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1421 lines
62 KiB
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1421 lines
62 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 10 No. 9 (1 March 1993)
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A newsletter of the |
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FidoNet BBS community | Published by:
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_ |
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/ \ | "FidoNews" BBS
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/|oo \ | +1-415-863-2739
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(_| /_) | NEW!--> 1:1/23@FidoNet
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_`@/_ \ _ | editor@fidonews.fidonet.org
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| | \ \\ |
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| (*) | \ )) | Editors:
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|__U__| / \// | Tom Jennings
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_//|| _\ / | Tim Pozar
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(_/(_|(____/ |
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(jm) | Newspapers should have no friends.
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| -- JOSEPH PULITZER
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----------------------------+---------------------------------------
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/*********************************************************************
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* IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address for FidoNews has been changed. *
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* The new address is: *
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* *
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* FidoNews = 1:1/23 *
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* *
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* Starting January 1993 email sent to the old address will not be *
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* forwarded! You were warned! *
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*********************************************************************/
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For information, copyrights, article submissions, obtaining copies and
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other boring but important details, please refer to the end of this
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file.
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL ..................................................... 1
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Editorial: Bye bye! (boo hoo!) ................................ 1
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2. ARTICLES ...................................................... 3
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Steve Jackson Games case -- recent news ....................... 11
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Caller ID ..................................................... 15
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The Youth of FidoNet, Part II ................................. 17
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I get the point! .............................................. 18
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H-Net (Handle-Net) Opening March 6,1993! ...................... 19
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Head-to-Head Air Combat Simulators Echo ....................... 21
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This New Echo, KLINGON - What Is It? .......................... 22
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TWO NEW BLINDNESS-RELATED ECHOS NOW AVAILABLE ................. 23
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3. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .......................................... 25
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 1 1 Mar 1993
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======================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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======================================================================
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Editorial: Bye bye!! (boo hoo!)
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Well this is it, my final editorial. Next week's will be edited by
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Silvia Maxwell and Don Tees. Say hi to them. (Hi!)
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Today is a momentous day for me. I'm moving into a new apartment this
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very day, tomorrow my phone lines get swapped over. As soon as I
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finish this, I have to pack more boxes aand drag 'em over. We're
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moving from out in the boonies to the heart of the Mission; 16th St
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between Mission and Valencia. The three little holes in my windows
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turned out to be bullet holes! (22 or 25 cal.) The glass is
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double-paned, and I was able to locate the trajectory. Later, I pull
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down the shade, and there's matching holes! Yipes! Oh well, instead of
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a 45 minute walk to the cafe, it's about 120 seconds, a vast
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improvement. No more do I have to pay $1 for a bus, down on the corner
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I can buy a "late nite" (daily bus transfer) for 25 cents! ("I love,
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livin' in the city!" -- FEAR)
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I digress.
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Oh, probably there'll be small mistakes made, but be helpful and nice.
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Our new editors have to decipher my 4DOS batch files, and generate a
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newsletter that's at least recognizable and somehow get it to 1:13/13.
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In a week.
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I look forward to seeing what changes they make. I failed to keep one
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promise, that of revamping the newsletter format from "line printer"
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format to online readable. I really blew the "Ask EFF!" project,
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though Shari Steele is hanging in there raring to go.
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Think back on all the little wars we've had... Zone 2 hassles... Z1C
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"process" or lack of... POLICYx... encryption... I'm begging off just
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in time to miss the "Caller ID" wars -- YAY!!! (You know it's time to
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leave when...)
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It's been fun, really!! Even the hard parts I learned a lot, about
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taking my lumps when necessary, and staying the hell out of local
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squabbles.
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So ta-ta, I'll see you out in the cloud...
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 2 1 Mar 1993
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My BBS is going to go offline for a while, probably a month or two,
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starting this week. I will have an email address however, but it's on
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the Internet. It's
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tomj@fido.wps.com
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My old DOS machine is now running 386BSD and directly connected to the
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internet. In itself an interesting story, and one you'll probably see
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in these pages and BOARDWATCH magazine.
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Anyways -- you can email me from FidoNet, via certain FidoNet nodes
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flagged "GUUCP". Those are UFGATE sites, that have one foot each in
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FidoNet and Internet. There's a bunch of then. The way it works is
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you send a message to one of those FidoNet addresses, with certain
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magicwords placed within the message itself, that the UFGATE software
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detects. These are: the "to:" field being the single word UUCP. The
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VERY FIRST line of the message formatted exactly as:
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to: tomj@fido.wps.com
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With at least one completely blank line following it. After that, put
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your real message. Make sure ytou have the address (ie. the to: line
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embedded in the message body) correct, otherwise your message won't
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make it.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 3 1 Mar 1993
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======================================================================
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ARTICLES
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======================================================================
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*A FidoNet (FTN) Domain Name Service
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(I'm submitting this to FidoNews to generate thought and discussion
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about alternatives to the present nodelist. This proposal was
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inspired by the recent nodelist problems (extrainious control
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characters, CRC errors, etc.). The present nodelist is getting too
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big to be perfectly managed - the recent nodelist problems will happen
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again sooner or later. Sooner or later MakeNL will break (probably
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sooner) and other nodelist processing software will start to have
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problems as the nodelist continues to grow. RPH)
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Document: FSC-0000
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Version: 001
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Date: 14-Nov-1992
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A Proposal
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for
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A FidoNet (FTN) Domain Name Service
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Robert Heller
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1:321/153
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Locks Hill BBS
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Information:
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The purpose of this FSC is to describe my ideas for
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migrating FidoNet(r) networks from a "static" nodelist to a
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domain based nameserver type of address resolution scheme.
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This document does not propose a definitive scheme, only one
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posible scheme. Other schemes are posible - this document
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just presents one as a starting point for discussion.
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Distribution of this document is unlimited.
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1. Introduction
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---------------
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In this document I plan to present a simple domain nameserver
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scheme for FidoNet(r) networks. This scheme could be implemented
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easily, since no new connection protocols would be needed and in
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fact little new software would be needed.
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Nameserver queries would be implemented as File Requests for
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magic filenames. The files would contain the information needed
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to perform the desired address resolution. These files would be
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built by the nameserver in advance by an off-line process. That
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is, they would be pre-computed - the querying node would not be
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left hanging on the line while the nameserver went off and did a
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database lookup.
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 4 1 Mar 1993
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2. Addresses
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------------
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A domain nameserver based FidoNet would use three levels of
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addressing: virtual (most abstract), logical, and physical (least
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abstract).
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2.1 Virtual Addresses
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A node has 1 or more virtual addresses, one of which is it
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primary address and the others are aliases. A virtual address is
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a totally symbolic address and is formatted just like an InterNet
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address:
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node.domain
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where node is the node's name and domain is a domain
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specification and can have any number of [sub-]* domains. For
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example, my system could have a virtual address of:
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LocksHill.DeepWoods.com.fidonet.org
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The node and domain segment strings consist of letters (upper and
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lower case are equivelant), digits, dash (-), underscore (_), and
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dollar sign ($) characters and must begin with a letter.
