Getting Technical

FAQ on IP Connectivity Nodelistings

by: Carol Shenkenberger
10 February 2001
Revised 27 March 2001

FAQ on IP Connectivity Nodelistings
Reference: FTS-5001.001 and FTS-5000.001

Written with assistance from David Hallford, FTSC Nodelist working group member

Let me first smile and say I'm not re-writing the Fidonet Technical Standards, but merely trying to assist with questions I've seen on implementation of them. Sometimes, they just aren't as understandable as the Fidonet Technical Standards Committee intended.

Lets start with the basics. The nodelist has a specific format. You can't vary off that in some aspects or it will fail to process. That can cause a node, hub segment, net segment, region, or even a whole Zone to fail to process depending on where it fails. YIKES!! Lets not go there ok?

The first field of interest for a sysop with IP connectivity, is the 3rd one where the BBSname is traditionally entered. For an IP node, this is the 'system address' space. You list it but once here in the preferred mode if at all possible. You can also list the IP address or an email address if that's preferred.

The problem for most NC's is that it's never really 'clear' how the samples and flags work in conjunction. Thats probably because there are many variations.

Below is a sample for BINKP/TELNET/FTP type entries.

Sample:

,100,ftp.cshenk.com,Virgina_Beach_VA,Carol_Shenkenberger, (etc).

In that case, ftp.cshenk.com is a 'DNS lookup' address for the IP number.

If the site has a POTS line as well, list it as normal. If they do not, use -Unpublished- for the phone field, mark them PVT, and enter 300 for the baud rate. Among the flags, enter those which are applicable, omitting those that do not apply.

Sample:

(ION)
,300,CM,IBN,ITN,IFT
(With POTS and IP)
,28800,CM,XA,V32B,V42B,VFC,IBN,ITN,IFT

While I dont see anyone using it, I could also just plug in the IP address there if it was STATIC.

Sample:

,100,24.0.0.1,Virginia_Beach_VA,Carol_Shenkenberger, (etc)

Although controversial at this time, a static IP address can also be put in the phone number field by replacing the "." with a "-" and prefacing it with 000.

Sample:

,100,Shenk's_Express,Virginia_Beach_VA, Carol_Shenkenberger,000-127-0-0-1,300,

The other flags would be the same. Note, do NOT use this if the IP address isnt static! Even the 'gee seldom changes' folks should use the DNS version.

If I used just email attachments, I'd enter my email address instead.

Sample:

,100,cshenk2@home.com,Virginia_Beach_VA,Carol_Shenkenberger, (etc).

Then add the email version IP flags which fit my setup.

Sample:

(ION)
,300,CM,ITX,IUC,IMI
(With POTS and IP)
,28800,CM,XA,V32B,V42B,VFC,ITX,IUC,IMI

Now lets say you do both methods. FTP or variation, and email attachment type and want to list both. It can be done. Be careful on field length as each flag must be 32 characters max including the flag! The total line must be 157 characters or less.

Sample:

,100,ftp.cshenk.com,Virginia_Beach_VA,Carol_Shenkenberger, 1-757-486-3064,28800,CM,XA,V32B,V42B,IFT,ITX:cshenk2@home.com

Note that on the IFT portion I did not need to relist the address. If 'ftp.cshenk.com' resolved to an IP address also capable of BINKP, I would add IBN. If it also connected to TELNET, I'd add ITN. Only ITX (email attachment TransX) required additional information be listed.

I hope this helps pull things together for people!
xxcarol

How NOT to list an ION
Otherwise known as:
How to SERIOUSLY MESS UP A SEGMENT

29 March 2001
Draft1

This is the first in a training series for the prospective RC13 who will as of this writing, be known in 2 days or after a runoff. One thing every good RC does, is assist NC's. Sometimes that means assisting them with nodelisting skills.

It's especially common to need some help when it's an ION who needs listing, if it's the NC's first. Suprisingly (evil grin) ION's dont have a better idea about how to list themselves than the NC does, commonly enough. That means the NC cant just 'take their word for it' but needs to check some things.

Check 1: If they gave you data for the phone field-

a. Was it -UnPublished- ? Good if they have no static IP (Special note: Cant be /0 or HUB keyworded)

b. If an 'IP' was it starting with 000- ? (NOT 1-000- but 000- !!!!)

c. Did it have an email address in the phone field? Take that out if so. It wont process.

Check 2: If they use email for passing echomail traffic-

a. Did they list it in the 'bbsnamefield' where it belongs or attached to one of the flags for email-attachment methods?

b. If they listed it in the 'sysopnamefield' are they aware no software looks for it there and that a prospective contact person looking for 'Joe Smith' from a post will never figure out from a front end mailer (FrontDoor, ARGUS, etc) the address for 'Joe Smith' if the sysop name field has 'pookie@fun.com' as it's entry?

Check 3: If they use FTP/TELNET/BINKP etc for passing traffic-

a. Did they put the DNS lookup name for their site in the bbsname area or attached to one of the flags pertinent for that?

b. If they use both email-attachment methods and an FTP/etc type of method, did they list at least one of them in the 'bbsnamefield' (or if static IP involved, in phone and bbsnamefield for email address)?

