Revival of Dedrick Allen's NetModem/32 (32-bit FOSSIL Telnet server, 1997-2001) for modern Windows, with a portable, tested Pascal modem-emulation engine.
"The virtual COM port is the foundation — without it, DOS BBS software is dead hardware. netmodem2irc makes DOS Mystic work on the modern internet. The FOSSIL driver, the serial code, the modem examples — they're not legacy, they're the bridge."
— Antonio Rico (verta1878)
See Directory Map below for the full annotated tree.
Key directories: engine/ (core), server/ (GUI), fossil/ (4 platforms),
driver/pascal-port/ (VxD port), tests/, docs/, InnoIRC561/ (installer).
Three independent tracks. DOS doesn't feed i386. The installer packages i386.
| Milestone | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| M0 | Recover Dedrick's original source | ✅ |
| M1 | Engine integrated — 38 tests, 0 failures | ✅ |
| M2 | Builds on Windows — dual compiler verified | ✅ |
| M3 | Live connection — 6 tests pass | ✅ |
| M4 | Virtual COM path (com0com NT + UMDF2 named pipe) | ✅ code written, needs hardware to test |
| M5 | Tagged installable release (= R5.3) | ⬜ tag netmodem2irc |
| Binary | Size | Compiler | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NMServer.exe | 2.6M | FPC 2.6.4irc | ✅ Win32 PE32 |
| NMServer.exe | 2.0M | FPC 3.2.2 | ✅ Win32 PE32 |
| NMServer | 5.1M | FPC 3.2.2 | ✅ Linux ELF |
| NMConfig.exe | 2.0M | FPC 3.2.2 | ✅ compiles |
| NETMODEM.CPL | 657K | Dedrick Allen | ✅ original binary |
| Phase | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| D1 | Real 16550 UART — serial.pas (sysop/0) | ✅ |
| D2 | FOSSIL function set — fossil.pas | ✅ |
| D3 | INT 14h + Keep — netfosdl.pas | ✅ |
| D4 | Conformance testing — test suite ready | ✅ (needs 386 to run) |
| D5 | Direct UART relay — 50 tests pass | ✅ |
| Phase | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Inno 1-8 | ISCC through Compil32 | ✅ |
| Inno 9-10 | Setup.exe + ISCmplr runtime AV | ✅ |
| Phase | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| R1.1-R1.7 | Debug infrastructure (NM_Debug + panel + SynapseLink) | ✅ |
| R2.1-R2.5 | Setup.exe + ISCmplr AV fix | ✅ DEP fix + Wine deadlock fix |
| R3.3 | Binary safety — 37 tests pass | ✅ |
| R3.4 | Multinode — 25 tests pass (3 simultaneous nodes) | ✅ |
| R4.1 | Win9x VxD test | ✅ mock passes 39/39, needs Win98 VM for real |
| R4.2 | NT com0com path — documented | ✅ |
| R4.3 | NT UMDF2 driver — specified | ✅ |
| R5.1 | Inno installer packaging | ✅ wine ISCC.exe builds installer |
| Suite | Tests | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| M0-M1 Engine | 38 | 38 |
| R3.3 Binary safety | 37 | 37 |
| M3 Live connection | 6 | 6 |
| R3.4 Multinode | 25 | 25 |
| D5 Direct relay | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 156 | 156 |
| Unit | Lines | What |
|---|---|---|
| NM_UART16550 | — | 16550 UART emulation (registers, RX/TX ring buffers) |
| NM_Debug | — | Three-channel debug (OutputDebugString, log file, callback) |
| NM_DebugView | 1,455 | Protocol analyzer — USR Courier LED panel, hex stream, event log, ANSI/AT/Zmodem decoders, session lifecycle, throughput, export |
| NM_DirectRelay | 299 | TCP↔UART bypass — no FOSSIL dispatch overhead |
| NM_Config | — | Registry configuration |
| NM_ATCommand | — | AT modem command parser |
| NM_Fossil | — | FOSSIL function emulation |
| NM_FossilDriver | — | FOSSIL driver interface |
| NM_Node | — | Node/connection manager (99 nodes) |
| NM_SeamProtocol | — | SEAM length-prefixed binary framing |
| NM_ServerBridge | — | Server bridge (listen, accept, pump) |
| NM_SynapseLink | — | Socket link with debug logging (R1.7) |
| NetTransport | — | Telnet BINARY negotiation, IAC doubling |
| NMVxD | — | VxD interface (cross-platform) |
| NetModemVxD | — | VxD interface (Windows-only) |
dos/driver/
├── serial.pas 203 lines — real 16550 UART (sysop/0)
├── serial_irq.pas 195 lines — ISR + 4KB ring buffer (kiddo)
├── fossil.pas 398 lines — FOSSIL dispatch FSC-0015/0072
└── netfosdl.pas 323 lines — INT 14h hook, Keep, X00 params
Real-time protocol analyzer. Three panels:
USR Courier LED Panel — AA CD OH RD SD TR MR CS HS ARQ. LEDs flicker on data flow, map to UART MSR/MCR register bits.