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Virtual addresses generally convey no geographical or routing
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information. They are intended purely for human convience
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purposes - they are really little more and a node name, with some
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added information.
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2.2 Logical Addresses
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A node can 1 or more logical addresses, although having only 1 is
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preferable. A logical address is exactly an existing 3-4D
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FidoNet(r) address:
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Zone:Net_or_Region/Node
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or
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Zone:Net_or_Region/Node.Point
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A logical address is used by mail packers and mail routers. It
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is the addresses exchanged in YooHoo/2U2 packets and live in the
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Type-2 packet headers.
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2.3 Physical Addresses
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A node has exactly one physical address. In FidoNet(r), this is
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typically the telephone number assigned by the telephone company.
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(It is posible that some nodes have something else as a
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"physical" address, for example a point which is connected to its
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bossnode via a LAN connection or a hardwired COM port.) A
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multi-line BBS typically has one line for FidoNet(r) connections
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 5 1 Mar 1993
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or multiple logical and virtual address, at least one per line.
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The physical address is used by the mailer program to actually
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make a connection.
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3. The Domain Database
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----------------------
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The domain database would consist of four ASCII text files,
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probably compressed:
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1) The domain table. This text file maps between virtual
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addresses and logical addresses. It also defines aliases
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as well and lists nameservers.
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2) The mail-exchanger table. This text file describes the
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prefered netmail routing. For each domain tail, it lists
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one or more node names that handle incoming mail for
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those domain tails. This file only uses virtual
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addresses. Its data is consulted by high-level mail
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routers, that take out-bound mail messages and combines
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them into bundles that are later packed into mail packets
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(which are routed to logical address fetched from the
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domain table).
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3) The capability file. This file describes any extra
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services or capabilities a node might provide. This
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includes (but is certainly not limited to): gateway
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services (to other FTN or to non-FTN networks),
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alternitive low-level connection protocols (i.e. UUCP,
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SLIP, etc.), and file echos (SDS, SDN, etc.). This file
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is meant as a catch-all for misc. optional information
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that might be usefull.
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4) The nodelist segment file. This file contains the mapping
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from logical address to physical address, and is in fact,
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a presnt-day NodeList file, except it is a "sparce"
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nodelist. That is, it only describes the nodes at the
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immediate level of the nameserver and nodes at the level
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above and below the nameserver.
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3.1 Format of the domain table file.
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------------------------------------
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The domain table file contains 1 or more lines of text. Lines
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starting with a semi-colon (;) are comments and are ignored when
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this file is processd. Each non-comment line contains two or
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more fields separated by commas:
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field1,field2,...,fieldN
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The first field is a field type keyword. The field types defined
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are (case is not important):
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 6 1 Mar 1993
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DEFAULT,domaintail
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Defines the default domain tail to append to domain names in
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the rest of the file. Domain tail must begin with a dot (.).
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Any subsequent domain names that do end in a dot will get the
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specified domaintail appended before further processing.
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NAMESERVER,domaintail,domain,preference
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Defines a domain server for domaintail. Domain is the virtual
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address of the server node and preference is a preference value,
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a number giving a relative value when looking for a server to
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contact. A higher number means this is a better node to try and a
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lower number means this is a backup server. The preference gives
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a ranking for multiple servers for a given domain tail.
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ALIAS,domain1,domain2
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Defines that domain1 is an alias for domain2.
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ZONE,zone-number
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REGION,region-number
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NET,net-number
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Defines default values to use in subsequent ADDRESS lines.
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Region and net lines are effectivly interchangable and are used
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for documentary reasons.
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ADDRESS,domain,logical-address
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Defines the logical address for domain. The logical-address
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can be missing fields. Missing fields are supplied from prior
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ZONE, REGION, and NET lines. Node and point numbers cannot be
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defaulted.
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3.1.1 Sample domain table.
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;; Domain table for Network 999 (N_Luna) of zone 444 (the Moon)
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;; (c) Copyright 2001 Network 999
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;;
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;; Our default domain
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Default,.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org
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;; Our zone
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Zone,444
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;; Our Net
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Net,999
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;; Our NC, Jim
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Alias,N_Luna_Net,Jims_SpaceSuits
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;; Our NEC, Sally
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Alias,N_Luna_NEC,Sallys_Lunies
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;; Our namesevers
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;; Note empty domaintail - the default is used
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NameServer,,N_Luna_Net,100
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NameServer,,N_Luna_NEC,50
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;; Out of net nameservers
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;; Our Zone nameserver
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 7 1 Mar 1993
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NameServer,.moon.fidonet.org.,Moon_NS.fidonet.org.,100
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;; Our IC nameserver
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NameServer,.fidonet.org.,FidoNet_NS.fidonet.org.,100
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;; Use the IC nameserver for non-fidonet addresses
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NameServer,.,FidoNet_NS.fidonet.org.,100
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;;
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;;
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;; Nodes
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;;
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Address,Jims_SpaceSuits,100
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Address,Sallys_Lunies,110
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Address,Moon_Rock_BBS,120
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Address,Monolith_HQ,200
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Address,Space1999,210
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Address,LostOnTheMoon,240
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Address,NorthLunaics,300
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;;
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;; Out of net addresses
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;;
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Address,Moon_NS.fidonet.org.,999/100
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Address,FidoNet_NS.fidonet.org.,1:1/0
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Address,naEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org.,999/1
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Address,eurEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org.,999/2
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Address,ozEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org.,999/3
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Address,saEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org.,999/4
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Address,AfricaEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org.,999/5
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Some notes about the above - the underscores (_) are part of the
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names and do not indicate spaces. The case mixing is stylistic
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and is an aid to readablity. The above is a net level domain
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table. It also includes nameserver definations for higher levels,
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so nodes in N_Luna net can perform address resolutions to out of
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net addresses.
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3.2 Format of the mail exchanger table file.
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--------------------------------------------
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The mail exchanger table file contains 1 or more lines of text.
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Like the domain table lines starting with a semi-colon (;) are
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comments and each non-comment line contains a list of three
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comma-separated values:
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domaintail,domain,preference
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Where domaintail is a domain suffix of a posible mail address,
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domain is the virtual-address of a node that handles the domain
|
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suffix's mail, and preference is a preference value (higher
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number is more prefered than a lower number).
