On 2019 Mar 16 12:42:34, you wrote to TERRY ROATI:

Next, before I move/change anything I need someone to explain to me
what the functionality of these lines is:

Name Server: NS.BOFH.IT
Name Server: NS.FIDONET.ORG.UA

those are the two DNS servers that provide the IP address lookup results of the site to the rest of the DNS... two because two is better than one which is also why they are in two separate domains instead of one... if there's only one DNS server or all the DNS servers for the domain are on a domain that goes down or is otherwise inaccessible, then the site(s) those DNS servers provided IP lookups for are also gone...

)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it wrong...
... Brain - the apparatus with which we think that we think.
---
* Origin: (1:3634/12.73)

Hello Kees,

Apparently the current Fidonet can survive as it is. Turning Fidonet
into an Othernet along views by those who have missed 10-20-30 of its
history, is not the solution to its future.

Fidonet is about communication. Not just the technology that
makes it possible for folks to communicate with others.

That's your opinion. And one that I think is not in the majority.

If I had followed the opinion of the majority, I would not still be in Fidonet.

Following the herd is what most folks have done throughout history.

That is quite possibly the silliest statement I have ever heard by
effectively saying "Well, if you weren't around for the past you RS>can't

be a part of the future". With that kind of thinking then RS>nobody should
have a say in anything they didn't personally help RS>create. That is just
plain stupid.

To realize change, one has to demonstrate, that it can be done.
If a new technology or procedure has a future, it will be used.
Telling others, what should be done or developed, does not work in technology.

"Change is hard." ~US President Barack Obama

Throughout his life in politics, Barack Obama has had to demonstrate
that change is not only possible, but that it can be done. Rather
than just talk about change, he acted. What worked was usually kept.
What did not work, was usually ditched.

Instant opinions on someones intelligence are never productive in any discussion.

That's what twitter is for.

--Lee

--
Erections, That's Our Game

--- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb
* Origin: news://eljaco.se (2:203/2)

It's been that way for years, getting it right is a must so no hurry.

Get all the facts, look at the options and go from there.

Terry

On Mar 17, 2019 01:52pm, Tony Langdon wrote to Nick Andre:

On 03-16-19 22:04, Nick Andre wrote to August Abolins <=-

Unless Joacim is running a commercial-grade DNS server setup and has
replicated the existing DNS structure, and his ISP is okay with the
level of DNS queries, please do NOT suggest merely switching name
servers.

I'm inclined to agree. One needs to know what the domain is actually being used for, and what the implications of changing things are. From there, it's a case of proceed very carefully.

At best, you're going to piss someone off, at worst, cause major issues for lots of people, unless this is approached very carefully. First
step is to investigate - ask questions, gather information, etc.

... Amiga: The Computer They Couldn't Kill
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(3:633/410)

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Hello Ward,

But next weekend, I'm off to Melbourne to
compete in the Victorian Masters athletics. A few sprints and hurdles
are on the program for me ;) I balance my nerdy pursuits with a lot of
exercise. :)

I bought a 31ft 3 cabin sailyacht, full galley, toilet ... and the weather is becoming sailable.

I have a pirogue. Built it myself. And a paddle. Never thought
about using a sail. Need something to smack the alligators when they
try to get in to take a nap.

The nerd can come along. There's wifi and my point on a tablet.

We have swamp tours in these parts. One of the tricks to get
alligators close to the pirogue is to train them. Usually by
feeding them. When they see what appears to them to be food ...

--Lee

--
We're Great In Bed

--- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb
* Origin: news://eljaco.se (2:203/2)

I've been linked for ages as it turns out, but no traffic seen here.

I just connected and sent a hello world message in there. Hopefully you'll see it.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

I remember seeing that echo at one time. I don't think I ever connected the area.

AREAFIX tells me I'm linked to future4fido, but I'll be doggoned if I can
find it in my echo list.

ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ·
*HúUúMúOúNúGúOúUúS* BúBúS nathanael : jenandcal.familyds.org:2323
ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/03 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: *HUMONGOUS* BBS (3:712/886)

I remember seeing that echo at one time. I don't think I ever connected
the area.

AREAFIX tells me I'm linked to future4fido, but I'll be doggoned if I can find it in my echo list.

I just received a new backbone.na and backstat.na that includes FUTURE4FIDO.

I'm not sure how things are done in other zones but that means the echo is on the NAB (North American BackBone).

Some may have harsh words for the NAB but that will mesh the echo at the NAB and make it easily and reliably connectable in Z1, and other zones too I think.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

AREAFIX tells me I'm linked to future4fido, but I'll be doggoned if I ca find it in my echo list.

I've connected the area now, I'm linked to a node in Z2 and have seen posts from a couple people in Z1 and 2 but not seen any other traffic

I just manually created an echo base for FUTURE4FIDO on my Mystic board (apparently somehow the mass echo import I did a while back missed it) and instantly had 35 messages waiting, so looks like I'm good.

ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ·
*HúUúMúOúNúGúOúUúS* BúBúS nathanael : jenandcal.familyds.org:2323
ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/03 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: *HUMONGOUS* BBS (3:712/886)

Fidonet needs to visibly look unified. One zone number to identify that.

One Zone Number to rule them all? :-)

I'd suggest Zone 1 for Fidonet in recognition of its historical importance.
You could decomission zones 2-7 if you'd like so as to avoid future confusion.

ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ·
*HúUúMúOúNúGúOúUúS* BúBúS nathanael : jenandcal.familyds.org:2323
ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/03 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: *HUMONGOUS* BBS (3:712/886)

No, I think we most certainly need to keep Fidonet off the Internet.

Just for clarification, by "Internet" here of course I mean "the Web".

ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ·
*HúUúMúOúNúGúOúUúS* BúBúS nathanael : jenandcal.familyds.org:2323
ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ ÓÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĽ

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/03 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: *HUMONGOUS* BBS (3:712/886)

On 15 Mar 19 14:14:39, Robert Stinnett said the following to Nick Andre:

It already "is" automated. My system receives segments from RC's and

My question is why does it have to be so many people involved? Why can't t system just process and send it out itself? Nobody should have to touch,

I agree there shouldn't be so many people, but it is what it is in Fido. Technically-competent people are also hard to come by and are valuable when we have them hanging around.

I still do not quite understand how a 100% automated system will work, how it gets decided what software to run, what server OS, what virtual-machine environment, who gets access to it and if so by what decisions is it made, who gets to vote on it, who is qualified and who isn't.

My system and Ward's are about as automated as it gets... I'd say 99%. The 1 percent are segment errors or equipment failure, both extremely rare.

This production runs on a combination of custom-software I wrote for
MS-DOS and Windows because it is not possible to run a reliable operation

Is this software available in the open-source world or under a license that allows others to try and modernize it and bring it into the Linux world?

The MakeNL source I believe is open, but the rest is all custom to this system, just as ZC2's software is specific for him, ZC3 and ZC4 etc.

As soon as I say MS-DOS and Windows, the instant reaction is why not switch to Linux, instead of understanding why I use what I use. I chose an OS and a commercial-grade server system that is reliable and stable and "just works" without experimenting or screwing around.

Lets just say I want to be a fan of Linux... I really do. I administer
Linux servers as part of my job. But that OS is just not the right fit for this system or its needs. I have had this discussion with others at length and believe me its easier to stick with what works at this point.

What happens, if it is a closed-source system, if that person dies or decid they don't want to have anything to do with it anymore?

I'm confident I can be replaced if something were to happen to me. The know-it-alls I've encountered would definately love an opportunity.

I'm just a nodelist clerk... I'm not Christ.

That's great -- now it's time to bring that automation to the next level. Progress.

