Aqua-Soft ForumsThe server would be a lot like the old Hotline client/server application, only with improved and new features.
here's a list of features the server would have:
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# Accounts -- A powerful Accounts system gives you the flexibility to determine who can connect to your server and who is permitted to perform what actions. Every significant action on the server can individually be turned on or off for a particular account.
# Account Classes -- KDX Server can easily handle hundreds of accounts. The Account Classes feature gives you a powerful way to manage a very large number of accounts with a greatly reduced amount of effort. Using Account Classes, you can easily apply a change to access privileges to a whole class of accounts instantly and in 1 step (rather than manually modifying individual accounts). KDX also realizes that not every account exactly fits into a class, and thus certain access privileges in an account can be set to override the settings in the class, while others inherit the class settings. [More Info]
# Speed Limiting -- You can optionally apply speed limits to file downloads. This means the server will transmit the file at close to the speed you choose (in kilobytes per second), or less. This is a great way to preserve your bandwidth for other purposes, or to stop your server from hogging all of your bandwidth, or to make sure that users do not use more than a reasonable amount of bandwidth, etc. Also known as bandwidth capping.
# Connection Monitor -- The "Connection Monitor" window shows you at a glance what every connection to the server is doing (for example, downloading, uploading, etc). This is an easy way to see all files that are being transferred.
# Server History -- KDX Server records every action it conducts into a special history area. You can view this remotely, and it automatically updates. So you can leave it open and watch as actions are performed on your server. The history information can also optionally be recorded to journal/log files on disk.
# History/Log Analysis -- KDX LogView is a reader designed to effectively view the contents of KDX Server history/log files. It can show statistics over totals, give data per-user and per-login, load entire folders of log files and perform advanced searches in those log files, so as to quickly and easily facilitate the viewing of the log files for the administrators. The extracted log entries can then be saved to disk so they can be sent to someone else or for later reference. [More Info]
# Server Icon -- Servers can display a Server Icon (152x40 pixels) to clients when they connect.
# Disconnect User -- When disconnecting a user, you can optionally include a message, and optionally ban them for a certain duration of time.
# User Info -- The "User Info" window shows information about the user including their account information, their address, when they logged in, when their last activity time was, what files they are transferring, etc.
# Broadcast Message -- When necessary, you can easily broadcast a message to everyone on the server using a simple command.
# Remote Configuration -- KDX Server is configured almost entirely by remote using KDX Client. This means you can easily administer your server without having to be physically present at the computer on which it is running.
# Remote Upgrade -- KDX Server has the ability to remotely upgrade itself. This means you can easily install a new version of the KDX Server software without having to physically visit the server computer, and without having to mess around with other programs.
# Multiple Base Folders -- When a user browses the files on your server, they are allowed to browse their "base folder" and any sub-folders of that folder. The base folder appears to the user as if it has no parent folder (and the user is prevented from browsing into the parent folder). This is an excellent way to limit what areas of the hard disk(s) the user can access. KDX Server supports multiple base folders, meaning that the base folder for each Account or Account Class can be different, thus allowing you to give different users access to different areas of the hard disk(s).
# Special Folders -- Folders can be marked as a special "Uploads" folder, meaning a folder that has the purpose of receiving uploads of files. Users can be restricted to uploading to these "Uploads" folders. You can also create "Drop Box" folders, which are folders where users are allowed to upload, but they cannot see or download the contents of the folder. For example, you might create an "Admin Drop Box", which people can use to send you files without making them available to everyone else. A Drop Box can also have an Owners, meaning the person who can view the contents of that particular Drop Box.
# Alternate Port Number -- KDX Server can listen for incoming connections on an alternate port number, in addition to the main port number. This is useful if some users have problems with certain port numbers due to ISP faults or restrictions, etc. KDX Server can also conduct file transfers on the same port that is used for connecting, or it can be configured to use a different port (useful if you want to apply bandwidth restrictions only to the file transfer port).
# IP Address Restrictions -- KDX Server can be configured to deny access to users that come from certain addresses or ranges of addresses or subnets. This is very useful for keeping away troublesome users and defending against attacks. Banned addresses can optionally be set to expire automatically at a certain time.
# Attack Protection -- KDX Server automatically attempts to detect certain types of attacks against the server, and it defends against them. For example, if a user tries to flood the server, KDX Server will automatically disconnect and ban that user.
# Automatic News Archiving -- KDX Server can automatically remove old messages from a newsgroup and archive them to a text file.
# Full Alias Support -- File or folder "aliases" (also known as "shortcuts") allow you to make a file/folder accessible in more than 1 location. The alias acts much like the original item, but it can have a different name and be in a different location. KDX Server allows users to browse into folders via an alias, thus giving you a great amount of flexibility in the organization of your hard disk(s).
# Change Own Password -- If the administrator allows it, users can change their own passwords, thus saving administrators from this hassle.
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the client/server software would also be 128-bit encrypted.
this is not an advertisement. I was reading Duckie's history of aqua-soft and I read about the Hotline server. I'd really like to see that come back, as it lets the people of this community interact directly with each other.
I can set up all the software and account information but what I would need from you guys is:
1. your support. if no one really wants this to happen, then there is really no point of me posting all this.
2. I know there are some of you out there with fast connections. the most important thing that would be needed is a dedicated, fast line. Also, whoever wants to run the server software on their fast line would need a dedicated machine (of course) and about 25 gigs of free space for the files. I know that is a lot to ask.
the software I am talking about is KDX and you can read about the product and it's features here: http://haxial.com/products/kdx/index2.html
so, in conclusion I hope there would be some support for this. and if anyone has the connection and space, pm me, IM me, or email me.