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FidoNews 10-09 Page 8 1 Mar 1993
|
||
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||
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3.2.1 Sample mail exchanger table file
|
||
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;; Mail exchanger table for Network 999 (N_Luna)
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;; of zone 444 (the Moon)
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||
;; (c) Copyright 2001 Network 999
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;;
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||
;; Local mail can go via either the NC or NEC, with the NC
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;; getting a higher preference
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||
.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,N_Luna_Net.moon.fidonet.org,100
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||
.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,N_Luna_NEC.moon.fidonet.org,90
|
||
;; Out of zone mail goes through the zone gates
|
||
.naEarth.fidonet.org,naEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org,50
|
||
.eurEarth.fidonet.org,eurEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org,50
|
||
.ozEarth.fidonet.org,ozEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org,50
|
||
.saEarth.fidonet.org,saEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org,50
|
||
.AfricaEarth.fidonet.org,AfricaEarth_gate.moon.fidonet.org,50
|
||
.JupiterNet.org,Monolith_HQ.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,50
|
||
|
||
Some notes about the above - undefined domain tails don't have a
|
||
defined mail exchanger - this will cause a node trying to send
|
||
such mail to do a nameserver call to get mail exchanger and any
|
||
other info needed. ( The above is probably unrealistic - a more
|
||
realistic mail exchanger table might have a default mail gateway.
|
||
And/or a zone-local inter-network nameserver.)
|
||
|
||
3.3 Capability file.
|
||
--------------------
|
||
|
||
The capability file lists virtual-address and any extra services
|
||
it might provide. Semi-colon (;) in column one means a comment.
|
||
The non-comment lines are of the format:
|
||
|
||
virtual-address,keyword:value,keyword:value,...
|
||
|
||
Where virtual-address is a node's virtual address. There can be
|
||
any number of lines with the same virtual-address. The
|
||
keyword:value pairs accumulate (as if there was only one very
|
||
long line for that virtual-address).
|
||
|
||
3.3.1 Sample capability file.
|
||
|
||
;; Capability file for Network 999 (N_Luna)
|
||
;; of zone 444 (the Moon)
|
||
;; (c) Copyright 2001 Network 999
|
||
;;
|
||
Jims_SpaceSuits.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,Protcol:UUCP-Z
|
||
Jims_SpaceSuits.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,File:SDSURISC
|
||
Jims_SpaceSuits.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,File:PDNVIRTWIND
|
||
Jims_SpaceSuits.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,File:PDNVIRTREAL
|
||
Monolith_HQ.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,Protocol:X2500
|
||
Monolith_HQ.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,Gateway:JupiterNet.org
|
||
Space1999.N_Luna.moon.fidonet.org,File:PDNNUKEWASTE
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 9 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
3.4 The NodeList Segment File.
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
The nodelist segment file is just a FTS-0005 nodelist file,
|
||
except it is "sparce", that is, it only contains just enough info
|
||
to translate the logical addresses in the corresponding domain
|
||
table file.
|
||
|
||
4.0 Nameserver Implementation.
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Nameservers would be implemented by using the existing
|
||
file-request methods presently in existance. Five magic
|
||
filenames would be setup:
|
||
|
||
DNSDTABL - Domain table file
|
||
DNSMXTBL - Mail Exchanger table file
|
||
DNSCAPAF - Capability file
|
||
DNSNODEL - NodeList segment file
|
||
DNSALL - An archive file containing all four of the files.
|
||
|
||
All a nameserver would need to do would be to provide these five
|
||
files, probably in some sort of commonly acceptable archive
|
||
format. The real filenames should have some sort of predictable,
|
||
but unique name probably based on the level of the nameserver and
|
||
the number of the zone, region, or network the nameserver serves.
|
||
|
||
4.1 Nameserver Levels.
|
||
----------------------
|
||
|
||
Nameservers would exist at various levels:
|
||
|
||
1) At the zone level. The zone level nameserver(s) would
|
||
supply information for the current zone level nodes,
|
||
regional level nameservers, and would also have
|
||
information about the zone level nameservers in all other
|
||
zones.
|
||
|
||
2) At the regional level. The regional level nameservers
|
||
would supply information for the current region level
|
||
nodes (indpendent nodes), the current zone nameserver(s)
|
||
(up level), and network level nameservers. In some
|
||
smaller zones, the region level *might* be skipped. The
|
||
RC also makes the regional level domain info available to
|
||
each of the region's independent nodes.
|
||
|
||
3) At the network level. The network level nameservers
|
||
would supply information about the current network level
|
||
nodes (regular nodes), and the current regional
|
||
nameserver(s). Also, the NC delivers or makes available
|
||
the network level domain info to each of the nodes in the
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 10 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
local network.
|
||
|
||
(If the regional level is skipped, the network nameservers would
|
||
contain entries for zone level nameservers and zone level
|
||
nameserver(s) would contain network nameserver info instead of
|
||
regional nameserver info.)
|
||
|
||
5.0 Database Updates and Management.
|
||
------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Each node gets the network (region for independents) level info.
|
||
These updates are handled much the way nodediffs get handled at
|
||
present. The existing nodediff structure is really a generic text
|
||
file difference editor and should work for any sort of text file.
|
||
If the node needs additional info for regular connections, it is
|
||
up to the node's sysop to schedule regular file requests to the
|
||
nameservers that supply the additional info needed. (This might
|
||
require a cascade of requests, depending on nameserver
|
||
dependencies - posibily a "make" like utility could be used to
|
||
generate the requests.) A compiled database would be a merge of
|
||
the data files a node gets from its NC (or RC for independents)
|
||
and any additional info the node fetches.
|
||
|
||
Because the information supplied at each level only relates to
|
||
that level and the levels just above and below, updates are
|
||
mostly local in nature. There is no need to pass detailed
|
||
network level info to the RC. All that is needed is for the NC
|
||
to pass the local info, merged with the regional nameserver info
|
||
to the network's nameservers and pass the network's nameserver
|
||
info to the RC. Likewise the RC only needs to merge the regions
|
||
indepent node info with the network nameserver info (passed up
|
||
from the NCs) and zone level nameserver info (passed down from
|
||
the ZC) and pass this to the regional nameservers and to pass
|
||
info on the region's nameserver(s) to the NCs. Things are much
|
||
the same at the zone level, except the ZCs pass their own zone
|
||
level nameserver info to each other. Nothing like the full
|
||
nodelist ever gets passed around.
|
||
|
||
6.0 Final Thoughts.
|
||
-------------------
|
||
|
||
This document is by no means complete. It is intended as "food
|
||
for thought". I hope that the members of the FTSC and others
|
||
will read this and think about these ideas and maybe even setup
|
||
experimental nameservers and see how it goes. I expect lots of
|
||
feedback.
|
||
|
||
Robert Heller
|
||
1:321/153
|
||
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 11 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Published with permission from:
|
||
|
||
EFFector Online Volume 5 No. 2 2/19/1993 editors@eff.org
|
||
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
|
||
|
||
|
||
Happy Anniversary ;-) Steve Jackson Games Case!!
|
||
|
||
March 1st marks the three-year anniversary of the Secret Service
|
||
raid on Steve Jackson Games. As we await Judge Sam Sparks's
|
||
decision in this precedent-setting case, EFF would like to remind
|
||
everyone of what has happened so far.
|
||
|
||
In May of 1991, EFF reported about the case in issue #1.04 of
|
||
EFFector Online:
|
||
|
||
On March 1, 1990, the United States Secret Service nearly
|
||
destroyed Steve Jackson Games (SJG), an award-winning
|
||
publishing business in Austin, Texas.
|
||
|
||
In an early morning raid with an unlawful and unconstitutional
|
||
warrant, agents of the Secret Service conducted a search of the
|
||
SJG office. When they left they took a manuscript being prepared
|
||
for publication, private electronic mail, and several computers,
|
||
including the hardware and software of the SJG Computer Bulletin
|
||
Board System. Yet Jackson and his business were not only
|
||
innocent of any crime, but never suspects in the first place.
