Maximus BBS

Documentation for Maximus BBS — Next Generation

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Squish Tosser

Complete squish.cfg reference — addresses, areas, dupe checking, security, compression, points, and advanced options

Squish is the mail processor at the heart of your FTN setup. It takes incoming packets from your mailer, sorts messages into the right areas, extracts outbound messages from your local areas, and compresses them into archives for your mailer to send. This page is the full reference for squish.cfg — every keyword, organized by function rather than file order.

If you’re setting up Squish for the first time, the Joining a Network tutorial gives you a minimal working config. Come back here when you need to understand what all the knobs do.

On This Page

Command-Line Operation

Squish operates in three phases, invoked via command-line arguments:

squish in out squash
Phase Command What It Does
Toss in Decompresses archives from your inbound directory, reads packets, places messages into local areas
Scan out Reads the echotoss log, extracts new outbound messages from local areas, builds packets
Pack squash Compresses outbound packets into archives, places them in the outbound directory

You can run them individually or combine them. The most common invocation is all three at once:

squish in out squash

Useful command-line switches

Switch Purpose
-c<path> Specify config file path (default: squish.cfg in current dir)
-f<file> Specify echotoss log path (overrides AreasBBS default)
-s<sched> Invoke a named schedule from route.cfg
-l<file> Override log file path
-a<area> Process only the specified area
-n No-op mode — show what would be done without doing it

Multipass vs. single-pass

Running squish in out squash in one command is single-pass mode — Squish does everything in one run. This is simpler and is what most systems use.

Multipass mode runs each phase separately:

squish in
squish out
squish squash

Multipass is useful when disk space is tight (pack between scans) or when you need to run specific phases at different times. In multipass mode, SEEN-BY and PATH lines are always preserved between passes. In single-pass mode, they’re only preserved if SaveControlInfo is enabled.

Identity — Addresses & Origin

Address

Address 21:1/200

Your primary FTN address. This is the address used in outgoing packets, SEEN-BY lines, PATH lines, and origin lines.

You can specify multiple addresses for AKAs (Also Known As). The first address is always your primary:

Address 21:1/200
Address 1:249/128

Squish uses the appropriate address automatically based on which zone a message is destined for.

Origin

Origin  Your BBS Name - yourbbs.example.com

The default origin line appended to echomail messages. Your address is added automatically after this text, so the final origin looks like:

 * Origin: Your BBS Name - yourbbs.example.com (21:1/200)

This keyword is only required if you’re not using an AREAS.BBS file (which can carry its own origin line). If both are present, the AREAS.BBS origin takes precedence.

Paths — Inbound, Outbound, Logs

NetFile — Inbound mail

NetFile  /var/max/data/mail/inbound

Where your mailer (BinkD) places received packets and archives. Squish searches these directories during squish in.

You can specify multiple NetFile paths with modifiers:

NetFile                /var/max/data/mail/inbound
NetFile NoEcho         /var/max/data/mail/inbound/unknown
NetFile NoArc          /var/max/data/mail/inbound/known
NetFile NoArc NoEcho   /var/max/data/mail/inbound/secure
Modifier Effect
NoPkt Don’t toss .PKT files from this path
NoArc Don’t toss compressed archives from this path
NoEcho Don’t toss EchoMail from this path

These modifiers support multi-level security schemes where your mailer sorts incoming files into different directories based on trust level.

Outbound

Outbound  /var/max/data/mail/outbound

Where Squish places outbound archives for your mailer to send. For BinkD-style outbound directories, specify the base directory without an extension. Squish creates zone-specific subdirectories automatically (e.g., .015 for zone 21).

AreasBBS

AreasBBS  /var/max/config/areas.bbs

Optional path to a standard-format AREAS.BBS file. If you define all your areas using EchoArea lines in squish.cfg, you can omit this. See AREAS.BBS Format below.

LogFile and LogLevel

LogFile   /var/max/log/squish.log
LogLevel  6

Squish’s own log file, separate from the Maximus system log. Log levels range from 0 (minimal) to 6 (maximum detail). Level 6 is recommended during setup; you can drop to 3–4 once everything is stable.

Track

Track  /var/max/log/msgtrack.log

A separate log tracking routed netmail — records who sent what to whom through your system. Must point to a different file than LogFile. Useful for debugging routing issues or monitoring in-transit mail.