My system generates the Zone 1 nodelist accurately and on-time. If I were not doing my job, I would of been replaced by now.

What other automation must there be that I am not providing?

Look, I'll be honest here, based on what I've seen, witnessed and read I do have much faith in the future of Fidonet. That is a pretty harsh statement make, but the politics nowadays seem 10x worse than they were back in the 9

Agreed. So much damage has been done. Believe me when I say its near impossible for some to move on from the past. It affects the present too much.

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

Re: Re: Fidonet => one unizone
By: Ward Dossche to Robert Stinnett on Fri Mar 15 2019 11:59 pm

If you properly deliver it in a proper format following the guidelines all should be well.

As long as the format isn't some 1980's relic that no modern editor supports -- sure.
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On 2019 Mar 15 18:37:42, you wrote to Ward Dossche:

If you properly deliver it in a proper format following the guidelines
all should be well.

As long as the format isn't some 1980's relic that no modern editor supports -- sure.

the nodelist and the segments that make it are plain ASCII files... any editor worth its salt should be able to handle them...

the structure of the file is CSV with specific field definitions... if one is manually editing their segment, they should know the proper format... that's part of learning and understanding that experienced FTN operators will have... one can easily refer to the FTSC document describing the nodelist, too...

http://ftsc.org/docs/fts-0005.003

as for checking the format and publishing a segment, that's what nodelist processors (vs nodelist compilers that simply generate nodelist indexes) are for... makenl-ng is the most common one used these days... it is also still maintained and updates are issued when necessary... check the MAKENL echo ;)

)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it wrong...
... Caution: Incorrigible Punster...don't incorrige!
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* Origin: (1:3634/12.73)

On 2019 Mar 16 10:50:00, you wrote to Nick Andre:

But nodelist data maintenance is still concentrated in the hands of NCs, and aggregated by RCs and ZCs.

since they are tasked by policy for this job, this is as it should be... they are responsible for their segments...

Some of these roles could be replaced by a web based front end, where individual sysops actually maintain their own nodelist entries.

this is already possible and has been since the early days... no web thing needed... it just takes operators that know and understand the format... the worst part is knowing what to use when and where but that's easily sussed by reading the documentation of the nodelist format...

at one time, my makenl was configured to allow operators to submit their own individual nodelist entries... it worked quite well when the proper format and data was submitted...

The interface would validate all fields, so that the nodelist data at least conformed to standards (of course, there's still a degree of
"GIGO", but that goes for any human entered content ;) ).

already done and handled since eons... just no web interface where you have to employ more security than necessary to prevent bots and humans from attacking, changing others' entries, submitting invalid/false data, etc... a NC/HUB should know who is in their segment and not just rubber stamp what is sent to them for processing... the RCs/ZCs have to have some trust in their NCs but they should also still check the segments they generate to send upstream...

The MakeNL source I believe is open, but the rest is all custom to
this system, just as ZC2's software is specific for him, ZC3 and ZC4
etc.

Yes, I have the MakeNL source here that I compiled on my Pi. I use
MakeNL on the Pi and x86_64 to generate my VLRadio nodelists. Further processing by another script generates my DNS zone file. Along the
way, scripts hatch the nodelist and rebuild and hatch the infopack
every week, including the latest nodelist. For various reasons, I
require 100% automation to keep everything up to date.

how do you know if/when invalid data gets in? i'm speaking of data that passes the tests but is still invalid/incorrect...

)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it wrong...
... A single fact can ruin a good argument everytime!
---
* Origin: (1:3634/12.73)

Hello Ward,

This is very good news, how long did this take to resolve?

Terry

On Mar 15, 2019 11:59pm, Ward Dossche wrote to Robert Stinnett:

... because someone somewhere has been sitting on a password of the website without the domain-holder (i.e. me) having access to it. A situation which finally resolved itself last Feb.25 2019.

... Platinum Xpress & Wildcat!..... Nice!!!!
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