|
||
The raid had been staged on the unfounded suspicion that
|
||
somewhere in Jackson's office there "might be" a document
|
||
compromising the security of the 911 telephone system.
|
||
|
||
In the months that followed, Jackson saw the business he had
|
||
built up over many years dragged to the edge of bankruptcy. SJG
|
||
was a successful and prestigious publisher of books and other
|
||
materials used in adventure role-playing games. Jackson also
|
||
operated a computer bulletin board system (BBS) to communicate
|
||
with his customers and writers and obtain feedback and
|
||
suggestions on new gaming ideas. The bulletin board was also the
|
||
repository of private electronic mail belonging to several of its
|
||
users. This private mail was seized in the raid. Despite
|
||
repeated requests for the return of his manuscripts and
|
||
equipment, the Secret Service has refused to comply fully.
|
||
|
||
Today, more than a year after that raid, The Electronic Frontier
|
||
Foundation, acting with SJG owner Steve Jackson, has filed a
|
||
precedent setting civil suit against the United States Secret
|
||
Service, Secret Service Agents Timothy Foley and Barbara Golden,
|
||
Assistant United States Attorney William Cook, and Henry
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 12 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
Kluepfel.
|
||
|
||
"This is the most important case brought to date," said EFF
|
||
general counsel Mike Godwin, "to vindicate the Constitutional
|
||
rights of the users of computer-based communications technology.
|
||
It will establish the Constitutional dimension of electronic
|
||
expression. It also will be one of the first cases that invokes
|
||
the Electronic Communications and Privacy Act as a shield and not
|
||
as a sword -- an act that guarantees users of this digital medium
|
||
the same privacy protections enjoyed by those who use the
|
||
telephone and the U.S. Mail."
|
||
|
||
|
||
As the case proceeded, the attorneys from George, Donaldson and
|
||
Ford, who represented Steve Jackson, Steve Jackson Games, and
|
||
Illuminati BBS users Elizabeth McCoy, Steffan O'Sullivan and Walter
|
||
Milliken, decided to drop charges against all defendants except the
|
||
United States Secret Service. (This was a strategic decision made to
|
||
ensure that the trial would proceed in a timely manner.) The case
|
||
went to trial in the United States District Court in Austin, Texas, from
|
||
January 26 - 28, 1993. The plaintiffs presented their case first with
|
||
testimony from all of the plaintiffs themselves, Secret Service Special
|
||
Agents Timothy Foley and Barbara Golden, former U.S. District
|
||
Attorney William J. Cook, Bellcore security expert Henry Kluepfel,
|
||
University of Texas security guard Larry Coutorie, WWIV BBS
|
||
software creator Wayne Bell and a financial expert who testified to
|
||
the amount of damages. By the end of the second day, the plaintiffs
|
||
rested their case.
|
||
|
||
On Thursday morning, the defense put Special Agent Timothy Foley
|
||
back on the witness stand. After he testified that he did not know
|
||
that Steve Jackson Games was a publisher, that the seized computer
|
||
equipment (3 computers, 5 hard disks, and more than 300 floppies)
|
||
had not been accessed by Secret Service investigators after March
|
||
27, 1990, but was not returned to Steve Jackson until late June, and
|
||
that no copy of the information contained on the seized disks
|
||
(including a manuscript for an upcoming publication and the
|
||
company's business records) was ever provided to Steve Jackson,
|
||
Agent Foley sat through a solid 15-minute reprimand from the judge
|
||
on the unacceptability of the government's behavior. The defense
|
||
attorneys were so shaken by the judge's admonishments that they
|
||
decided not to call any other witnesses.
|
||
|
||
While Judge Sparks made it clear that he found the Secret Service's
|
||
behavior to be reprehensible, it is not clear how he will rule in this
|
||
case. The case was based on two rarely-construed federal statutes --
|
||
the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Privacy
|
||
Protection Act (PPA). ECPA says that government officials may not
|
||
read private electronic mail unless they have a warrant specific to
|
||
that mail. No search warrant specified that Elizabeth McCoy, Steffan
|
||
O'Sullivan or Walter Milliken had done any wrong, yet it appears that
|
||
their mail -- in fact, ALL of the electronic mail contained on the
|
||
system that ran the Illuminati BBS -- had been read and deleted by
|
||
agents conducting the search at Secret Service headquarters in
|
||
Chicago. PPA requires that law enforcement officers follow special
|
||
procedures when the entity to be searched is a publisher, in order to
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 13 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
protect the First Amendment freedom of the press. No special
|
||
procedures were followed in this case. So even if the judge finds that
|
||
Secret Service behavior was inappropriate, it is not so clear that he
|
||
will find that the behavior was actually in violation of these statutes.
|
||
|
||
We expect Judge Sparks will hand down his decision any time now.
|
||
When it is issued, we will be sure to print the written opinion in an
|
||
upcoming issue of EFFector Online.
|
||
|
||
|
||
=============================================================
|
||
|
||
EFFector Online is published by
|
||
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
||
666 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20003
|
||
Phone: +1 202 544-9237 FAX: +1 202 547 5481
|
||
Internet Address: eff@eff.org
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
|
||
|
||
In order to continue the work already begun and to expand our efforts
|
||
and activities into other realms of the electronic frontier, we need
|
||
the financial support of individuals and organizations.
|
||
|
||
If you support our goals and our work, you can show that support by
|
||
becoming a member now. Members receive our bi-weekly electronic
|
||
newsletter, EFFector Online (if you have an electronic address that
|
||
can be reached through the Net), and special releases and other
|
||
notices on our activities. But because we believe that support should
|
||
be freely given, you can receive these things even if you do not elect
|
||
to become a member.
|
||
|
||
Your membership/donation is fully tax deductible.
|
||
|
||
Our memberships are $20.00 per year for students, $40.00 per year for
|
||
regular members, and $100.00 per year for organizations. You may, of
|
||
course, donate more if you wish.
|
||
|
||
Our privacy policy: The Electronic Frontier Foundation will never,
|
||
under any circumstances, sell any part of its membership list. We
|
||
will, from time to time, share this list with other non-profit
|
||
organizations whose work we determine to be in line with our goals.
|
||
But with us, member privacy is the default. This means that you must
|
||
actively grant us permission to share your name with other groups. If
|
||
you do not grant explicit permission, we assume that you do not wish
|
||
your membership disclosed to any group for any reason.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 14 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
=============================================================
|
||
Mail to: The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc.
|
||
238 Main St.
|
||
Cambridge, MA 02142
|
||
|
||
I wish to become a member of the EFF. I enclose: $_______
|
||
$20.00 (student or low income membership)
|
||
$40.00 (regular membership)
|
||
$100.00 (Corporate or organizational membership.
|
||
This allows any organization to
|
||
become a member of EFF. It allows
|
||
such an organization, if it wishes
|
||
to designate up to five individuals
|
||
within the organization as members.)