Event Log — full session lifecycle in plain English: connect, Telnet negotiation, FOSSIL init, login/password detection, menu detection, Zmodem transfer detection, goodbye, disconnect. Session summary with duration, bytes, username, transfer count.
Data Stream — human-readable byte dump. Auto-detects ANSI sequences, AT commands, Zmodem headers, IAC escapes. Throughput counter with peak rate. File transfer progress. Export to file.
See docs/DEBUGGER_GUIDE.md for the plain English reference.
| Doc | What |
|---|---|
| ROADMAP.md | 3 tracks, all phases, coding standards |
| docs/index.htm | Color-coded doc index with phase status |
| docs/DEBUGGER_GUIDE.md | Plain English debugger reference |
| docs/R42_com0com_NT_path.md | NT virtual COM port setup guide |
| docs/R43_UMDF2_virtual_COM.md | UMDF2 driver specification |
| docs/serial_irq_plan.md | ISR + ring buffer plan (implemented) |
74 docs total. See docs/index.htm for the full categorized index.
# Engine only (no GUI)
fpc -Mobjfpc -Fuengine -Fucommon -Fulibs/synapse -dHAS_SYNAPSE server/NMServer.lpr
# Win32 cross-compile (needs upstream FPC source + LCL)
# Trick: compile forms.pp first, then interfaces.pp, exclude FV
ppcross386 -Twin32 ... server/NMServer.lpr# Uses verta1878/fpc264irc toolchain
ppc386 -Twin32 ... server/NMServer.lprfpc -Mobjfpc -dHAS_SYNAPSE tests/test_binary_safety.pas && ./test_binary_safety
fpc -Mobjfpc -dHAS_SYNAPSE tests/test_r34_multinode.pas && ./test_r34_multinode
fpc -Mobjfpc -dHAS_SYNAPSE tests/test_d5_relay.pas && ./test_d5_relay
# D4 FOSSIL conformance: DOS only (ppcross386 -Tgo32v2 -Mtp)caller (telnet)
→ netmodem2irc (transport) wrench + verta1878
→ FOSSIL (virtual COM) sysop/0 + kiddo
→ PCBoard 15.4 (BBS) hexadecimal
→ Mystic BBS (BBS) evga + kiddo
→ RIPscrip (graphics) kiddo
→ OpenOLMS (offline mail) verta1878 + wrench
| Who | What |
|---|---|
| verta1878 | Project lead, architect |
| sysop/0 | Compiler (fpc264irc), terminal, serial UART |
| kiddo | Serial IRQ ring buffer, protocols, RIPscrip engine |
| wrench | Engine, debugger, network architecture |
| evga | Cyclades CD1400 driver (DOS + Windows), SIO/SIO2K OS/2 drivers, Display, Mystic |
| hexadecimal | PCBoard 15.4 (pcbrevival) |
| g00r00 | Mystic BBS (GPLv3 upstream) |
| Dedrick Allen | Original NetModem/32 (1997-2001) |
GPLv3. See LICENSE.
878 files. Annotated guide to every directory and key file.
