F I D O N E W S -- Volume 14, Number 22 2 June 1997 +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet community | "FidoNews" | | _ | 1-904-409-7040 [1:1/23] | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | | | | | \ \\ | Editor: | | | (*) | \ )) | Christopher Baker 1:18/14 | | |__U__| / \// | | | _//|| _\ / | | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORE addresses: | | | | submissions=> cbaker84@digital.net | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ THE RIOT STARTS TOMORROW Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 How about a contest or another new Section? .............. 1 2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 2 IGATOR by Argus .......................................... 2 International BBS Week Echo Correction ................... 2 Bring Back FIDONET.NA .................................... 3 3. ARTICLES ................................................. 5 North American Backbone Problems ......................... 5 4. GETTING TECHNICAL ........................................ 7 FSC-0075 - ISDN capability flags in the Nodelist ......... 7 FSC-0076 - Proposal for NetMail AreaTags ................. 10 FSC-0077 - Type-10 Packet Format ......................... 14 FSC-0078 - Gateway between FidoNet compatible networks ... 20 5. COORDINATORS CORNER ...................................... 25 Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 150 ...... 25 6. NET HUMOR ................................................ 26 7. ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT ........................ 28 FidoNet Echos via the Internet from 1:141/635 ............ 28 8. ANSWERS OF THE WEEK ...................................... 30 Old Nodelists available in Zone 2 by appointment ......... 30 9. NOTICES .................................................. 32 Future History ........................................... 32 10. FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ................................ 34 Latest Greatest Software Versions ........................ 34 And more! FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 1 2 Jun 1997 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Let's have a contest to name the new network the Echomail weenies want to move into when FidoNet refuses to adjust to their skew of what FidoNet is and does! The new name should certainly be self-contained in eight characters for historical if not MSDOS plurality. That name should express as succinctly as possible the all-consuming Echomailness of the newly moved into network. It might even have some kind of oblique reference to its former FidoNet origin like TailDog or FleaNits. [snicker] After all, the EWs don't want to become yet another superfluous FTN based solely on Echomail that will eventually dry up and blow away like its predecessors such as EggNet and AlterNet do they? They've got to fight for the right to coopt FidoNet without infringing that trademark. And in an unrelated vein, next week there will be two more Sections available for submissions to FidoNews. The first will be .TRU for True Stories of FidoNet and the second will be .FIC for wannabe FidoNet Fiction writers [which could include Echomail weenies' standard bleats]. The ARTSPEC.DOC will be updated to include the new Section extensions and hatched out into FIDONEWS and SOFTDIST file echos. The True Stories will be essays about FidoNet-related events in the personal lives of Sysops and/or Users. FidoNet Fiction will be imaginary FidoNet-related short stories or novellae or poems or limericks. In either case, remember this is a family publication and nothing illegal gets published. [grin] Well, it's later than usual this week. We've been having a lot of lightning storms and tornado watches and warnings today and the system has been offline a lot to avoid frying. Please note that the R19 Internet listing has changed once again. C.B. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 2 2 Jun 1997 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Tue May 27 22:26:02 1997 From: Max Masyutin @ 2:469/84 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:18/14 Date: 26 May 97 16:11:18 Subj: Fidonews FIDONET BY INTERNET Hello Christopher! About "FIDONET BY INTERNET" section of fidonews. We are the developers of IGATOR - Fidonet-Internet gateway - our URL is http://www.ritlabs.com/igator/ We are also working in direction of fidonet transferring via internet channels, and have written a multinode mailer that can simultaneously transfer fidonet netmail/echomail/files over dialup and ip using standard FTS technology. Argus is now widely used in Russia, especially be hubs, and some nodes in UK and US began to use Argus as a primary mailer. Argus home page is http://www.ritlabs.com/argus/ Max. [Argus Team] --- * Origin: max@ritlabs.com (2:469/84) ----------------------------------------------------------------- --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Sun Jun 01 00:37:10 1997 From: David Chord @ 3:771/1560 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:18/14 Date: 27 May 97 16:33:24 Subj: INTBBSWK.ART It's been brought to my attention that I made an error with a previous note on International BBS Week and it's support echo, INTBBS_WK. The error was mentioning the echo as INTBBS_WEEK. Could anyone who has set this area up as INTBBS_WEEK please change it to the correct INTBBS_WK. Also, links are needed to Zones 2, 4, 5 and 6, as well as distribution around the rest of Z1 and Z3. If you could help with this, please do so. Dave FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 3 2 Jun 1997 Support International BBS Week! Peek in INTBBS_WK for details --- timEd 1.10 ----------------------------------------------------------------- --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Sun Jun 01 19:18:16 1997 From: Cindy Ingersoll @ 1:2623/71 To: Editor @ 1:1/23 Date: 30 