501 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
501 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
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C A L N E T
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Policy and Procedures Guide
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Draft 1.0
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June 8, 1992
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Chapter 1 Page 1
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OVERVIEW
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Objective
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We (The CALNet Network) have no intentions of trying to replace or
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compete with any of the other existings networks. We (The CALNet Network)
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only want a means of communicating directly with other BBS Sysops in the
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local area and the state to further enhance the "Free Expression of
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Ideas" in a friendly and non-invasive manner.
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This document is an attempt to describe the procedures which will be used
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to develope and manage The CALNet Network (CALNet).
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Background
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CALNet is an attempt to provide the BBS System Operators (SYSOPS)
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with the tools to connect into a Network of other Bulletin Board
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(BBS) SysOps within the state of California, we have no plans at
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this time to expand beyond the state borders.
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CALNet will not try to re-invent the wheel. We will adhere to most of
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of the standards that International FidoNet Association has already
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adopted and implementated into their network. This is done to make use
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of the existing software and to foster compatibility.
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Definitions
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CALNet nodes are grouped on several levels. These are as follows:
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Nodes: A node is a single Net address, and is the smallest
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recognized unit of the Net, at this time.
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Nets: A net is a collection of nodes, there will one net
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in each area code. Large metropolitan areas may also
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contain several HUB systems.
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Hubs: Is another Net within an existing Net. For all intents
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Hubs are the same as Nets and therefore, all that
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applies for Nets ... also applies for Hubs. (Hubs will
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be used in large metropolitan areas.)
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Regions: A region is a geographic area containing 1 or more
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networks.
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Zones: A Zone is a large geographic area containing 1 or more
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Regions.
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Page 2
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CALNet: This indicates the entire mail network, as designed by
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the CAL-NET Network Coordinators and as defined by the
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latest NodeList.
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The Levels of CALNet
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CALNet has developed the following levels of organization:
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The ZONE Coordinator.
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The ZONE Coordinator compiles the master Node List from the
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lists received from the individual Net coordinators. The ZONE
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Coordinator is also responsible for receiving and making mail
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available to the REGION Coordinators.
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The REGION Coordinator.
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The REGION Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the
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list of NETS for his REGION, and for picking up and delivering
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mail from/to the ZONE Coordinator. The REGION Coordinator MUST
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deliver to and pickup mail from the ZONE on a timely basis, at
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least once daily, to insure the timely disemination for mail.
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The NET Coordinator.
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The NET Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the list of
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nodes within his Network. He is also responsible for picking up
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and delivering mail from/to the REGION Coordinator. This also
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must be done on a timely basis.
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These levels act to distribute the administration and control of
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CALNet to the lowest possible level, while still allowing for
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coordinated action over the entire mail system.
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Chapter 2 Page 3
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SYSOP PROCEDURES
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A SysOp of an individual node can pretty much do as he pleases, as
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long as he observes the mail events, is not excessively annoying to
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other nodes on CALNet.
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The Mail Hour is the heart of of any Echo/NetMail network, as this is
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when the network mail is passed between systems. Any system which wishes
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to be a part of a NetMail Network must be able to receive mail at this
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time. A system which is a member of a network may also be required to observe additional mail events, as defined by his Net Coordinator.
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Network mail systems generally operate unattended, and place calls at
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odd hours of the night. If a system tries to call an incorrect or out
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of date number, it could cause some poor citizen's phone to ring in the
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wee hours of the morning, much to the annoyance of innocent bystanders
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and civil authorities. For this reason, a SysOp who sends mail is
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obligated to obtain and use the most recent edition of the Node List
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as is practical.
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In CALNet the mail hour is observed daily from 04:00 to 05:00, weekends
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included, Pacific Time.
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How to get a node number
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You must first obtain a current NodeList so that you can send mail.
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You do not need a node number to send mail, but you must have one in
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order for others to send mail to you.
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The first step in obtaining a current NodeList is to locate the
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closest CALNet Bulletin Board System to you.
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Once you have a NodeList, you must determine which net or region
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covers your area. If you are unsure of this or there is not one in
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your area send the information to the Zone Coordinator.
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The most recent nodelist can always be obtained from the ZC or the
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nearest RC by FREQing under the magic name CALNODE.