Routing and Compress

Routing   /var/max/config/route.cfg
Compress  /var/max/config/compress.cfg

Paths to the routing control file and compression configuration. Both are always required. See Netmail & Routing for full route.cfg details and Compression & Packing below for compress.cfg.

Area Definitions

Every system must define at least a NetArea and a BadArea. The general format is:

<type>  <tag>  <path>  [flags]  [nodes]

Required areas

NetArea   NETMAIL    /var/max/data/mail/netmail
BadArea   BAD_MSGS   /var/max/data/mail/bad

Optional areas

DupeArea  DUPES  /var/max/data/mail/dupes

EchoArea

EchoArea  FSX_GEN  /var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_gen  -$  21:1/100
EchoArea  FSX_TST  /var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_tst  -$  21:1/100

Each EchoArea line defines one echomail conference:

AREAS.BBS Format

As an alternative to EchoArea lines in squish.cfg, you can define echoes in a standard AREAS.BBS file:

; Standard AREAS.BBS format
; <path>  <tag>  <nodes>

/var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_gen    FSX_GEN    21:1/100
/var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_tst    FSX_TST    21:1/100

; Prefix with $ for Squish format
$/var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_bbs   FSX_BBS    21:1/100

; Prefix with # for passthru
#OTHERNET.ECHO                   OTHERNET.ECHO  21:1/100
Prefix Meaning
(none) FTSC-0001 *.MSG format
$ Squish message format
# Passthru — messages forwarded but not stored locally

Most sysops find EchoArea lines in squish.cfg cleaner and more flexible (flags, per-area options). AREAS.BBS exists for compatibility with other software that expects it. You can use both — areas defined in either place are merged.

Area Flags

Flags modify the behavior of individual areas. Place them between the path and the node list:

EchoArea  TAG  /path/to/area  -$ -$m500 -$d30  21:1/100

Storage format flags

Flag Meaning
-$ Use Squish message format (recommended for all areas)
-f Use FTSC-0001 *.MSG format (the default if neither is specified)

Squish format management

Flag Meaning
-$m<n> Keep a maximum of n messages. Older messages are deleted automatically during tossing.
-$s<n> Skip the first n messages when applying -$m limit (protect pinned/important messages).
-$d<n> Keep messages up to n days old. Requires running SQPACK regularly to purge.

Behavior flags

Flag Meaning
-0 Passthru — messages pass through but are not stored locally. Use for areas you relay but don’t read. (That’s a zero, not the letter O.)
-s Strip the private flag from incoming messages in this area.
-h Hide messages — add the private flag to every message tossed into this area.
-p<addr> Use an alternate primary address for this area (overrides your default Address for SEEN-BY, PATH, and packet headers).
-x<addr> Exclude <addr> from sending to this area (block a node).
-u<addr> Accept broadcast update/delete messages from <addr>.
-+<addr> Add <addr> to SEEN-BYs for this area only.

Practical examples

; Standard Squish area, max 500 messages, linked with hub
EchoArea  FSX_GEN  /var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_gen  -$ -$m500  21:1/100

; Passthru area — relay to downlinks without storing locally
EchoArea  OTHERNET.CHAT  #  -0  21:1/100 21:1/150

; Area with age limit — keep 30 days of messages
EchoArea  FSX_BBS  /var/max/data/msgbase/fsx_bbs  -$ -$d30  21:1/100

; Area with alternate AKA
EchoArea  FIDO_SYSOP  /var/max/data/msgbase/fido_sysop  -$ -p1:249/128  1:249/0

Dupe Checking

Duplicate messages are a fact of life in FTN — network topology means the same message can arrive via multiple paths. Squish has robust dupe detection:

Duplicates

Duplicates 1000

Number of message IDs to remember per area. Squish uses a 64-bit hash, so false positives are extremely rare. The default of 1000 is fine for most systems. Increase for very high-traffic areas.

DupeCheck

DupeCheck Header MSGID

Which dupe-checking algorithms to use:

Method How It Works
Header Compares message headers (from, to, subject, date)
MSGID Compares the ^aMSGID kludge line (unique per message)

Use both for maximum reliability. MSGID is the stronger check; Header catches messages from software that doesn’t generate MSGIDs.

DupeLongHeader

DupeLongHeader

Check the entire subject line when doing header-based dupe detection. Without this, only the first 24 characters are compared. Enable this — there’s no good reason not to.

KillDupes

;KillDupes

When enabled, duplicate messages are deleted immediately instead of being placed in the DupeArea. Saves disk space but makes it harder to diagnose dupe problems. Leave it off during setup; consider enabling it on a stable, high-traffic system.

