453 lines
36 KiB
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453 lines
36 KiB
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<TITLE>The Distribution Nodelist.</TITLE>
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<TT>
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**********************************************************************<BR>
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FTSC FIDONET TECHNICAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE<BR>
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**********************************************************************<BR>
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<BR>
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Publication: FTS-5000<BR>
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Revision: 1<BR>
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Title: THE DISTRIBUTION NODELIST<BR>
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Author(s): Colin Turner, Andreas Klein, Michael McCabe,<BR>
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David Hallford, Odinn Sorensen<BR>
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<BR>
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Revision Date: 27 June 1999<BR>
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Expiry Date: 17 June 2001<BR>
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----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
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Contents:<BR>
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1. Supercessions<BR>
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2. Purpose<BR>
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3. Publication and Distribution<BR>
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4. Contents<BR>
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5. Nodediff<BR>
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----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
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<BR>
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Status of this document<BR>
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-----------------------<BR>
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<BR>
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This document is a Fidonet Standard (FTS).<BR>
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<BR>
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This document specifies a Fidonet standard for the Fidonet<BR>
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community.<BR>
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<BR>
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This document is released to the public domain, and may be used,<BR>
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copied or modified for any purpose whatever.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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Abstract<BR>
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--------<BR>
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<BR>
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Current practice for Fidonet Technology Networks (FTN) is to<BR>
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maintain a nodelist used to store the details of the nodes in<BR>
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the network, and the network structure.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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1. Supercessions<BR>
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----------------<BR>
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<BR>
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FTS-0005 superceded and replaced the documents known under the names<BR>
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of FSC-0002, and FTS-0002.<BR>
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<BR>
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This document supercedes and replaces FTS-0005, FSC-0009, FSC-0040,<BR>
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FSC-0075, FSC-0091, and FSP-1012.<BR>
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<BR>
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2. Purpose<BR>
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----------<BR>
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<BR>
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Along with the companion technical standard (FTS-5001) this document<BR>
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defines the format and content of the nodelist for the FidoNet<BR>
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International Hobby Network. The FTS-5001 is seperated into two<BR>
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parts - the first part is a listing of authorized flags and the<BR>
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second part is a registry of userflags. The registry is used to<BR>
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prevent a userflag from being used for more than one meaning. The<BR>
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registry is maintained by the Fidonet Technical Standards Committee<BR>
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Working Group D (the Nodelist).<BR>
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<BR>
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3. Publication and Distribution<BR>
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-------------------------------<BR>
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<BR>
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The nodelist is published as an ASCII text file named NODELIST.nnn,<BR>
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where nnn is the day-of-year of the publication date.<BR>
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For actual distribution, NODELIST.nnn is packed into an archive<BR>
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file named NODELIST.Pnn, where nn are the last two digits of day-of<BR>
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-year and P is the compression format used as listed below.<BR>
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A = .arc<BR>
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Z = .zip<BR>
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J = .arj<BR>
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R = .rar<BR>
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Since .zip is useable on most computer platforms, it is recommended<BR>
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that this format be used for distribution of the Distribution<BR>
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Nodelist.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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4. Contents<BR>
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-----------<BR>
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<BR>
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As stated above, NODELIST.nnn is an ASCII text file. It contains<BR>
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two kinds of lines, comment lines and data lines. Each line is<BR>
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terminated with an ASCII carriage return and line feed character<BR>
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sequence, and contains no trailing white-space (spaces, tabs, etc.).<BR>
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The file is terminated with an end-of-file character, ASCII <EOF><BR>
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(1AH).<BR>
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<BR>
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Comments lines contain a semicolon (;) in the first character<BR>
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position followed by zero or more alphabetic characters called<BR>
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"interest flags". A program which processes the nodelist may use<BR>
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comment interest flags to determine the disposition of a comment<BR>
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line. The remainder of a comment line (with one exception, treated<BR>
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below) is free-form ASCII text.<BR>
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<BR>
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There are five interest flags defined as follows:<BR>
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<BR>
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;S This comment is of particular interest to Sysops.<BR>
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<BR>
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;U This comment is of particular interest to BBS users.<BR>
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<BR>
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;F This comment should appear in any formatted "Fido List".<BR>
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<BR>
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;A This comment is of general interest (shorthand for ;SUF).<BR>
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<BR>
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;E This comment is an error message inserted by a nodelist<BR>
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generating program.<BR>
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<BR>
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; This comment may be ignored by a nodelist processor.<BR>
