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This page is currently being written and re-written into two pages: one on general hints and tips on setting up RISC OS networking (the start of which is available), and one on Pluto.
Pluto has somewhat limited networking ability. This is described in the StrongHelp supplied with Pluto (Menu on Pluto's Icon on th eIcon Bar -> Help). Go to the Index page (via the link on the Contents page, 1st paragraph) then Networking with Pluto and Voyager. In the first paragraph there there is a link to Networking.
News and emails can only be downloaded on the computer where the transports (Hermes/POPStar and NewsHound) reside. This is also where Pluto will normally detach the incoming articles into its article directory.
Modern small networks consist of two or more similar computers which are effectively equal in status. There is no technical reason why Pluto's articles should be on the same computer as the News and Mail Fetchers, but that gets a bit complicated. So we will call this computer the "Server".
Once you have set up Pluto for networking, one copy of Pluto will be the "Master". The others are "Slaves". Again, there is no reason why the "Master" Pluto will be on the "Server" computer, but for simplicity we will assume it is. We will also assume that Pluto's "Articles" directory is with the "Master" Puto - but it can be anywhere on the Network.
To enable Pluto "slaves" to debatch fetched from computers other that the "Server" (i.e. on the "Client" computers) over the network, some things need setting up before Pluto can do so. Ssome of Pluto's choices (Preferences and Lists) can only be upodated on the "Master" copy of Pluto and every time you change these you will need to re-copy Pluto (its Choices directory) over to the "Slave" Plutos to keep these in step.
You must first decide which computer is to be the "Server". News and mail fetchers (Hermes/POPStar and NewsHound) will reside here along with the "Master" Plutos and Articles directory.
We next will need to set up a way that all your computers can access incoming email and news with the same information: you won't want to change all your computers every time you make, for instance a new mailbox. Updating by copying from the "Master" Pluto to the "Slaves" is work enough!
We can do this by setting up a Path: RISC OS has a powerful command "Set PATHNAME$path FSname" which sets up a path to some files so that they can be accessed via that PATHNAME rather than by a direct call to the filing system.
So I set up the PATHNAME via an Obey file in !Boot (i.e. !Boot.ChoicesBoot.Tasks.User). The commands can be very similar on all computers - which makes future maintenance much easier.
In my system, Hermes and NewsHound (which collect mail and news) currently live on a RISC PC, on its main hard disk. This computer is the Server and is called 'Lab'.
While setting up your network, you will (Iconbar -> Configure >- Network -> Internet -> Host names) have given your computer a "Host name". It is usually convenient to use this name as the name to share your computer's main Filing system over the network. But you do not have to do this: you can use your existing share name.
In case of error, I suggest you first copy your existing Pluto as a backup, so you can restore it in case of any problem.
*show inet$hostname
The Obey file on all our computers includes a line:
Share ADFS::4 <Inet$Hostname>
which in the case of our Server would share ADFS::4 as 'Lab'. For the ARMX6 the line is
Share SCSI::SSD <Inet$Hostname>
and for the Raspberry Pi it is
Setting up the Share: name as above is not strictly necessary. But does simplify any later maintenance!
After Following this line there is another which is: on the server:
Set Server$Path ADFS::HD4.
and on each of the clients:
Set Server$Path Share::xxx
where xxx is the network name of the computer you have chosen as Server.
(Tip: you could also use this same line on the server instead of the direct path (ADFS::HD4) that I have used above, so that all user files are identical).
Set Hermes$Dir Server:WWW.!NetFetch.Apps.!Hermes
Set NewsHound$Dir Server:WWW.!NetFetch.Apps.!NewsHound
You can find out the appropriate lines for these above two commands by opening a TaskWindow and doing
*Show News*
*Show Hermes*
Set <Pluto$Articles> to point to the server. Open !Pluto.!Run in a text editor and you will find two lines:
| Change and uncomment following line if your Articles are somewhere else
Set Pluto$Articles <Obey$Dir;gt,.Articles
So in my case I comment out the line as indstructed and add a line pointing to my own Articles. So these lines become:
| Change and uncomment following line if your Articles are somewhere else
| Set Pluto$Articles $lt;Obey$Dir7gt;.Articles
Set Pluto$Articles Server:DataApps.Articles
Run
<Pluto$Dir2>.Programs.!RunImage %*0
If "<net$HostName>"="X6" Then Run <Pluto$Dir2>.!RunImage %*0 -lock Else Run <Pluto$Dir>.!RunImage %*0 -lock -slave
!Pluto.Choices.choices now explicitly points to the paths as Server: (rather than the absolute Share:) as this now looks at Hermes$Dir and NewsHound$Dir which you set up in Step 3. Quit Pluto.
However if you any changes that affect Pluto's choices can only ever be made on the main Server: Pluto since -slave mode disables such changes. It you do make a change on the Server: Pluto then you must copy over that main Pluto to any clients. If you do not do so, you will confuse Pluto's Users and Boxes etc.
Really, Pluto needs updating so that all choices concerned with the Articles in question resides in Articles not in Pluto's choices!