This is in a file named ulist which is in the same conference
directory as the config file.
It simply contains the Backtalk login names of the users who may join,
listed one per line.
If you are opening a formerly closed conference, you may want to delete
this file (though you don't have to).
If you are closing a formerly open conference, you may want to create it
and edit it to contain an initial list of users.
Or you can just leave it to the fairwitness to do this through the Backtalk
interface.
(Note that the fairwitnesses of a conference can always join a conference
even if they are not in the ulist.)
Change the conference password
For conferences with modes 5, 6, 21, or 22 there is a password stored in
a file named secret in the same conference directory as the
config file.
It simply contains the password, stored in plain text.
Obviously, this file should not be read permitted.
If you are opening a formerly closed conference, you may want to delete
this file (though you don't have to).
If you are closing a formerly open conference, you may want to create it,
making sure to permit it mode 644.
Or you can just leave it to the fairwitness to do this through the Backtalk
interface (fairwitnesses and conference administrators will see a "Change
Password" button on the conference home page).
If there is no secret file on a conference whose mode is 5, 6, 21, or 22,
then no password will work to get in.
However,
the fairwitnesses of a conference can always join their conference
without giving a password,
so they will be able to get in to set the initial password.