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<BR>
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The first line of a nodelist is a special comment line containing<BR>
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identification data for the particular edition of the nodelist. The<BR>
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following is an example of the first line of a nodelist:<BR>
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<BR>
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;A FidoNet Nodelist for Friday, July 3, 1987 --<BR>
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Day number 184 : 15943<BR>
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<BR>
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This line contains the general interest flag, the day, date, and<BR>
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day-of-year number of publication, and ends with a 5-digit decimal<BR>
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number with leading zeros, if necessary. This number is the decimal<BR>
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representation of a check value derived as follows:<BR>
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<BR>
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Beginning with the first character of the second line, a 16-bit<BR>
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cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is calculated for the entire file,<BR>
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including carriage return and line feed characters, but not<BR>
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including the terminating EOF character. The check polynomial<BR>
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used is the same one used for many file transfer protocols:<BR>
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<BR>
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2**16 + 2**12 + 2**5 + 2**0<BR>
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<BR>
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The CRC may be used to verify that the file has not been edited. The<BR>
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importance of this will become evident in the discussion of NODEDIFF<BR>
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below. CRC calculation techniques are well documented in the<BR>
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literature, and will not be treated further here.<BR>
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<BR>
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The content of the remaining comments in the nodelist are intended<BR>
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to be informative. Beyond the use of interest flags for distribution<BR>
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, a processing program need not have any interest in them.<BR>
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<BR>
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A nodelist data line contains eight variable length "fields"<BR>
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separated by commas (,). No space characters are allowed in a data<BR>
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line, and underscore characters are used in lieu of spaces. The<BR>
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term "alphanumeric character" is defined as the portion of the ASCII<BR>
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character set from 20 hex through 7E hex, inclusive. The following<BR>
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discussion defines the contents of each field in a data line.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 1: Keyword<BR>
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<BR>
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The keyword field may be empty, or may contain exactly one keyword<BR>
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approved by the Zone Coordinator Council. Current approved keywords<BR>
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are:<BR>
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<BR>
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Zone --<BR>
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Begins the definition of a geographic zone and define its<BR>
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coordinator. All the data lines following a line with the<BR>
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"Zone" keyword down to, but not including, the next<BR>
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occurrence of a "Zone" keyword, are regions, nets, and<BR>
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nodes within the defined zone.<BR>
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<BR>
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Region --<BR>
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Begins the definition of a geographic region and defines its<BR>
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coordinator. All the data lines following a line with the<BR>
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"Region" keyword down to, but not including, the next<BR>
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occurrence of a "Zone", "Region", or "Host" keyword, are<BR>
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independent nodes within the defined region.<BR>
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<BR>
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Host --<BR>
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Begins the definition of a local network and defines its<BR>
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host. All the data lines following a line with the Host<BR>
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keyword down to, but not including, the next occurrence of<BR>
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a "Zone", "Region", or "Host" keyword, are local nodes,<BR>
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members of the defined local network.<BR>
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<BR>
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Hub --<BR>
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Begins the definition of a routing subunit within a<BR>
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multilevel local network. The hub is the routing focal<BR>
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point for nodes listed below it until the next occurrence<BR>
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of a "Zone", "Region", "Host", or "Hub" keyword. The hub<BR>
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entry MUST be a redundant entry, with a unique number,<BR>
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for one of the nodes listed below it. This is necessary<BR>
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because some nodelist processors eliminate these entries<BR>
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in all but the local network.<BR>
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<BR>
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Pvt --<BR>
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Defines a private node with unlisted number. Private nodes<BR>
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are only allowed as members of local networks.<BR>
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<BR>
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Hold --<BR>
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Defines a node which is temporarily down,or is a region/zone<BR>
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independent node which is reachable via IP only. Mail may be<BR>
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sent to it and is held by its host or coordinator.<BR>
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<BR>
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Down --<BR>
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Defines a node which is not operational. Mail may NOT be<BR>
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sent to it. This keyword may not be used for longer than<BR>
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two weeks on any single node, at which point the "down"<BR>
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node is to be removed from the nodelist.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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<empty> --<BR>
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Defines a normal node entry.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 2 - Zone/Region/Net/Node number<BR>
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<BR>
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This field contains only numeric digits and is a number in the<BR>
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range of 1 to 32767. If the line had the "Zone", "Region", or<BR>
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"Host" keyword, the number is the zone, net, or region number,<BR>
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and the node has an implied node number of 0, therfore the use of<BR>
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a 0 in this field is strictly forbidden. Otherwise, the<BR>
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number is the node number. The zone number, region or net number,<BR>
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and the node number, taken together, constitute a node's FidoNet<BR>
