Installation

1.0 Installation Instructions (Windows)

Synchronet for Windows ships as a downloadable archive containing an installer executable (for current releases, something like install_SBBS_v3.21e.exe plus install.rtf and FILE_ID.DIZ). Install from the official distribution, not from random mirrors, so you get matching runtimes and Control Panel bits.

Prerequisites

Before the installer will run cleanly you need the x86 (32-bit) Visual C++ redistributables — even on a 64-bit Windows host — because Synchronet’s Win32 build and many DOS/FOSSIL door helpers are 32-bit:

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86 / vcredist_x86.exe)
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Runtime v14 (x86)

If those are missing, native executables under exec\ may fail to start with cryptic DLL errors.

Install from official releases

1. Download the Synchronet distribution ZIP (e.g. from synchro.net).
2. Extract it to a temporary folder. You should see the installer EXE, install.rtf, and FILE_ID.DIZ.
3. Stop any already-running Synchronet instance (Control Panel / sbbs). The installer will refuse to continue if Synchronet is still running.
4. Run the install_SBBS_… executable.
5. Read through the welcome screen and the embedded install.rtf notes.
6. Choose an installation directory. The default is recommended. Do not put Synchronet on a path with long names or spaces if you still run 16-bit DOS utilities (doors, archivers, protocol drivers) — those need DOS-compatible 8.3 paths. A common choice is C:\SBBS.
7. Select additional tasks (desktop icon, Startup-folder shortcut, etc.).
8. Click Install, wait for files to copy, then Finish. Optionally launch the Synchronet Control Panel immediately.

After install you may see a Desktop and/or Startup shortcut. Delete the Startup shortcut if you do not want Synchronet auto-starting at boot.

First launch checklist (Windows)

• Open Synchronet Control Panel (sbbsctrl) and confirm the Terminal, Mail, FTP, Web, and Services threads show as you expect.
• Run SCFG (BBS → Configure, or exec\scfg.exe) and set system name, QWK-ID, sysop alias, and new-user defaults before opening ports to the Internet.
• Confirm Windows Firewall (and any router NAT) allows the ports you actually enable (Telnet/SSH/RLogin, FTP, HTTP/HTTPS, SMTP/POP3/IMAP, etc.).
• If you upgrade over an existing tree, stop the BBS first; never overwrite a live data\ or ctrl\ while sbbs is writing.

Wiki: https://wiki.synchro.net/install:win

19.0 Unix/Linux

Unix/Linux installs are source builds. You pick a run-as user, create the install tree, build from Git or a tarball, configure SBBSCTRL / sbbs.ini, then run in console or daemon mode. Running the whole stack as root is discouraged.

19.1 Installation Instructions (Unix/Linux)

Run-as user

Install and run Synchronet as the same non-root account (commonly sbbs):

adduser sbbs
# optional on Linux: grant sudo for admin tasks
sudo adduser sbbs sudo
su - sbbs

If you must bind privileged ports (<1024) as root at start, set the [Unix] User value in ctrl/sbbs.ini so sbbs drops privileges after binding.

Create the Synchronet directory

Common locations: /sbbs or ~/sbbs under the run-as user’s home. Executables look for ctrl under /sbbs/ctrl by default; if you install elsewhere, either symlink (ln -s /home/sbbs/sbbs /sbbs) or export SBBSCTRL to your real ctrl path.

sudo mkdir /sbbs && sudo chown sbbs:sbbs /sbbs
cd /sbbs
# or: mkdir ~/sbbs && cd ~/sbbs

Getting / building

Install OS prerequisites first (compilers, ncurses, SDL/X11 bits as required by your platform — see the live wiki for the current package list). Then either:

• Git build method — clone/build from the Synchronet Git repositories (preferred for staying current).
• Tarball build method — unpack a release/source tarball and build.

Build from a *nix shell (sh/bash). After a successful build, binaries land under your exec directory. On errors, re-check prerequisites and the wiki’s troubleshooting notes rather than forcing a partial install.

Configuring

• Point SBBSCTRL at …/ctrl if not using /sbbs/ctrl.
• Run scfg for BBS content configuration; edit ctrl/sbbs.ini for server/listener and Unix identity settings.
• On FreeBSD 5.x and higher there are platform-specific notes on the install page — follow those for jail/rc integration.

Running

• Console mode — run sbbs in a terminal for interactive logs (useful while learning).
• Daemon mode — run detached for production; combine with your OS service manager (systemd, rc, etc.).
• Sysop paging / local console behavior differs slightly from Windows Control Panel — read the “SysOp paging” notes on the Unix install page.

Updating

Prefer a clean rebuild when major versions change. Keep backups of ctrl/, data/, text/, and mods/ before replacing binaries. Re-run any init wizards only when the release notes say configuration format changed.

Wiki: https://wiki.synchro.net/install:nix

19.2 Security (Unix/Linux)

Hardening on nix focuses on not running as root*, binding low ports safely, and blocking brute-force noise at the OS edge.

19.2.1 Linux non-root

Run Synchronet as a dedicated user. Prefer:

• Binding high ports (>1024) and reverse-proxying, or
• Starting briefly as root / using capabilities so sbbs can bind 23/80/443/25 then drop to the run-as user via [Unix] User in sbbs.ini.

Ensure ctrl, data, and node directories are owned by the run-as user so logs, message bases, and sem files remain writable without world-writable permissions.

Wiki: https://wiki.synchro.net/howto:linux_non-root

19.2.2 FreeBSD non-root

Same idea as Linux: dedicated user, correct ownership, privilege drop after bind. FreeBSD-specific paths and rc scripts differ — use the FreeBSD howto rather than copying Linux unit files verbatim.

Wiki: https://wiki.synchro.net/howto:freebsd_non-root

19.2.3 Block botnets with Fail2Ban

Fail2Ban can watch Synchronet log output (or syslog) for repeated failed logins / hack attempts and insert temporary firewall bans. Typical pieces:

• A filter matching Synchronet “failed login” / hack-log lines.
• A jail pointing at your sbbs log path with a sensible maxretry and bantime.
• Coordination with Synchronet’s own login-attempt throttle / temp-ban settings in sbbs.ini so you do not double-punish legitimate users behind shared NATs.

Also see Internet Security (howto:block-hackers) for Synchronet-native filters and temporary bans.

Wiki: https://wiki.synchro.net/howto:fail2ban · https://wiki.synchro.net/howto:block-hackers

Install quick reference

Wiki (hub): https://wiki.synchro.net/install:win · https://wiki.synchro.net/install:nix

After install: minimum viable open

Whether on Windows or Unix, do not expose services until these are true:

1. Sysop account password is set and not the distribution default.
2. New-user password / closed-to-new-users policy matches your intent (SCFG → System).
3. Host filters and login-attempt thresholds in sbbs.ini are understood (even if left at defaults).
4. You can log in locally (Windows Control Panel / local node, or Unix console) and run ;UEDIT / SCFG.
5. Backups of ctrl/ and data/ exist before you join DOVE-Net or FidoNet.

Development / bleeding-edge builds are a separate track — see https://wiki.synchro.net/install:dev and section 10 of this manual.