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Page 4
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Once you have located the net or region in your area, send a request
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for a node number to node one of that net or region. The request
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must be sent by a NetMail message and must include at least the
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following:
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1) Your name.
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2) The name of your system.
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3) The city and state where your system is located.
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4) The phone number to be used when calling your system.
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5) Your hours of operation.
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6) The modem type and maximum baud rate supported.
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7) NetMail Interface Program. (Front Door, Binkley, Debridge)
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8) Voice number (Internal use only!).
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Your coordinator may want additional information. If so, he will
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contact you.
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Please allow at least three days for a node number request to be
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processed. If you send your request to Network Administration, then
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he may forward your request to the Net Coordinator who covers your
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area (if any), which may take longer.
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If your node will be down for an extended period (more than a day or
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two), then you should inform your coordinator as soon as possible.
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If you will be leaving your system unattended for an extended period
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of time (such as while you are on vacation), you should notify your
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coordinator. Systems do have a tendency to "crash" now and then.
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Chapter 3 Page 5
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NET COORDINATOR PROCEDURES
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A Net Coordinator has the following responsibilities:
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1) To receive incoming mail for nodes in his net, and to
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deliver it to its recipients. This mean you have to poll
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the Mail Distribution System to receive your mail.
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2) To assign node numbers to nodes in his net.
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3) To maintain the NodeList for his net, and to send a
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copy of it to Membership Services whenever it changes.
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4) To pass along to his nodes the new NodeList and NodeList
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updates.
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Routing inbound mail
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It is your responsibility as Net Coordinator to receive all
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inbound mail for nodes in your net and to forward it to its
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recipients. You are left to your own discretion as to how best
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to accomplish this.
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If a node in your net is routing large volumes of EchoMail, you
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can ask him to either limit the amount of EchoMail, or even to stop
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routing his EchoMail completely. The design of EchoMail is such that
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it is a simple matter to do either of these. Or they can break off
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out of your network.
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Assigning node numbers
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It is your responsibility to assign node numbers to new nodes in your
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net. You may also change the numbers of existing nodes in your
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net, though you should check with your member nodes before doing
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so. You may assign any numbers you wish, so long as each node has a
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unique number within your net.
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Maintaining the NodeList
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You should attempt to implement name changes, phone number changes,
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etcetera in your NodeList as soon as possible, and to forward the
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revised NodeList to Membership Services whenever a change occurs.
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You should also on occasion send a message to every node in your
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net to ensure that they are still operational. If a node turns
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out to be "off the air" with no prior warning given to you, then you
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can either mark the node as down, place it in the dog house, or remove
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it from the NodeList completely, at your own discretion.
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Page 7
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Passing along NodeLists.
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As a Net Coordinator you should obtain a new NodeList or update every
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week. The NodeList update is posted weekly on Fridays. The list will
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be made available to you by Region Coordinator.
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You should pass both of these along to your member nodes as soon as is
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practical after you receive them. It is also desirable that you make
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them both available for downloading by the general user, but this is
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not required.
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Chapter 4 Page 8
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REGION COORDINATOR PROCEDURES
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Region Coordinators have the following responsibilities:
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1) To assign node numbers to independent nodes in the region.
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2) To encourage independent nodes in the region to join
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existing nets or to form new nets (or Hubs).
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3) To assign net numbers to nets in the region.
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4) To compile a NodeList of all of the nets and
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independents in the region, and to send a copy
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the Zone Coordinator whenever changes occur.
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5) To ensure the smooth operation of the nets within the
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region.
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6) To ensure that the latest distribution NodeList
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is made available to the Net Coordinators ASAP.
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Assigning Node numbers
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The responsibility to assign node numbers to new nets in the region.
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You may also change the numbers of existing networks in the region,
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though you should check with the respective nodes before doing so.
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The numbers assigned to nets must be within the CALNet Network
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Plan in order for future growth of the region to be possible.
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You should use network mail to inform a new node of their node number,
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as this helps to insure that he is capable of receiving network mail.
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If you receive a node number request from a new node that is in an
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area covered by an existing net, then you should forward the
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request to the Coordinator of that net instead of assigning a
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number yourself.
