89 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
89 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
* Number nine, number nine, number nine, ...
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Number nine, number nine, number nine, ...
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[This was written a few years back. I'm running it without contacting<6E>
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the author. Note that with the advent of TICK/FLEA, a lot of technical<61>
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hurdles are gone...
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With the PGP package, as it exists without change in MSDOS excutable<6C>
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form, exceedingly high security could be had for "free". Each net would<6C>
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simply generate their nodelist fragment as a DIFF, PGP it, and FLEA/TICK<43>
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it. Whenever a file appears in the ZnnnLST directory, you simply handle<6C>
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it as a NODEDIFF. That's all. (You could even manually rename each<63>
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incoming file NODEDIFF.1, NODEDIFF.2, etc so existing software would<6C>
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accept it!
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--tomj]
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Decentralizing the FidoNet <tm> Nodelist - Decentralizing FidoNet<65>
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Power
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Randy Bush 1:105/6 16 Jun 89
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Think of FidoNet as a confederation of local nets. Forget regions. <20>
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Forget zones except as a way of saving telco charges by concentrating<6E>
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messages and as a way to segment the total nodelist. FidoNet returns to<74>
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being a collection of local nets, as it was before the region and zone<6E>
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hierarchies were added just a few years ago.
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In each zone there is an echo, call it ZnnnLIST, to which every NC in<69>
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that zone subscribes. In the North American zone, it is Z001LIST. For<6F>
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the moment, do not worry about the security or reliability of this echo,<2C>
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but things like sequence numbers, checksums, and RSA public key<65>
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signatures can be used to address such problems (you are aware that RSA<53>
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can be used to send a validatable signature, yes?).
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When an NC's net (or hub) segment undergoes significant change<67>
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(significant is that which would be likely to affect callers from<6F>
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outside one's own net), then the NC posts a processed version of that<61>
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segment to the ZnnnLIST echo. The processing could be to create a<>
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difference file, compress the file, maybe RSA signature encode it, or<6F>
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whatever else is deemed necessary. A simplistic scheme to start is a<>
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collection of lines of the form
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add z:n/n <new node line>
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del z:n/n
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chg z:n/n <altered nodel line>
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similar to the prerevolutionary nodediff file.
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By placing the processed segment in the ZnnnLIST echo, each net's<>
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nodelist segment(s) will be automatically distributed to all other nets<74>
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within that zone. This is the essence of the scheme.
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Each NC automatically accumulates the changes to the zone nodelist as<61>
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they pass by in the ZnnnLIST echo for their zone. Once a week (or two),<2C>
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they create a difference file against last week's accumulated zone<6E>
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nodelist, and distribute this new difference file within their local<61>
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net. The nodes within the net are thus insulated from all change, and<6E>
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do not have to change their prerevolutionary batch files or programs.
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The zonegates exchange periodic diffference files for their zones, and<6E>
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make the lists (or difference files) of the other zones available within<69>
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their own, likely via the local ZnnnLIST echo. Since the advent of<6F>
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zonegates, one need not know much about a node in another zone, only the<68>
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sysop's name and the node number. So we could choose to reduce the size<7A>
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of lists we keep of other zones, if the thought is not too scary.
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Note that a first prototype of this methodology could be constructed<65>
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from existing software plus a few days of coding.
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--------
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Credits:
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o FidoNet is a trademark of Tom Jennings.
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o UucpNet/Internet distribute the maps via their equivalents of<6F>
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echomail.
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o This idea in this general form was first spoken of by Tom Jennings<67>
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in the FIDOBETA echo in May '89.
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o Ken Ganshirt refocussed my attention on it when I whined about the<68>
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current FidoNet hierarchic power structure.
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