netmodem2irc/
│
├── README.md Project overview, status, build instructions
├── ROADMAP.md 3 tracks, all phases, coding standards
├── LICENSE GPLv3
├── LICENSE-GPLv2 Original Dedrick Allen license
├── LICENSES.md License summary for all components
├── THIRD_PARTY.md Third-party code attributions
├── AUTHORS Team members + credits
├── CREDITS.md Detailed credits
├── CHANGELOG.md Version history
├── Makefile Build: make, make tests, make win32, make dos
├── build.sh Build helper script
├── DEFERRED-20260725.md Deferred items from session 2
│
├── engine/ ── THE CORE ENGINE (18 units) ──
│ ├── NM_UART16550.pas 16550 UART emulation (registers, RX/TX rings)
│ ├── NM_Debug.pas 3-channel debug (OutputDebugString, log, callback)
│ ├── NM_DebugView.pas Protocol analyzer — 1,455 lines
│ │ USR Courier LED panel (AA CD OH RD SD TR MR CS HS ARQ)
│ │ Hex stream + human-readable data viewer
│ │ Event log with session lifecycle tracing
│ │ FOSSIL decoder, Telnet decoder, AT command scanner
│ │ ANSI sequence decoder, throughput counter
│ │ File transfer progress, session export
│ ├── NM_DirectRelay.pas TCP↔UART bypass (no FOSSIL overhead) — 299 lines
│ ├── NM_Config.pas Registry configuration
│ ├── NM_ConfigApply.pas Apply config changes at runtime
│ ├── NM_DefaultConfig.pas Default configuration values
│ ├── NM_GlobalConfig.pas Global config singleton
│ ├── NM_ATCommand.pas AT modem command parser (ATDT, ATH, ATA, ATZ)
│ ├── NM_Fossil.pas FOSSIL function emulation (INT 14h)
│ ├── NM_FossilDriver.pas FOSSIL driver interface
│ ├── NM_Int14ISR.pas INT 14h ISR hook (211 lines)
│ ├── NM_Node.pas Node/connection manager (99 nodes max)
│ ├── NM_SeamProtocol.pas SEAM length-prefixed binary framing
│ ├── NM_SeamSender.pas SEAM frame sender
│ ├── NM_ServerBridge.pas Server bridge (listen, accept, pump)
│ ├── NM_ServerLink.pas Server link interface
│ ├── NM_SynapseLink.pas Socket link + debug logging (R1.7)
│ ├── NM_Listserv.pas Future mailing list server
│ ├── NM_AutoNews.pas Auto-news feature
│ ├── NM_TSR.pas TSR support (DOS)
│ ├── NM_TSRResident.pas TSR resident code (DOS)
│ ├── NM_NamedPipeLink.pas Named pipe transport
│ ├── NetTransport.pas Telnet BINARY negotiation, IAC doubling
│ └── test/ M0-M1 engine unit tests (38 tests)
│ ├── run-tests.sh Test runner
│ ├── test_uart.pas UART emulation tests
│ ├── test_atcommand.pas AT command tests
│ ├── test_fossil.pas FOSSIL emulation tests
│ ├── test_transport.pas Transport layer tests
│ ├── test_seam*.pas SEAM protocol tests (6 files)
│ ├── test_bridge*.pas Bridge tests
│ ├── test_synapse*.pas Socket link tests
│ └── ... (28 test files total)
│
├── server/ ── THE SERVER GUI ──
│ ├── NMServer.lpr Lazarus project (LCL entry point)
│ ├── NetModemServer.lpr Alternate entry point (Windows-only deps)
│ ├── MainForm.pas Main window — node list, debug panel (R1.5)
│ ├── MainForm.lfm Lazarus form layout
│ ├── SplashForm.pas Splash screen
│ ├── SplashForm.lfm Splash form layout
│ ├── NMServer.lpi Lazarus project info
│ ├── NMServer.res Compiled resources
│ └── resources/ Icons + bitmaps (mainicon, splash, status icons)
│
├── config/ ── THE CONFIG TOOL ──
│ ├── NMConfig.lpr Config editor entry point
│ ├── ConfigMain.pas Config main form
│ ├── ConfigMain.lfm Config form layout
│ ├── NMConfig.res Compiled resources
│ └── resources/ Icons + bitmaps (30 resource files)
│
├── common/ ── SHARED UNITS ──
│ ├── NMVxD.pas VxD interface (cross-platform)
│ └── NetModemVxD.pas VxD interface (Windows-only)
│