Security

Secure

Secure

The most important security keyword. When enabled, Squish checks the source address of every incoming echomail message against the node list for that area. Messages from nodes not listed for an area are rejected and placed in BadArea.

Always enable this. Without it, any system that can send packets to you can inject messages into any of your echo areas.

CheckZones

CheckZones

Check zone numbers on incoming packets. Treats different zones as distinct entities. Some ancient software doesn’t include zone information in packets; if you’re dealing with such systems, you may need to disable this. For modern networks, keep it on.

Password

Password  21:1/100  MYSECRET

Set a password for packets exchanged with a specific node. When Secure is enabled, Squish also checks incoming packet passwords and rejects packets with wrong passwords. Passwords are case-insensitive, max 8 characters.

Use this for your hub connection. Your hub admin will give you a session password when you join the network.

StripAttributes

StripAttributes

Strip CRASH and HOLD attributes from incoming netmail. This prevents someone from routing a crash-priority message through your system and having it delivered as crash on your dime. Recommended for any system that forwards netmail.

You can also target specific nodes:

StripAttributes World EXCEPT 1:123/456

Compression & Packing

compress.cfg

File: config/compress.cfg

This file defines the external compression programs Squish uses to pack and unpack mail archives. The default ships with definitions for ARC, PAK, ZIP, LHarc, ZOO, and ARJ. Each archiver entry specifies:

For UNIX/Linux, the relevant commands use standard tools:

; ZIP archiver (UNIX section)
Archiver ZIP
  Extension     ZIP
   Stripping     4 00
  Add           zip -j -9 %a %f
  Extract       unzip -j -o %a -d %p
  View          unzip -v %a
End Archiver

You shouldn’t need to edit this unless you want to add a new archiver or change compression tool paths.

Pack and DefaultPacker

DefaultPacker LHarc

The default compression method for nodes not listed in any Pack statement. The official FidoNet standard is ARC, but most modern networks use ZIP or LHarc.

To specify compression per node:

Pack Zip    21:1/100 21:2/100
Pack LHarc  1:249/All

QuietArc

QuietArc

Suppress screen output from external compression programs. Always enable this unless you’re debugging archiver issues.

BatchUnarc

BatchUnarc

Decompress all incoming archives before starting to toss, rather than tossing one archive at a time. This prevents messages from getting out of order (packets are tossed by date). Recommended for any system that forwards mail.

Points — Fakenet & 4D

If you’re running points (sub-systems hanging off your node), Squish supports two methods:

Fakenet points

The traditional method. Points get a “fake” net number:

Address 1:23914/1
Address 1:123/456.1
Pointnet 23914

The Pointnet keyword tells Squish to translate between the fakenet address and the real 4D address. Both the boss node and the point must use this keyword.

4D points

The modern method. Just use the full 4D address:

Address 1:123/456.1

Both you and your boss must be running 4D-aware software (Squish is; most modern mailers are too). No Pointnet keyword needed.

Remap

Remap  .2  Mark Kaye
Remap  .3  Kevin Kell
Remap  .1  Scott*

Automatically forward netmail addressed to your node to a point, based on the recipient’s name. The * wildcard matches partial names. Squish uses Soundex matching by default; disable with NoSoundex if it causes false matches.

Forwarding

ForwardTo

ForwardTo        21:1/0 21:1/100
ForwardTo File   21:1/100

Allow netmail destined for the listed nodes to be forwarded through your system. The File modifier also forwards file attaches. ForwardTo World forwards all mail.

ForwardFrom

ForwardFrom      21:1/100
ForwardFrom File 21:1/100

Allow mail from the listed nodes to be forwarded anywhere. The File modifier is powerful and potentially dangerous — it lets those nodes send files through your system to any destination. Only use for trusted nodes (your own points, your hub).

KillIntransit

;KillIntransit

Delete in-transit netmail after packing. Without this, forwarded netmail stays in your NetArea after being sent. Enable if you don’t want to keep copies of other people’s mail.

KillIntransitFile

;KillIntransitFile

Mark forwarded file attaches for deletion after sending (adds ^ prefix to the filename in .?LO files). Only applies to non-ArcmailAttach systems.

KillBlank

KillBlank

Delete blank netmail messages (no body text). Some systems generate these for file requests and file attaches. Safe to enable.

