Excalibur is a Windows GUI (graphical user interface) Bulletin Board System featuring a "point and click" system familiar to all Windows users. The bulletin board consists of two separate systems that make up the whole. The Client Terminal, is the caller side of the equation while the Host side is the server side. Both are 16 bit yet work quite well with the 32 bit systems in use today. The original client terminal excaltrm.exe, is used for Windows 3.1 to Windows 2000 while the revised terminal is designed for XP and VISTA users. The Xcaltrm2.exe is the recommended Client Terminal for XP and VISTA. You may download to and install from your hard drive or install directly from this page. You may also download and install the "Special" XP client from TecMecca!. David has created an install that includes all his BBS screens, dll's and graphics. All the Excalibur terminals include a real time intuitive help file.
The host files, Install.exe, install.w02 and install.w03 include the original excaltrm.exe and are installed on your BBS server. This is done to provide several .dll files plus allow the SysOp to do local logons for system checks. A valid license number is required to "Host" an Excalibur BBS. If you had a license and cannot find it there is a chance we can locate your license information. There is a gentleman in the USA that has a partial license list from ECI HQ.
Recently, a list of "Valid" 4 node license numbers appeared on the Internet. They are posted here for your convenience. If you wish to try to host an Excalibur BBS, please let us know your name and which number you are going to use. If you "had" a license that you can't find and wish to use one from the list, remember that your purchased plugins may not work. Some were generated using your Excalibur license number and some were generated using your BBS name as it appears in Arthur. Be sure to use your "original" BBS name in Arthur to ensure the best opportunity for your licensed add on to work.
Since I intend to keep this as simple as possible, I will list other more involved Excalibur resources. TecMecca! is the "Flagship" of the Excalibur world today. David has done an exemplary job of setting up a web presence which supplies Client and Host Install and Internet setup walk throughs, links to other sources and a list of current Excalibur BBS's Online. I won't list everything TecMecca! has, but it's a required stop if you are serious about hosting or just want a "quick: guide to get your terminal going. Also stop by the TecMecca! BBS (@tecmecca.ath.cx) when you have your terminal installed. David shows a wide variety of examples of what can be done with the original package plus many screen and drop down menu methods. David is a real "PRO" at using flags to compress your total package for ease of management. There is a good walk though for using an Internet redirect. A redirect like Dyndns.org is used to allow the SysOp to assign a "Name" instead of an IP number. That way if you change ISP's, you just change the number at the redirect site, the caller still uses the "Name". Example: @burmacave.ath.cx is really 216.19.16.188 and Far Side was @excalbbs.hobby-site.com:1962 which was 216.19.16.188:1962. Which reminds me that if you use a local LAN and router, you'll need to release the assigned port from your Access Point (router) which is something like 192.168.0.107 otherwise you'll have no Internet!!
As I said earlier, this is the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle personified. This isn't one stop shopping. Others have done a better job of laying out the particulars of BBSing.
You have what you need here to get started. Whether you're going to host or just visit we want to welcome you to the fold.
Have Fun!!
Caveman - SysOp
BurmaCave! BBS
@burmacave.ath.cx
