Subj : proposed new nodelist                                    [2]
To   : Jasen Betts
From : Frank Vest
Date : Sat Jul 20 2002 03:36 am

On (19 Jul 02) Jasen Betts wrote to Frank Vest...

Hello Jasen,

JB>  JB>>  Here I've grouped all the flags for each connection into a
JB> single  JB>> field  and put the modem speed in there too.
FV> That would work. Like I said, the format of the new list is not a
FV> problem and is expandable. The old list is generated from the new list
FV> and has no way to be wrong...
JB> depends what you mean by "wrong"... a certain zone 1 sysop who I
JB> meantioned earlier has some ususual ideas about what comprises a valid
JB> nodelist entry.

Well... My thought was that since the person operating the conversion
program decides which fields to put in what order in the old style
list, it would be hard to make the old style list incorrect (wrong).

Since the new style list will have fields that aren't allowed in the
old style list, and the new list will have all the information for
both POTS and IP, the conversion would be in the proper format for the
old style. Kinda like:

New style:
 -2-      -3-        -4-         -5-      -6-   -7-      -8-
,6308,192.168.0.1,McKinney_TX,Frank_Vest,IBN_FTP,CM,Collin_County_Station
 -9-            -10-  -11-
,1-972-562-8064,33600,XA_V42

Old style:
 -2-        -8-                -4-        -5-          -9-       -10-
,6308,Collin_County_Station,McKinney_TX,Frank_Vest,1-972-562-8064,33600
-7-  -11-    -6-
,CM,XA,V42,IBN,FTP

The translation software would make the old style list and take only
what is required for that list from the new style. No matter what the
Node put in the new style, the old style would almost certianly be
correct... I think.

Of course, nothing is fool proof. :-))

FV> if the conversion program is done right.
FV> The new list could have a flag at position 11 that indicated the type
FV> of connection.. IE: ION for Internet only - no POTS. IPN for Internet
FV> and POTS. Then the other flags could tell what "protocol" is available
FV> at that Node. IE: IBN for binkp and so on.
JB> no. that's not what I mean at all. one connectio-type flag per
JB> connection. if they're posts only they start with a pots
JB> connection-type flag and omit the IP flag, if they're IP only then
JB> they omit the POTS connection.

JB>  ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags,
JB>    IP,IP.or.url.com,CM_MO_LO_IBN_ITN,
JB>    POTS,<phone number or unlisted>,33600_V34_V42b_CM_XA

JB>  ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags,
JB>    POTS,<phone number or unlisted>,33600_V34_V42b_CM_XA

JB>  ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags,
JB>    IP,IP.or.url.com,CM_MO_LO_IBN_ITN,

Ah ha! I think I see what you mean. The new style list would have two
or three lines for each Node. The first line would always be the
"basic" Node information. The next line(s) would depend on the type of
connection capabilities and be designated by either the POTS or IP
flag, or both, as needed?  If I got this thought my thick head right?

This would work just fine with me... Probably be easier to read and
translate to boot.

JB> the fact that you can't fit all the information from this into a
JB> regular nodelist isn't a problem. users of the conversion software
JB> would set up some rules about which connection types they prefer and
JB> the software would examine the fileds and spit out a SLF nodeline with
JB> the most suitable
JB> connection type listed (or possibly PVT etc if nothing was suitable)

I was thinking that the *Cs would be the ones running the conversion
program to generate the old style list for distribution along with the
new list... IE:

New Style List = nodeip.*
Old Style from conversion program = nodelist.* (just as always).

FV> I think that with the old nodelist being generated from the new list,
FV> there will be a lot of problems solved. :-)
JB> yeah. but not all of them. uncontactable hubs and some other strange
JB> zone 1 inventions won't be deterred by a new nodelist and will come
JB> out of the converter just as bogus .... unless we put some
JB> tricks in the converter (like replacing connection info of the bogus
JB> hub with that of their netmail feed, (or that of a local, or global,
JB> IP gateway)

Remember, Nothing is fool proof because fools are so ingenious. :-))

Actually, you are right. There will still be some problems, but it
might be easier to deal with those problems... I dunno.


Regards,

Frank

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/flv
http://biseonline.com/r19

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