Check 4: Did they remember to remove the flags for modem types-

a. ION's in Z1 are 300 baud

b. ION's have no modem flags such as V32,VFC etc. They do apply to this situation as no one is dialing you POTS, even if you are dialing your ISP via a POTS line.

Check 5: Does it fit the specs-

a. I'm calling this a draft as I do not know all the specs. one I know is several fields and all 'user flags' are limited to 32 characters max including the keyword and possible :

b. Is the total less than or equal to, what makenl can handle? This is uncertain to me but seems to be 168 or so total. Ward Dossche is the only one I know of who ran into an otherwise compliant listing, that hit this marker.

Special Note: There is no 'standard' for what we do, in Z1, when faced with the ION NC or HUB.

a. In R13, internal net routing is used for the HUB situation (allowing them to do the same thing but no HUB keyword is applied nor will a mailer default route to them).

b. ION NC's are a serious problem under P4 due to requirement to route inbound netmail traffic and software that will default to the NC if the node under them is 'PVT' and that a new/returning node with POTS only cant reach them.

xxcarol

By: Jasen Betts
To: Ian Moote

Hi Ian.

23-Mar-01 12:39:00, Ian Moote wrote to JANIS KRACHT

IM> And here's the example: Here a question has popped up about adding a modem to an ADSL line. I don't know much about ADSL, but I wouldn't want to see someone get an ADSL hook-up with the intention of adding the analogue modem and then finding that it doesn't work; or worse -- that it does damage to something! So even though I know little about it, I pipe-up to tell the person that I don't believe that it's possible. This way the person is made aware of a potential problem which he can then investigate for himself.

IM> Jason Betts is a very knowledgable dude. He's seldom wrong or inaccurate and I respect the information he posts. He says that I'm wrong and that the voice side of ADSL is analogue. I didn't care enough about the topic to look it up for myself, and he is an accurate source of information, so I quite readily accept that from him on its face.

IM> Janis Kracht is also a very knowledgable young lady and, even though I don't know her very well, I also tend to respect the information which she posts. Although she hasn't said it outright, by stating that a converter is required to use POTS devices on an ADSL line she is intimating that the voice side of ADSL is not analogue.

IM> So, not criticising either participant, both of whom I respect, here I have diametrically conflicting information on a relatively straightforward question. [:)

JB> no you haven't... Janis tells you there's a "converter", I say that the voice is analogue. it's possible we're both right :)

JB> I think the "converter" may be a low pass filter...

JB> Here's what Craig Ford says in the COMM echo,

CF> ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) a modem technology that converts existing twisted-pair telephone lines into access paths for paths for multimedia and high speed data communications.

CF> ADSL transmits more than 6Mbps to a subscriber, and as much as 640 kbps more in both directions. An ADSL circuit connects an ADSL modem on each end of a twisted-pair phone line, creating three information channels; a high speed downstream channel, a medium speed duplex channel, and a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) channel. The POTS channel is split off from the digital modem by filters, thus guaranteeing uninterrupted POTS, even if ADSL fails. The high speed channel ranges from 1.5 to 6.1 Mbps, while duplex rates range from 16 to 640 kbps. Each channel can be sub-multiplexed to form multiple, lower rate channels.

-=> Bye <=-

---
* Origin: C is for Cookie (3:640/531.42)

By: Andy Brown
To: All
Re: ERN chart

Hello All.

Any corrections or additions to the chart??

=== Begin routelst.r10 ===
 ; R10 routing list
 ; Update for 3/25/2001
 ; Entries marked with * are changed since last update
 ; Default routing is via  1:10/3
 ;
   1:10/*    <-- 1:10/3
   1:102     <-- 1:102/125   <-- 1:10/3
 *  1:103     <-- 1:103/301   <--1:10/3
   1:103     <-- 1:103/301   <--1:140/1
 *  1:103     <-- 1:103/301   <--1:18/500
   1:143     <-- 1:396/1
   1:161     <-- 1:161/84    <-- 1:10/3
   1:202     <-- 1:202/5     <-- 1:10/3
 *  1:203  1:203/127 1:10/3
   1:205     <-- 1:102/125   <-- 1:10/3
   1:208     <-- 1:208/402   <-- 1:202/701   <-- 1:10/3
   1:209     <-- 1:209/7211  <-- 1:10/345
   1:211     <-- 1:211/400   <-- 1:10/3
   1:213     <-- 1:10/3
   1:214     <-- 1:214/1     <-- 1:10/4
   1:218     <-- 1:218/907   <-- 1:10/3
   1:218     <-- 1:218/903   <-- 1:10/3
   1:219     <-- 1:219/0     <-- 1:211/400   <-- 1:10/3
   1:345     <-- 1:345/0     <-- 1:10/345    <-- 1:18/500
 ---
=== End routelst.r10 ===

Andy

--- MyTosser 1.20/Pro
* Origin: Region 10 EchoMail Coordinator <email r10ec@tnl-online.net> (1:10/1)