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Encouraging the formation and growth of nets
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One of your main duties as a the Region Coordinator is to promote
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and foster the growth of nets in your region.
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You should try to avoid having independent nodes in the region
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which are within the coverage area of a net. There are, however,
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certain cases where a node should not be a member of a net, such
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as a commercial system with a large volume of traffic which would
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clog the net. The resolution of such special cases is left to your
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own discretion.
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Page 9
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If several independent nodes in your region are in a "clump", then you
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should encourage them to form a network. Refer to the SysOp procedure
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on forming a network for details of what information you should get.
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Note that this does not mean to encourage the formation of trivial
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networks. Obviously, one node does not make a network.
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Assigning net numbers
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It is your responsibility to assign net numbers to new nets
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forming within your region. The net numbers are assigned by
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referring to the CALNet Network Plan.
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Maintaining the NodeList
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Region Coordinators have a dual role in maintaining the NodeList for
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the region.
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First, you must maintain the list of independent nodes in your region.
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You should attempt to implement name changes, phone number changes,
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and so forth in this NodeList as soon as possible. You should also
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on occasion send a message to every independent node in your region to
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ensure that they are still operational. If a node turns out to be
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"off the air" with no prior warning given to you, then you can either
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mark the node as down, place it in the dog house, or remove it from
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the NodeList completely, at your own discretion.
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Second, you must receive the NodeLists from the Net Coordinators
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within your region. You should assemble a master NodeList for your
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region every week and send it to the Zone Coordinator no later than
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Zone Mail Hour on Thursday morning. It is suggested that you do this
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as late as is practical, so as to accommodate any late changes.
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You will need to maintain a set of Node Lists for each net within
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your region, since you cannot count on getting an update from each
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Net Coordinator every week.
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Page 10
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Overseeing net operations
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It is the responsibility of Region Coordinators to ensure that the
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nets within the region are operating in an acceptable manner. This
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does not mean that you are required to operate those nets; that is
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the responsibility of the Net Coordinators. It means that you are
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responsible for seeing to it that the Net Coordinators within your
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region are acting responsibly.
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It is the obligation of Region Coordinators to maintain direct and
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reasonably frequent contact with the nets in the region. The exact
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method of accomplishing this is left to your discretion.
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Passing along NodeLists.
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Region Coordinators are responsible for obtaining the latest CALNet
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NodeList and making it available to the Net Coordinators within
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your region. The NodeList is posted weekly on Friday's by
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CALNet Node 49:1/1.
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It is your responsibility to distribute these to any Net
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Coordinators in your region as soon as practical after you receive
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them. Method of distribution is left to your discretion. You are
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not required to distribute them to any independent nodes in your
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region, though you may wish to. It is also desirable that you
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make them available for downloading by the general user, but this
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is not required.
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Chapter 5 Page 11
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ZONE COORDINATOR PROCEDURES
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The Zone Coordinator is responsible for the following:
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1) Establishing the Regions within the Zone.
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2) Maintaining the complete Zone NodeList and making it
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available to the Region Coordinators.
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3) To ensure the smooth operation of the entire network
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and if necessary to mediate disputes.
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4) Maintaining the list of available echos (ECHOLIST).
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5) Encouraging the growth of the NETWORK as a whole.
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Establishing Regions
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The Zone Coordinator establishes the Regions within the Zone.
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The Zone Coordinator can, if necessary, remove and replace any
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Region Coordinator for cause.
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Maintaining the Master NodeList.
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The Zone Coordinator will create and maintain the Zones Master
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NodeList, using the update files received from the Regions.
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This Master NodeList will be published every week on Friday and
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made available to the Region Coordinators.
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Mediating Disputes
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The Zone Coordinator may be called upon to mediate/resolve
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disputes between Regions, Nets.
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Maintaining the ECHOLIST
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The Zone Coordinator will be responsible for the creation
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and maintenence of the ECHOLIST. It will be updated as changes
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occur and made available to the Region Coordinators.
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Chapter 6 Page 12
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CALNet Administration Contacts
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George Britt
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Zone Coordinator
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Membership Services
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San Francisco, CA
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415-564-5623
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CALNet Node #49:49/0
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