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address.<BR>
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<BR>
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Zone numbers must be unique. Region or net numbers must be<BR>
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unique within their zone. Hub numbers must be within their net.<BR>
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Node numbers must be unique within their region (for regional<BR>
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independents) or net (for members of a local network). Duplicate<BR>
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node numbers under different hubs within the same net are not<BR>
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allowed.<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 3 - Node name<BR>
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<BR>
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This field may contain any alphanumeric characters other than<BR>
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commas and spaces. Underscores are used to represent spaces.<BR>
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This is the name by which the node is known.<BR>
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For IP nodes this field may alternately contain an ip address or<BR>
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E-Mail address for email tunneling programs.<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 4 - Location<BR>
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<BR>
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This field may contain any alphanumeric characters other than<BR>
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commas and spaces. Underscores are used to represent spaces.<BR>
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This field contains the location of the node. It is usually<BR>
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expressed as the primary local location (town, suburb, city,<BR>
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etc.) plus the identifier of the regional geopolitical admin-<BR>
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istrative district (state, province, department, county,<BR>
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etc.). Wherever possible, standard postal abbreviations for<BR>
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the major regional district should be used (IL, BC, NSW, etc.).<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 5 - Sysop name<BR>
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<BR>
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This field may contain any alphanumeric characters other than<BR>
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commas and spaces. Underscores are used to represent spaces.<BR>
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This is the name of the system operator.<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 6 - Phone number<BR>
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<BR>
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This field contains at least three and usually four numeric<BR>
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subfields separated by dashes (-). The fields are country code,<BR>
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city or area code, exchange code, and number. The various parts<BR>
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of the phone number are frequently used to derive cost and<BR>
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routing information, as well as what number is to be dialed.<BR>
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A typical example of the data in a phone number field is 1-800-<BR>
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555-1212, corresponding to country 1 (USA), area 800 (inbound<BR>
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WATS), exchange 555, and number 1212.<BR>
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<BR>
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Alternatively, this field may contain the notation -Unpublished-<BR>
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in the case of a private node. In this case, the keyword "Pvt"<BR>
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must appear on the line.<BR>
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<BR>
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This field may also contain the IP address for an IP node<BR>
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utilizing the country code of 000.<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 7 - Baud rate<BR>
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<BR>
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This field contains the maximum baud rate supported by the node.<BR>
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(eg: 9600, 14400, 38400, etc)<BR>
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<BR>
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Field 8 - Flags<BR>
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<BR>
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This optional field contains data about the specific operation of<BR>
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the node, such as file requests, modem protocol supported, etc.<BR>
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Any text following the seventh comma on a data line is taken<BR>
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collectively to be the flags field. The required format is zero<BR>
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or more subfields, separated by commas. Each subfield consists<BR>
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of a flag, possibly followed by a value. The authorized flags<BR>
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for use in the distribution nodelist are distributed as in<BR>
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FTS-5001 to facilitate additions and deletions of the authorized<BR>
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flags without requiring an amendment to this FTS.<BR>
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<BR>
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FTSC recognizes that the FidoNet Zone Coordinator Council with<BR>
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the International Coordinator as the ZCC Chairman is the<BR>
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ultimate authority over what appears in the FidoNet nodelist.<BR>
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Also, FTSC is by definition a deliberative body, and adding or<BR>
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changing a flag may take a considerable amount of time.<BR>
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Therefore, the FidoNet International Coordinator or Zone<BR>
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Coordinators may temporarily make changes or additions to the<BR>
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flags as defined in FTS-5001. The FidoNet International<BR>
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Coordinator/Zone Coordinators will then consult with FTSC over<BR>
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the changes needed to FTS-5001 to reflect these temporary<BR>
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changes.<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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The following are examples of nodelist data lines:<BR>
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<BR>
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Host,102,SOCALNET,Los_Angeles_CA,Richard_Mart,1-213-874-9484,2400,XP<BR>
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<BR>
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,101,Rainbow_Data,Culver_City_CA,Don_Brauns,1-213-204-2996,2400,<BR>
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<BR>
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,102,fido.tree.com,Los_Angeles_CA,Bill_Smart,1-213-555-1212,9600,<BR>
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CM,IP,ITN<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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5. Nodediff<BR>
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-----------<BR>
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<BR>
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With more than twenty thousand nodes as of this date, the nodelist,<BR>
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even in archive form, is a substantial document (or file). Since<BR>
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distribution is via electronic file transfer, this file is NOT<BR>
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routinely distributed. Instead, when a new nodelist is prepared, it<BR>
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is compared with the previous week's nodelist, and a file containing<BR>
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only the differences is created and distributed.<BR>
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<BR>
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The distribution file, called NODEDIFF.nnn, where nnn is the<BR>
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day-of-year of publication, is actually an editing script which will<BR>
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transform the previous week's nodelist into the current nodelist. A<BR>