|
||
|
||
[ ] I enclose an additional donation of $_______
|
||
|
||
Name:
|
||
|
||
Organization:
|
||
|
||
Address:
|
||
|
||
City or Town:
|
||
|
||
State: Zip: Phone: ( ) (optional)
|
||
|
||
FAX: ( ) (optional)
|
||
|
||
Email address:
|
||
|
||
I enclose a check [ ].
|
||
Please charge my membership in the amount of $
|
||
to my Mastercard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ]
|
||
|
||
Number:
|
||
|
||
Expiration date:
|
||
|
||
Signature: ________________________________________________
|
||
|
||
Date:
|
||
|
||
I hereby grant permission to the EFF to share my name with
|
||
other non-profit groups from time to time as it deems
|
||
appropriate [ ].
|
||
Initials:___________________________
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 15 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
From: Doug Mclean@1:255/9
|
||
|
||
Having read the article about caller ID by Chris Farrar in Vol. 10 No.
|
||
8 of FidoNews, I thought some views from a sysop who has already
|
||
implemented caller ID security on a BBS might be helpful.
|
||
|
||
I have had caller ID security in place here for several months. Since
|
||
my modem directly supports caller ID, and since I am a programmer, the
|
||
cost of me setting this up was next to nil. The only cost at all was a
|
||
slight increase in my monthly phone bill to pay for the caller ID
|
||
feature. The software that I wrote runs on the Amiga computer (sorry
|
||
MS-Dos users!) and is freely available to anyone who wishes to file
|
||
request it (MSCID.LHA at 1:255/9). It requires TrapDoor 1.83, and DLG
|
||
Pro BBS/OS, although it could probably be adapted to run with other
|
||
software.
|
||
|
||
The effort it took to program a caller ID system and the higher phone
|
||
bill are small prices to pay when one considers the benifits that
|
||
caller ID security offers to both me as a sysop *AND* to my users.
|
||
Before I implemented caller ID security, my BBS occasionally got calls
|
||
from fake users whose only reason for calling the BBS was to leave
|
||
nasty messages to the sysop composed mostly of four letter words.
|
||
While this was not a frequent event, it was still annoying. Most
|
||
likely, the callers were irresponsible kids with nothing better to do
|
||
with their evenings (I am *NOT* saying that all younger callers are
|
||
irresponsible or cause problems, many of my users are young, very well
|
||
behaved, and a pleasure to have as regular callers). With caller ID in
|
||
place, all I have to do is look for the annoying call in my log, and
|
||
instruct the BBS to hang up when it detects a call from that phone
|
||
number (I also get a message from the software stating that a user was
|
||
booted off because they called from a dis-allowed phone number). In my
|
||
particular implementation, several other options are available besides
|
||
simply hanging up.
|
||
|
||
Another potential annoyance is the user who calls late at night,
|
||
enters a fake phone number, and then proceeds to use a callback
|
||
verifier. Although I don't run a callback verifier, I can see how it
|
||
could easily be used to annoy innocent people in the middle of the
|
||
night. I'm sure I wouldn't appreciate a call from a BBS at 3 in the
|
||
morning generated by a fake number entered into someone callback
|
||
software! Caller ID software can eliminate this potential problem.
|
||
|
||
Imagine the supprise on the face of a bogus caller (who had planned to
|
||
do nothing more than annoy the sysop) when they were told that the
|
||
phone number that gave in their application is not the number that
|
||
they are calling from, and that the sysop will be informed of their
|
||
real number! I haven't had ANY bogus users since putting caller ID in
|
||
place. Once this type of person knows that you know who they are, they
|
||
are unwilling to risk entering a lot of messages to the sysop that
|
||
contain little more than four letter words. This is especially true of
|
||
younger callers (again, I am not trying to lump all younger callers
|
||
into one group) who fear that a quick phone call to their parents
|
||
could revoke their computer access, or worse.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 16 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
Caller ID security offers advantages to the user as well. How many
|
||
times has a user called your BBS but is unable to remember his
|
||
password? Have you ever gotten a message from one user asking for
|
||
someone elses password because the other person has forgotten it? With
|
||
caller ID, this can be a thing of the past. My users have the option
|
||
of having the caller ID software log them into the BBS automatically,
|
||
they do not have to remember their password or (even their name) as
|
||
long as they call from their registered phone number. Obviously,
|
||
households that have more than one computer user will not want to use
|
||
this feature, but most of my users find it a great convenience!
|
||
|
||
But before rushing ahead with caller ID security a sysop must consider
|
||
several potential problems. Not all phone lines will send caller ID
|
||
information. This is especially true in areas that are still in the
|
||
process of implenting caller ID. These numbers will show up as either
|
||
blocked or private numbers. The user has no control over this, and
|
||
until the phone company upgrades their exchange there is nothing that
|
||
they can do.
|
||
|
||
Some people have unlisted phone numbers for perfectly valid reasons.
|
||
These people usually have no objection to a sysop knowing who they are
|
||
and what their phone number is, but they do not want their number
|
||
listed in the phone book. Such a phone line will not send valid caller
|
||
ID information, so these users must be validated by some other means.
|
||
|
||
Finally, long distance calls may not send caller ID info. The caller
|
||
ID systems are different in Canada than they are in the US, so calls
|
||
to Canada from the US may show up as blocked, private, or long
|
||
distance, depending on your phone system and theirs. Long distance
|
||
calls within the same country can send a valid caller ID string, but
|
||
the exchanges on both ends must support it. As more phone companies
|
||
upgrade their systems more phone numbers will send the required
|
||
information, but for now caller ID is rather rare on long distance
|
||
calls.
|
||
|
||
One more dis-advantage of caller ID security is that the information
|
||
is sent between the first and second rings. Calling long distance
|
||
takes longer than calling locally (depending on how that call is
|
||
routed and where you are calling, I have seen it take up to a minute
|
||
to connect on a long distance call). Some people have their modem or
|
||
software set to time out too quickly. Since my BBS now must answer on
|
||
the second ring, occasionally when it answers there is nothing but a
|
||
dial tone because the modem on the other end didn't wait long enough.
|
||
As more and more sysops are implementing caller ID security, people
|
||
will have to allow their modems to wait a little longer for a connect,
|
||
especially on long distance calls.
|
||
|
||
Caller ID is a fairly new technology that people will have to get used
|
||
to. If every complaint about a new technology resulted in the
|
||
supression of that technology, we would all still be living in caves
|
||
eating raw food because someone would have banned fire. Caller ID can
|
||
offer benefits not only to the sysop, but the user as well. In my
|
||
experience, the only people who complain about it are the few people
|
||
that complain about everything anyway. Most of my users like the
|
||
faster and more convenient automatic login capability, and I like the
|
||
increased security. Caller ID is a good thing, and it is here to stay.