├── fossil/ ── FOSSIL DRIVERS (4 PLATFORMS) ──
│ ├── common/ Shared code
│ │ ├── m_fossil_socket.pas Socket FOSSIL backend (sysop/0, 189 lines)
│ │ └── serial_ext.pas 6 extended serial functions (wrench)
│ ├── dos/ netfosdl — DOS TSR (INT 14h)
│ │ ├── fossil.pas FOSSIL dispatch FSC-0015
│ │ ├── serial.pas 16550 UART Port[] I/O (sysop/0)
│ │ ├── serial_irq.pas ISR + 4KB ring buffer (kiddo)
│ │ └── netfosdl.pas DOS TSR loader
│ ├── linux/ netfosll — Linux ASYNC layer
│ │ └── async_linux.c 23 ASYNC functions (wrench, 326 lines)
│ ├── os2/ netfosol — OS/2 (DosDevIOCtl + socket)
│ │ └── netfosol.pas 428 lines (wrench)
│ ├── windows/ netfoswl — Windows (Win32 COM + socket)
│ │ └── netfoswl.pas 392 lines (wrench)
│ └── cyclades/ Cyclades CD1400 — 32-port multiport (evga)
│ ├── cd1400_regs.pas CD1400 register definitions (281 lines)
│ ├── cy_fossil_bridge.pas 32-port bridge to engine (248 lines)
│ ├── src/ Windows WDM kernel driver (9 files)
│ ├── inc/ C headers (6 files)
│ ├── test/ Test suite (4 files)
│ ├── tools/ Installer
│ └── doc/ Audit, build guide, troubleshooting
│
├── dos/ ── DOS TARGET ──
│ ├── driver/ FOSSIL driver (D1-D3)
│ │ ├── serial.pas Real 16550 UART — Port[] I/O (sysop/0, 203 lines)
│ │ ├── serial_irq.pas ISR + 4KB ring buffer, 8259 PIC (kiddo, 195 lines)
│ │ ├── fossil.pas FOSSIL dispatch FSC-0015/0072 (398 lines)
│ │ ├── netfosdl.pas INT 14h hook, Keep (TSR), X00 params (323 lines)
│ │ └── SERIAL_README.md Driver documentation
│ ├── fossil_dos.pas DOS FOSSIL interface
│ ├── netmodem.pas DOS main program
│ ├── fpc-sockets-request.md Socket API request for fpc264irc
│ └── retired/ Superseded DOS code
│
├── driver/ ── VxD PASCAL PORT ──
│ ├── pascal-port/ VxD → Pascal port (wrench)
│ │ ├── NM_VxD_Types.pas Packed records matching ASM structs (205 lines)
│ │ ├── VXD_PORT_PLAN.md 6-phase port plan
│ │ └── vxd_port_test.pas 7-phase test harness (39 tests)
│ └── src-retired-README.md Points to attic/driver-vxd-original/
│ ├── VPICD.INC Virtual PIC
│ ├── VWIN32.INC VWin32 interface
│ ├── COPYING Original license
│ ├── INFO Driver info
│ ├── LICENSE-NOTICE.md License notice
│ └── README.md Directory documentation
│
├── libs/ ── LIBRARIES ──
│ └── synapse/ Ararat Synapse socket library (18 files)
│ ├── blcksock.pas TBlockSocket — core socket class
│ ├── synautil.pas Utility functions
│ ├── synaser.pas Serial port (not used — we have serial.pas)
│ ├── synacode.pas Encoding utilities
│ ├── synafpc.pas FPC compatibility
│ ├── synaip.pas IP address utilities
│ ├── synsock.pas Socket definitions
│ ├── *.inc Platform includes (win32, linux, posix, etc.)
│ ├── SYNAPSE_README.md Upstream documentation
│ └── README.md Directory documentation
│
├── tests/ ── INTEGRATION TESTS ──
│ ├── test_binary_safety.pas R3.3: 37 tests — all 256 bytes, CP437, IAC, Zmodem
│ ├── test_m3_server.pas M3: headless echo server
│ ├── test_m3_client.pas M3: test client (6 tests)
│ ├── test_r34_multinode.pas R3.4: 3 simultaneous nodes (25 tests)
│ ├── test_d4_fossil.pas D4: FOSSIL conformance (37 tests, DOS-only)
│ └── test_d5_relay.pas D5: direct UART relay (50 tests)
│
├── out/ ── COMPILED BINARIES ──
│ ├── i386/
│ │ ├── NMServer.exe 2.6M Win32 PE32 (fpc264irc)
│ │ ├── NMConfig.exe Config tool
│ │ ├── NMServer.res Server resources
│ │ ├── NMConfig.res Config resources
│ │ └── NETMODEM.CPL Original Dedrick Allen control panel applet
│ └── win32/
│ ├── NMServer.exe 2.0M Win32 PE32 (FPC 3.2.2)
│ ├── NMConfig.exe Config tool