May 97 16:17:46 Subj: Bring Back FIDONET.NA -=> Note: Copied (from: z1_backbone) by C I A using timEd. I am proposing the reformation of fidonet.na. The way I figure, if enough people in enough regions support the concept, we can approach the main distrib hubs (George Peace, John Souvestre, Ken Wilson) and ask them to host it for us. I know at least George Peace is willing to include other nets in his bulk feed, so I don't see him rejecting an request to pass around fidonet.na. The technical aspects we need to accomplish are, who maintains the fidonet.na, how echos are to be added/removed to/from it, and a minimum set of 'rules'. Please, let's open a discussion on this, perhaps someone can assist in getting a 'fidonet.na discussion' echo on the backbone, so we can hash out some ideas. I had in mind, for adding echos, to have say, 5 nodes from each region 'vote' that they will carry and participate in the echos. Much better than the current '2 rec' voting echos are at the mercy of now :) As for a minimal set of rules, we'll prolly be arguing for a while. But I think the concept of an alternative backbone is overdue, and I hope we can get together and create it :) A good start, along with the creation of an echo for discussion, would be to begin assembling a list of ftp/transx/vfossil and other Internet-fido feeds. I would like to suggest to our Editor of Fidonews Chris Baker, add a new section to the weekly fidonews, a list in hierarchial order, from T3's to 28.8s, all the system's who have fidonet available across the Internet. Here's my current list, please feel free to send additions! :) Spd | Node# | Operator | Services | rate -------------------------------------------------------------------- T1 | 1:270/101 | George Peace | FTPHUB | $30 monthly FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 4 2 Jun 1997 33.6 | 1:2604/104 | J. Mclaughlin | FTPHUB, VFOSSIL | $1 monthly | | | | Origin: Fly By Night * HaXeD HeXeD HiXed * (609)653-1FLY! (1:2623/71) ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 5 2 Jun 1997 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= North American Backbone Problems -by Jon Gentil 1:232/211.0 The North American Backbone (NAB for short) is undergoing tremendous alterations of itself, and it's causing some disturbances in the FidoNet community. Take for example the FLAME echo. I don't really like the FLAME echo, and really don't hate it either. But when it's removed from distribution simply because the Backbone feels that it's causing trouble, there's a problem. Which echo will they remove next? The TOTT_* echos pose a potential hazard to it's readers. The CHATTER echo has mean people in it. The FILEFIND echo doesn't have enough real people posting there. What next? And did you notice the second-to-last paragraph of this week's Backstat.na? It reads: --------------------------------------------------[BACKSTAT.NA]---- Each region is normally offered 1 link to each ZHub. Exceptions are made after agreement between the REC, Z1EC, and the ZHub subject to the ability to handle the additional load. Individual net/node connections to ZHubs are made on the basis that the node will serve as a Region Hub, the exception being connections local to the ZHub. ----[END]---------------------------------------------------------- Note "Individual net/node connections to ZHubs are made on the basis that the node will serve as a Region Hub." Does that mean that every node connected to a ZHub serves as a Region Hub? That's what it says. So we have 100+ Rhubs now. !!! Ever notice how the BOFAQ is constantly changing? Who radified it? Who must obey it? Anyone? Everyone? Why is a private distribution system allowed to use the term ZHub if it's private? I thought that Hubs were public. The requirements to be a Hub of the NAB are that you must have a link to a ZHub and you must have at least one downlink, yet Ken Wilson (1:12/12), a ZHub, has no downlinks. Do they pardon those that are "Insiders?" Did you notice how conviently the Backbone changed their policy of who is the OBO? Possibly in fear that someone that wants to abolish the OBO Council and return the Backbone to a public system? Write your NC's, NEC's, RC's, REC's, ZC, ZEC, and even me telling FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 6 2 Jun 1997 us your opinion of the North American Backbone. Articleize it in FidoNews. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-22 Page 7 2 Jun 1997 ================================================================= GETTING TECHNICAL ================================================================= [This is part of the continuing FidoNet History republication of the extant FidoNet Standards and Proposal documents. They have been reformatted to 70 columns where required and some tables may be askew as a result. Node numbers and phone numbers may be out of date.] Ed. | Document: FSC-0075 | Version: 001 | Date: 23rd October 1993 | Author: Jan Ceuleers ISDN capability flags in the Nodelist A proposal by Jan Ceuleers, 2:292/857 version 0.4, October 3rd 1993 1 Introduction The Integrated Services Digital Network is a worldwide overlay network, offering the same services as the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and more. Its basic bearer capability is a digital bit stream of 64000 bits/s, as opposed to the audio channel with a 3.1 kHz bandwidth provided by the PSTN. Transferring data across the ISDN can be done in one of two ways: - by using the telephony services the ISDN provides. In this mode, a standard modem can continue to be used. Some modulation schemes currently in use are V.32bis, PEP, ZyXEL, HST, V.32, etc. We already have nodelist flags for these cases. - by using ISDN's 'native' mode. In this case, a number of protocols (either or not ISDN-specific) are used, such as V.110, V.120, X.75 etc. This document aims to define the way in which nodes are to adver