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 17 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
Doug McLean
|
||
1:255/9
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
The Youth of FidoNet, Part II
|
||
by Ryan Park (1:232/19)
|
||
|
||
I read Isaac Salpeter's article in last week's FidoNews ("The
|
||
Youth of FidoNet") with interest. I believed everything he said, as I
|
||
have had first- hand experience. I am 13 and also run a BBS, the
|
||
QCC-NET BBS. My board is not a "hacker board" and in no way reflects
|
||
my age. When people read my bulletin about the SysOp, they don't
|
||
believe I'm 13!
|
||
|
||
I started my bulletin board as "Da Board!" in September. Since
|
||
December, I get 10-20 calls each day on my 17-hour BBS; many more than
|
||
other full-time BBS's in our area.
|
||
|
||
And just like Isaac, I have had a lot of experience with
|
||
computers. I got my first computer, a Texas Instruments 99/4A when I
|
||
was four and learned to read by reading the programming manuals. I
|
||
learned BASIC and by the time I was six, I was writing simple
|
||
programs. When we went on vacation and stopped at a computer store,
|
||
the owner figured I was just playing with the keyboard. But he saw me
|
||
type RUN and saw a wonderful program with sound, colours, and more
|
||
appear! Since then, I have written some freeware and am writing my
|
||
first "professional" program now.
|
||
|
||
I applied for a FidoNet node in November to the hub at 1:232/400.
|
||
He turned down my request because he thought Lee Busby, net 282's NC,
|
||
would turn me down because of my age. Obviously, I was very upset
|
||
with this. I reviewed POLICY4 and left messages on other FidoNet
|
||
systems to the SysOps explaining this, who had no idea why I was
|
||
turned down. Instead, I started my own network in January and have
|
||
added both FidoNet nodes as well as QWK nodes. While it is small, it
|
||
carries echos all over our area and accomplishes what I wanted to do
|
||
in FidoNet --- start a local echo.
|
||
|
||
After mentioning this in a number of international conferences
|
||
such as OTHERNET, I decided to reapply to net 232 in January. Lee
|
||
Busby was very helpful and agreed to my request. He said that the
|
||
power of the hub "got to his head" and didn't think it would happen
|
||
again as the person moved away from the area. But I've seen this type
|
||
of behaviour once too many in FidoNet: people losing access, node
|
||
numbers, or being denied node numbers altogether because of their age.
|
||
A 14-year-old SysOp in my area applied in net 283 for a node number.
|
||
While the NC was quite helpful, other people failed to reply for
|
||
inquiries about a front door for the Amiga. While it was just because
|
||
they didn't know of any, or they were "prejudice" against him because
|
||
of his age, no one knows.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 18 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
I'm not doing this to flame anyone, certainly not Lee Busby.
|
||
Instead, I think (as well as many other people) that it's time for a
|
||
major policy revision. POLICY4 was written years ago, and POLICY5 is
|
||
needed badly for this and many other issues (namely the elections, as
|
||
Zone 1 has had a major problem democratically electing a ZC.) There
|
||
have been so many teenagers writing Fido-News in the past requesting
|
||
fair treatment that I feel this issue should be addressed soon. What
|
||
_are_ the rights of minorities (including age, race, and sexual
|
||
preference) in FidoNet? Is FidoNet going to become "adults only" like
|
||
the others are? I hope this isn't the case. Unless the international
|
||
policies include a non-discrimination clause in them with references
|
||
to young adults also, FidoNet will be "going to the dogs".
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Steve Mulligan 1:163/307.30
|
||
|
||
Well, I get the point people. Points are just glorified users.
|
||
Sure. I'll let you have that. As long as you realize that Private
|
||
Nodes are just glorified points. And nodes are just glorified
|
||
Private Nodes. I'm still not happy with the points-are-JUST-users
|
||
image but I can't do much about it. What I have done is tried to
|
||
start a point-nodelist.
|
||
|
||
The point-nodelist is a list of all the points and their private
|
||
net numbers. I know there will probably be conflicting private net
|
||
numbers but that is something that we can work around. The point-
|
||
nodelist is in no way a replacement nodelist. It is just something
|
||
to be added when you compile your full nodelist. I use XLAXNODE
|
||
and it has a MYLIST command which works quite nicely to do this.
|
||
|
||
eg:
|
||
|
||
MYLIST PRIVLIST.###
|
||
|
||
To be placed in the point-nodelist, all you points have to do is
|
||
send me your bosses Private Net number, your bosses address (who
|
||
must be in the nodelist), your point number, the name of your point
|
||
system, the city the point system is located in and your name as
|
||
you want it to appear in the point-nodelist. (Send to : Steve
|
||
Mulligan 1:163/307.30)
|
||
|
||
I will use MAKENL (wow, and you though you had to be a ZC to use
|
||
MAKENL) every two weeks to generate an updated point-nodelist. If
|
||
there are a lot of submissions I will increase the rate to one
|
||
week. You can then FREQ the file from 1:163/307 with the magic
|
||
filename of PRIVLIST every Friday that it is released.
|
||
|
||
If you have to take your point system down for a long period of
|
||
time, it is recommended that you NetMail me saying you want your
|
||
node taken out.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 19 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
I also need some help. I would like to have this distributed the
|
||
same way the FidoNews and other nodelists are distributed but I
|
||
don't know how. I also only support points from zone 1. I'm not
|
||
an advanced MAKENL user (I'd have to be a ZC before I could call
|
||
myself that!). So, all you points, send me all the information and
|
||
you can finally be in a nodelist!
|
||
|
||
Steve Mulligan 1:163/307.30
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
By Jason Garneau 1:325/304
|
||
H-Net (Handle-Net) Opening March 6,1993!
|
||
|
||
/ / /\ --------------------
|
||
/ / / \ / / /
|
||
/----/ ---- / \ / /----- /
|
||
/ / / \ / / /
|
||
/ / / \/ ---------- /
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
||
|
||
H-Net started out as a local message base on Online World BBS. The
|
||
purpose was to allow users on my BBS to talk with other users on my
|
||
BBS with handles instead of their legal name. This has worked out
|
||
really well on my board, but running out of a small village in
|
||
Northern Vermont, there are very few local users.
|
||
Users started to tell me that I should make H-NeT a national echo
|
||
so they could talk with other people from around the U.S. I decided
|
||
about three or four months ago that I would give it a try. I started
|
||
advertizing H-Net in the Vermont SysOp echo, and New England SysOp
|
||
echo. Some SysOps in Vermont seemed interested, but many didn't like
|
||
the idea of their users using handles to talk with other users, and
|
||
yet others thought it would end up being a flop, and no one would use
|
||
it (99.9% of all VT echos are "dead"). I decided not to give up. I have
|
||
successfully gotten H-Net onto three other Fidonet BBS systems, and will
|
||
soon be on a Non-Fido BBS.
|
||
|
||
For the past 3 months, H-Net has successfully worked using Fidonet
|
||
Addresses. I have had two Non-Fido BBS Sysops asking to join, but did
|
||
not want to join Fidonet due to the large and costly echos. I could
|
||
not give them H-Net access because they would first need a Fidonet
|
||
address. This is where H-Net broke away from Fidonet Addresses. H-Net
|
||
will be operating on Zone 11 by March 6th, 1993.