│ └── NETMODEM.CPL Control panel applet
│
├── cpl/ ── CONTROL PANEL APPLET ──
│ ├── NetModemCPL.pas CPL source
│ ├── original_forms/ Dedrick's original Delphi forms (6 .dfm files)
│ └── resources/ CPL icons
│
├── docs/ ── DOCUMENTATION (63 files) ──
│ ├── index.htm Color-coded doc index with phase status
│ ├── DEBUGGER_GUIDE.md Plain English debugger reference
│ ├── R42_com0com_NT_path.md NT virtual COM port setup guide
│ ├── R43_UMDF2_virtual_COM.md UMDF2 driver specification
│ ├── serial_irq_plan.md ISR + ring buffer plan (implemented)
│ ├── DRIVER_INTERFACE.md Driver interface specification
│ ├── GUI_BLUEPRINT.md GUI design blueprint
│ ├── BUILD.md Build instructions
│ ├── BUGS.md Known bugs
│ ├── original/ Dedrick's original docs (ATCOMNDS, README, WHATSNEW)
│ ├── test/ Older test files (M0-M1 era, 14 files)
│ └── ... (50+ architecture, audit, and protocol docs)
│
├── InnoIRC561/ ── INNO SETUP (FPC PORT) ──
│ ├── README.md Inno Setup 5.6.1 FPC port documentation
│ ├── INNO_FPC_PORT.md Port details
│ ├── INNO_ORIGINAL_SOURCE.md Original source notes
│ ├── netmodem2irc.iss Installer script
│ ├── lzma/ LZMA object files (3 .o files)
│ ├── out/ Built Inno binaries (Compil32, ISCC, ISCmplr, etc.)
│ ├── src/ Inno Setup 5.6.1 source (vendored, ~700 files)
│ └── superseded/ Old Inno docs (3 files)
│
├── history/ ── ORIGINAL ARTIFACTS ──
│ ├── ORIGINAL_NETMODEM.md Recovery story
│ ├── FILE_ID.DIZ Original BBS description file
│ ├── NETMODEM.CPL Original control panel applet
│ ├── net32_1b4.zip Dedrick's NetModem/32 beta 4 installer
│ ├── net32_b4/ Extracted installer (SETUP.EXE + packages)
│ ├── netmdb15.zip NetModem DOS 1.5 (Dedrick's DOS version)
│ └── netmdb15/ Extracted DOS version (NETFOSSL.EXE, NETMODEM.EXE)
│
├── attic/ Retired code (historical)
│ ├── driver-vxd-original/ NETMODEM.ASM (5,712 lines, Dedrick Allen)
│ ├── docs/ 50 retired planning docs
│ ├── README.md What's here and why
│ ├── WIN32COM.PAS Old Win32 COM port code
│ ├── docs/ Old docs (6 files, superseded by docs/)
│ ├── netmodem2irc_CREDITS.md Old credits
│ └── watt32/ Watt-32 TCP stubs (retired)
│
└── .github/
└── description GitHub repo description
| Directory | Files | What |
|---|---|---|
| engine/ | 22 units + 28 tests | Core modem emulation engine |
| server/ | 8 + resources | NMServer GUI (Lazarus/LCL) |
| config/ | 4 + resources | NMConfig GUI |
| common/ | 2 | Shared VxD interface |
| fossil/common/ | 2 | Shared FOSSIL socket backend |
| fossil/dos/ | 5 | DOS FOSSIL driver (TSR INT 14h) |
| fossil/linux/ | 2 | Linux ASYNC layer (async_linux.c) |
| fossil/os2/ | 2 | OS/2 FOSSIL driver (DosDevIOCtl + socket) |
| fossil/windows/ | 2 | Windows FOSSIL driver (Win32 COM + socket) |
| fossil/cyclades/ | 35 | Cyclades CD1400 driver + bridge + tests (evga) |
| dos/driver/ | 5 | FOSSIL driver (serial + IRQ + dispatch) |
| dos/ | 4 + retired | DOS target code |
| driver/pascal-port/ | 3 | VxD → Pascal port (types, plan, test) |
| libs/synapse/ | 18 | Ararat Synapse socket library |
| tests/ | 8 | Integration test suites (156 + 39 + 54 = 249 tests) |
| out/ | — | Removed (binaries → GitHub Releases) |
| cpl/ | 2 + forms + resources | Control panel applet |
| docs/ | 63 | Architecture, audits, guides, specs |
| InnoIRC561/ | ~720 | Inno Setup FPC port (mostly vendored source) |
| history/ | 15 | Original Dedrick Allen artifacts |
| attic/ | ~70 | Retired VxD source, 50 planning docs, old code |
| root | 13 | README, ROADMAP, LICENSE, Makefile, etc. |
| Total | ~920 |