SEEN-BY & Control Info

SaveControlInfo

SaveControlInfo

Preserve SEEN-BY and PATH control lines inside Squish-format message bases. Without this (in single-pass mode), control info is discarded after tossing — fine for leaf nodes, but you lose the ability to see message propagation history. Enable it.

TinySeenbys

TinySeenbys  21:1/150 21:2/100

Strip excess SEEN-BY entries when exporting to the listed nodes. Only the nodes defined for each echo area are kept. This significantly reduces packet sizes for widely-distributed echoes. Useful for downlinks with slow connections.

AddToSeen

AddToSeen  21:1/200

Add a specific node to SEEN-BYs for all areas. Normally not needed, but useful when changing your primary address (add the old address so messages don’t loop back).

Zone Gating

ZoneGate

ZoneGate 2:253/68  249/106 253/68

Perform FTSC-0004 compliant zone gating. When echomail is sent to the host node, SEEN-BYs are stripped and replaced with the specified nodes. This is required when gating conferences between zones (net/node numbers can collide across zones).

Use with care. Incorrect zone gating can cause message loops or lost SEEN-BY history. Only needed if you’re actually gating echoes between zones.

GateRoute

GateRoute Normal 1:1/2 2:All

Route inter-zone netmail through a zone gate. The first address is the gate node; following addresses are the destinations to route through it. The Except keyword excludes specific nodes:

GateRoute Normal 1:1/2 2:All Except 2:123/456

Only needed for systems that actively route inter-zone netmail.

Performance & Limits

Buffers

Buffers Large

Controls Squish’s memory usage. Options: Large, Medium, Small. Modern systems have plenty of RAM — always use Large. Small is unsuitable for systems that forward mail to other nodes.

MaxMsgs

;MaxMsgs 150

Stop scanning after n messages, pack the results, then continue. Useful when disk space is tight or when you want to limit packet sizes. Not needed on modern systems.

MaxPkt

;MaxPkt 256

Maximum number of packets in the outbound area at once. Default 256. Rarely needs changing.

MaxArchive

;MaxArchive 250

Maximum size (KB) of outbound archives. Squish won’t add packets to archives exceeding this size. Useful for networks with size limits.

BusyFlags

BusyFlags

Use BinkleyTerm-style .BSY lock files in the outbound area. Prevents Squish and BinkD from accessing the same bundle simultaneously. Always enable this on any system where Squish and BinkD might run concurrently.

Advanced Options

ArcmailAttach

;ArcmailAttach

Use FroDo/InterMail/D’bridge-style attach messages instead of BinkleyTerm-style .?LO files. Not needed for BinkD — this is for legacy mailers that use attach messages. Leave commented out.

BinkPoint

;BinkPoint

Enable BinkleyTerm 2.50+ point directory support. Only needed if you’re running 4D points with BinkleyTerm as your mailer. Not relevant for BinkD.

AddMode

;AddMode

When adding to .?LO files, check for existing files with different flavors (Crash, Hold, Direct) and add to the existing flavor instead of the one specified in routing. Useful for temporarily holding mail for a down node without changing your routing config.

LinkMsgid

;LinkMsgid

Link message replies using MSGID/REPLY kludges instead of subject-line matching. More accurate for threading, but only works if all systems in the echo generate proper MSGIDs.

TossBadMsgs

TossBadMsgs

Re-toss messages from BadArea on every squish in. If you add a new area definition and messages for that area were previously rejected to BadArea, they’ll be automatically tossed on the next run. Very useful — enable it.

Statistics

;Statistics squish.stt

Keep a statistics file tracking messages sent/received per node. The file can be processed by external tools to generate billing reports. Uses significant memory — only enable if you need it.

NoStomp

;NoStomp

Don’t update packet headers during routing. Normally Squish rewrites the destination and password in packet headers to match the routing target. Disable this only for debugging.

Nuke (ArcmailAttach only)

;Nuke

Delete orphaned archives that have no corresponding attach message. Only for ArcmailAttach systems with mailers that can’t delete files after sending. Potentially dangerous — don’t enable unless required.

OldArcmailExts

;OldArcmailExts

Use only .MO? extensions for archives instead of day-of-week extensions (.TU?, .WE?, etc.). Only needed for compatibility with very old software (Opus 1.03 era). Not relevant for modern networks.

For day-to-day maintenance of your Squish message bases, see the Squish utilities page (SQPACK, SQFIX, etc.). For routing configuration, see Netmail & Routing.