|
||
|
||
H-Net is complete with it's own H-Net Policy 1.01, HNETECHO.xxx,
|
||
HNETFILE.xxx, and the HNETLIST.xxx. These files are hatched via Tick
|
||
to all nodes once a week on Fridays. This way, you can compile it at
|
||
the same time as your Fidonet Nodelist. H-Net also has it's own
|
||
H-Netmail similair to Fidonet's NETMAIL.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 20 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
H-Net's policy is totally Democratic. As we have been hearing,
|
||
Fidonet's South American Region has been taken over almost like a
|
||
dictator. With H-Net Policy 1.01, Elections to all positions are
|
||
required every two years or less. If someone has become a dictator,
|
||
the individual nodes below him/her can appeal to the H-Net Court which
|
||
is ran by all of the RC's with the exception of the involved
|
||
region(s). If found guilty of breaking a policy rule, they will lose
|
||
their position, and possibly their node number (depending on how
|
||
serious the violation). This system is designed to help keep H-Net a
|
||
100% democratic network. Policy 1.01 is in effect for all Regions and
|
||
continents so all regions are equal.
|
||
|
||
H-Net is still one of the smallest networks around. We listen to
|
||
users' opinions and are willing to please the public. We are dedicated
|
||
to making the people happy. Although this is Handle-Net, sysops with
|
||
BBS programs not supporting handles can apply, and are allowed to use
|
||
real names.
|
||
|
||
And, for you power-hungry sysops out there: Since H-Net is just
|
||
starting out, we have hundereds of positions such as RC, REC, NC, and
|
||
NEC's to fill. So, if you are interested in becoming one of these
|
||
positions, they are on a First-come, First-serve basis. Just to show
|
||
what we have available for positions:
|
||
|
||
Regional and Network Positions: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky,
|
||
Tennessee, North Carolina South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida,
|
||
Mississippi, Louisianna Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
|
||
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, North
|
||
Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon,
|
||
California, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii,Delaware, D.C., Maryland and all
|
||
other countries than USA.
|
||
|
||
Network Positions: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
|
||
Connecticut, New York Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Utah, Arizona, and New
|
||
Mexico.
|
||
|
||
Well, that just about concludes this article. If you are
|
||
interested, Send the below application form crash Netmail to Jason
|
||
Garneau at 1:325/304. Call back after 48 hours, and you will receive
|
||
the latest HNETMEMB.ZIP which will always inclose the latest
|
||
HNETLIST.xxx, HNETECHO.xxx, HNETFILE.xxx, and HNETPOL.101.
|
||
|
||
-------------------------------------------------- | H-Net -
|
||
Handle-Net Application Form Version | | 1.00 | |
|
||
Taken From Fidonews Elecronic Newsletter |
|
||
|------------------------------------------------| | Name - First
|
||
_________________________ | | Name - Last _________________________
|
||
| | BBS Name ________________________________ | | Fidonet Node
|
||
Number (if one) __:____/____ | | Flags
|
||
(CM,XA,V32BIS,etc)___________________ | |
|
||
____________________________ | | Applying for (check all that
|
||
apply) | | ( ) NC ( ) NEC ( ) RC ( ) REC | |
|
||
( ) Node ( ) Point ( ) ZC ( ) ZC | | ( ) Other
|
||
_____________________________ | | Mother's Maiden Name (for
|
||
Security reasons) | | _____________________________ | | BBS
|
||
Telephone Number (___) ___-____ | | European -
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 21 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
___________________ | | Voice/Telephone Number (___) ___-____
|
||
| | European - ___________________ | | City, State
|
||
(Province), Country: | | __________________________________
|
||
| | Baud Rate (Check all that apply) | | ( ) 300 ( )
|
||
1200 ( ) 2400 ( ) 4800 | | ( ) 7200 ( ) 9600 ( ) 14400
|
||
( ) 19200 | | ( ) 38000 ( ) Other _________ | | |
|
||
--------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
If your system does not use Fidonet Netmail, Log on my BBS at
|
||
(802) 873-9443, and upload this message by entering an ASCII upload in the
|
||
full-screen message editor.
|
||
|
||
Hope to see you online soon! - Jason Garneau
|
||
(ZC-11 - H-Net)
|
||
|
||
Jonathan Comtois
|
||
(NC-100 - H-Net)
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
By Kevin Higgins, 1:128/74
|
||
H2H_ACS : The new Head-To-Head Air Combat Simulations Echo
|
||
|
||
I recently purchased a game which is literally THE most realistic com-
|
||
bat flight simulator for WWI/WWII/Korean War aircraft (actually, it's
|
||
not a full-fledged "game," but a Front End (FE) for a multi-player
|
||
game called Air Warrior, which is available on GEnie Information
|
||
Services. In the past I've flown most of the successive generations
|
||
of F-15/F-16 flight simulators in between eras of dabbling in WWI and
|
||
WWII simulations. Obviously, I've long been an afficianado of combat
|
||
flight simulations, and probably like most of you who share a similar
|
||
interest, have found that sooner or later (usually sooner) the computer
|
||
drones against which you're supposed to fly prove to be very limited
|
||
opponents indeed--either that, or you find out that they don't have to
|
||
fly using the same laws of physics or aircraft performance that you do
|
||
(a discovery that usually results in my tossing the game onto the
|
||
"yeah-it's-an-okay-game-but-I-don't-play-it-anymore" shelf. The fact
|
||
that I can't realistically expect a simple program to compete in the
|
||
fluid arena of ACM (Air Combat Maneuvers) against a human opponent
|
||
never seems to dampen my disappointment.
|
||
|
||
But there's another facet of many combat flight simulations that often
|
||
gets overlooked, and that's head-to-head combat--flying against your
|
||
friends (or enemies) via modem! Often, the reason this facet of the
|
||
games gets overlooked is that many of our friends, quite unreasonably,
|
||
don't share our addiction to cutting through the air in maniacal
|
||
maneuvers, getting onto another human's six (tail, for you non-fighter
|
||
pilot types) and blazing away until he and his plane are shot to doll
|
||
rags!
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 22 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
<author wipes a light sheen of sweat from his brow>
|
||
|
||
Well, I say enough of this lack of fodder--er, competition! The
|
||
H2H_ACS (Head-to-Head Air Combat Simulations) Echo is a meeting ground
|
||
for us chairborne aces where we can discuss ACM tactics and strategy
|
||
with other predatory types; where we can tell completely true <ahem>
|
||
stories of our exploits in the virtual atmospheres created for us my
|
||
MicroProse, LucasFilm Games, Electronic Arts, Konami and others; and
|
||
where we can coordinate to fly against other people foolish enough and
|
||
audacious enough believe they could last for five minutes in the air
|
||
with us before finding they were trying to pilot a smoking sieve which
|
||
suddenly has all the flight possibilities of a brick!
|
||
|
||
We will also use this echo to advertise and announce the availability
|
||
of missions (for File Request or download) we've created using those
|
||
games that include mission-building utiltities, and perhaps hold con-
|
||
tests to see who can fly some of these custom scenarios with the most
|
||
success. The possibilities are endless and we hope to explore as many
|
||
of them as possible.
