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   MAKENL_NG      MakeNL Next Generation.      1,725 messages   

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   Message 1,081 of 1,725   
   Kees van Eeten to Roy Witt   
   MakeNL v3.4.1 Release   
   01 Jan 14 21:17:44   
   
   Hello Roy!   
      
   01 Jan 14 12:57, you wrote to me:   
      
    RW> You can test this by attempting to connect to 2:292/907...a PVT   
    RW> -Unpublished- IP capable node.   
      
    The point is, that when IP only nodes came into life, a choice had to be made   
    what to put into the phone number field. Some were in favour of an all   
    zero number, others were in favour of a specific pattern to specify an   
    ip address. If a hostname was given an all zero's ip address was put   
    in the phone number field.   
      
    Some with knowledge in the international phone world were against the use   
    of the tree zero preable, as this preable appears to be used for emegency   
    services in some countries. Therefore some zones prefer the use of   
    -Unpublished-. The nodelist compiler makenl by Ben Baker and its clone   
    makenl_ng, has an internal test, that requires that where -Unpublished-   
    is used, the Pvt tag should be placed at the beginning of the line.   
      
    This is inconvenient for listings, that should start with Region, Host, Hub   
    or Down.   
      
    Then there are mailers like your, that gathers a lot of intelligence from   
    the nodelist. It behaviour stems from POTS times and I think correctly   
    refuses to directly to Pvt tagged zones. As a consequence it will also   
    not connect to IPonly nodes that fly the Pvt tag.   
      
    To solve this almost ten years ago start was made to add an option to   
    makenl_ng the only nodelist compiler with availble source code.   
    The option would disable the test that when -Unpublished- was noted   
    as phnone number, the Pvt tag was not required.   
      
    The ten years were used to convince many that makenl_ng was safe to use,   
    but as the hardware and software environments are divers in Fidonet,   
    bugs surfaced, that were only in specific environments. It is a shame that   
    it has taken so long, but it is as it is.   
      
    So when this whole exercise comes to an end, the nodelist line for the   
    system that Bart runs, will have the Pvt tag removed, and your mailer   
    will happily connect.   
      
    As for me connecting to Bart's system, my mailer has no other other   
    knowledge of what is in the nodelist, then I tell it. So if I provide the   
    hostname or IP address that Bart uses, my mailer will connect.   
      
    So to make a long story even longer, my interest in Allowunpub is to   
    allow Region, Host and Hub together with -Unpublished-. For you it will   
    open the possibillity for a direct connect to many system now having   
    Pvt at the start of their nodelist line.   
      
   Kees   
      
   --- FPD v2.9.040207  GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5   
    * Origin: As for me, all I know is that, I know nothing. (2:280/5003.4)   

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