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definition of its format follows:<BR>
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<BR>
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The first line of NODEDIFF.nnn is an exact copy of the first line of<BR>
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LAST WEEK'S nodelist. This is used as a first-level confidence check<BR>
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to insure that the right file is being edited. The second and sub-<BR>
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sequent lines are editing commands and editing data.<BR>
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<BR>
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There are three editing commands and all have the same format:<BR>
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<BR>
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<command><number><BR>
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<BR>
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<command> is a 1-letter command; A, C, or D. <number> is a<BR>
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decimal number greater than zero, and defines the number of<BR>
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lines to be operated on by the command. Each command appears on<BR>
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a line by itself. The commands have the following meanings:<BR>
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<BR>
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Ann - Add the following nn lines to the output file.<BR>
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<BR>
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Cnn - Copy nn unchanged lines from the input to the output file.<BR>
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<BR>
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Dnn - Delete nn lines from the input file.<BR>
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<BR>
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The following illustrate how the first few lines of NODEDIFF.213<BR>
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might look:<BR>
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<BR>
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;A Friday, July 25, 1986 -- Day number 206 : 27712<BR>
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D2<BR>
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A2<BR>
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;A Friday, August 1, 1986 -- Day number 213 : 05060<BR>
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;A<BR>
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C5<BR>
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<BR>
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This fragment illustrates all three editing commands. The first line<BR>
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is the first line from NODELIST.206. The next line says "delete the<BR>
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first two lines" from NODELIST.206. These are the identification<BR>
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line and the line following it. The next command says "add the next<BR>
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two lines" to NODELIST.213. The two data lines are followed by a<BR>
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command which says "copy five unchanged lines" from NODELIST.206 to<BR>
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NODELIST .213. Notice that the first line added will ALWAYS contain<BR>
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the new nodelist's CRC.<BR>
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<BR>
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Since only the differences will be distributed, it is important to<BR>
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insure the accuracy of the newly created nodelist. This is the<BR>
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function of the CRC mentioned above. It is sufficient for a program<BR>
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designed to perform the above edits to pick the CRC value from the<BR>
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first line added to the output file, then compute the CRC of the<BR>
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rest of the output file. If the two CRCs do not agree, one of the<BR>
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input files has been corrupted. If they do agree, the probability<BR>
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is very high (but not 100%) that the output file is accurate.<BR>
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<BR>
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For actual distribution, NODEDIFF.nnn is packed into an archive file<BR>
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named NODEDIFF.Pnn, where nn are the last two digits of day-of-year<BR>
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and P is the compression format used as listed below.<BR>
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A = .arc<BR>
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Z = .zip<BR>
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J = .arj<BR>
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R = .rar<BR>
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Since .zip is useable on most computer platforms, it is recommended<BR>
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that this format be used for distribution of the Distribution<BR>
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Nodediff.<BR>
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<BR>
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A. References<BR>
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-------------<BR>
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<BR>
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[FTS-5] "The distribution nodelist", Ben Baker, Rick Moore.<BR>
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February 1989. Obsoleted by this document.<BR>
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<BR>
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[FSC-9] "Nodelist flag Changes draft document", Ray Gwinn, David<BR>
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Dodell. November 1987. Obsoleted by this document.<BR>
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<BR>
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[FSC-40] "Extended Modem Handling", Michael Shiels. February 1990.<BR>
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Obsoleted by this document.<BR>
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<BR>
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[FSC-75] "ISDN capability flags in the nodelist", Jan Ceuleers.<BR>
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October 1993. Obsoleted by this document.<BR>
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<BR>
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[FSC-91] "ISDN nodelist flags", Arjen Lentz.<BR>
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October 1995. Obsoleted by this document.<BR>
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<BR>
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[FSP-1012] "Integration of IP Nodes in the nodelist", Lothar Behet<BR>
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June 1999. <BR>
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<BR>
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B. Contact Data<BR>
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|
---------------<BR>
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<BR>
|
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David Hallford <BR>
|
|
Fidonet: 1:208/103<BR>
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<BR>
|
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Andreas Klein<BR>
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Fidonet: 2:2480/47<BR>
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E-mail: akx@gmx.net<BR>
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<BR>
|
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Michael McCabe<BR>
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Fidonet: 1:297/11<BR>
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<BR>
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Odinn Sorensen<BR>
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Fidonet: N/A<BR>
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E-mail: odinn@goldware.dk<BR>
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WWW: http://www.goldware.dk<BR>
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<BR>
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Colin Turner<BR>
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Fidonet: 2:443/13<BR>
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E-mail: ct@piglets.com<BR>
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WWW: http://www.piglets.com<BR>
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<BR>
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C. History<BR>
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----------<BR>
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<BR>
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Rev.1, 19990627: Initial Release. Principal Author David Hallford<BR>
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<BR>
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<BR>
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</TT>
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