|
||
|
||
Netmail or areafix Kevin Higgins, at 1:128/74, if you're interested in
|
||
joining the H2H_ACS echo. Until we can get this baby on the backbone,
|
||
I would prefer systems to poll at least twice a week.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
A New Star Trek Echo - KLINGON
|
||
By Ray Brown, Vice-Moderator
|
||
SysOp, SpacePort Miami, 1:135/70
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
"Tlhlngan Hol Dajatlh'a'?"
|
||
("Do you speak Klingon?")
|
||
|
||
Greetings and salutations, fellow Trekkers/Trekkies!
|
||
I'd like to announce a new echo, called KLINGON. This echo is
|
||
for discussion of any aspect of "Klingons", the alien race, as
|
||
seen in many of the various Star Trek episodes and Movies.
|
||
|
||
The topic of discussion will be _ALL_ things that relate to
|
||
Klingons, period. This will include, but not limited to, any
|
||
activities of the various Klingon fan organizations, such as
|
||
the Klingon Assault Group and Klingon Legion of Assault Warriors,
|
||
(KAG and KLAW), or trying to write and talk in Klingon (as in the
|
||
above example), or just to learn more about the Klingon "way of
|
||
life" (grin). Rembember, bashing or flaming the United Federation
|
||
of Planets, or members of "Federation" Star Trek fan orgainzations,
|
||
is really frowned on. (Remember, we'll be ALLIES with the Federation
|
||
in the 24th Century.)
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 23 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
This new echo is currently seen on over 12 BBS's that are
|
||
members of TrekNet (Z87). However, this echo is available to any
|
||
and all that are interested in the Klingon way of thinking. <g>
|
||
For linking information, please contact me via NetMail, and I'll
|
||
see if there's a BBS near you that's carrying KLINGON. Or, you
|
||
may wish to have mail on HOLD here at 1:135/70 for you to pick up.
|
||
|
||
If the number of BBS's and activity picks up, we will strongly
|
||
consider requesting that KLINGON be placed on the FidoNet BackBone.
|
||
|
||
Qapla!! (Success!!)
|
||
|
||
|
||
Scott Kuhr Ray Brown
|
||
Moderator Vice-Moderator
|
||
1:363/91 1:135/70
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
TWO NEW BLINDNESS-RELATED ECHOS NOW AVAILABLE
|
||
by David Andrews, Fidonet 1:261/1125
|
||
|
||
Two new blindness-related Echos are now available via the
|
||
Fidonet Zone 1 backbone. Both of these Echos, NFB Talk and Blind
|
||
Talk, have been started by the National Federation of the Blind
|
||
(NFB). The NFB is the oldest and largest organization of the
|
||
blind in this country with over 50,000 members. There are state
|
||
affiliates and local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and
|
||
the District of Columbia. Founded in 1940, the NFB is dedicated
|
||
to the complete integration of the blind into the economic,
|
||
political, and social community.
|
||
|
||
NFB Talk is for the dissemination of news and information
|
||
about the NFB and its activities. It is also intended for the
|
||
discussion of NFB's philosophy of blindness and topics of
|
||
specific interest to members of the National Federation of the
|
||
Blind and our friends as they relate to the NFB, our policies,
|
||
activities, and philosophy.
|
||
|
||
Blind Talk is for the discussion of general topics of
|
||
interest to blind and visually impaired persons, our friends and
|
||
relatives, and anyone else who is interested. Possible topics
|
||
include, but are not limited to, computers and adaptive access
|
||
technology, Braille and Braille literacy, cane travel, guide
|
||
dogs, alternative techniques of blindness, etc. This Echo is
|
||
intended to promote the positive philosophy of blindness
|
||
developed and promoted by the National Federation of the Blind.
|
||
Blind Talk also provides access to the resources and information
|
||
provided by the International Braille and Technology Center for
|
||
the Blind, the world's largest demonstration and evaluation
|
||
center for computer technology used by blind persons.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 24 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
NFB Talk and Blind Talk originate at 1:261/1125, NFB NET,
|
||
the bulletin board sponsored by the National Federation of the
|
||
Blind. NFB NET, which can be reached at (410) 752-5011, contains
|
||
a variety of files of interest to blind computer users. There
|
||
are also a variety of materials concerning the Americans with
|
||
Disabilities Act (ADA). NFB NET is also the home of the Braille
|
||
Monitor, the monthly publication of the National Federation of
|
||
the Blind, Future Reflections, for parents of blind children, and
|
||
the newsletter of the NFB in Computer Science. All of these
|
||
publications are available in electronic form and can be file
|
||
requested from 1:261/1125 using the magic file names MONITOR,
|
||
KIDS and COMPUTERS respectively.
|
||
|
||
You can request NFB Talk and Blind Talk from your regular
|
||
Echo source. The Echo Tags are NFB-TALK and BLINDTLK. If you
|
||
have questions, please contact the Moderator, David Andrews, at
|
||
Fidonet 1:261/1125.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 25 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
======================================================================
|
||
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
|
||
======================================================================
|
||
|
||
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
|
||
|
||
Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar
|
||
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello
|
||
|
||
IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address of the FidoNews BBS has been
|
||
changed!!! Please make a note of this.
|
||
|
||
"FidoNews" BBS
|
||
FidoNet 1:1/23 <---- NEW ADDRESS!!!!
|
||
Internet fidonews@fidosw.fidonet.org
|
||
BBS +1-415-863-2739, 300/1200/2400/16800/V.32bis/Zyxel
|
||
|
||
(Postal Service mailing address) (have extreme patience)
|
||
FidoNews
|
||
c/o World Power Systems <---- don't forget this
|
||
Box 77731
|
||
San Francisco
|
||
CA 94107 USA
|
||
|
||
Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international
|
||
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
|
||
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
|
||
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
|
||
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
|
||
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
|
||
|
||
Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
|
||
copyright 1992 Tom Jennings. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
|
||
distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
|
||
other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
|
||
(we're easy).
|
||
|
||
|
||
OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
|
||
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
|
||
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
|
||
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
|
||
PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
|
||
mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
|
||
|
||
BACK ISSUES: Available from FidoNet nodes 1:102/138, 1:216/21,
|
||
1:125/1212, (and probably others), via filerequest or download
|
||
(consult a recent nodelist for phone numbers).
|
||
|
||
A very nice index to the Tables of Contents to all FidoNews volumes
|
||
can be filerequested from 1:396/1 or 1:216/21. The name(s) to request
|
||
are FNEWSxTC.ZIP, where 'x' is the volume number; 1=1984, 2=1985...
|
||
through 8=1991.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-09 Page 26 1 Mar 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.ieee.org, in
|
||
directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you have questions regarding
|
||
FidoNet, please direct them to deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org, not the
|
||
FidoNews BBS. (Be kind and patient; David Deitch is generously
|
||
volunteering to handle FidoNet/Internet questions.)
|
||
|
||
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
|
||
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
|
||
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
|
||
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
|
||
trademarks of Tom Jennings, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and
|
||
are used with permission.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
|
||
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
|
||
|
||
-- END
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|