[HECnet] Joining hecnet

[Rob Jarratt]

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE [mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE]
On Behalf Of Johnny Billquist
Sent: 19 November 2012 20:00
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Cc: Stuart Martin
Subject: Re: [HECnet] Joining hecnet

On 2012-11-19 19:15, Stuart Martin wrote:

On 19 November 2012 18:07, Jerome Ibanes <jibanes at gmail.com
<mailto:jibanes at gmail.com>> wrote:

      Hello,

      I have an openvms 7.3-2/vax and 8.4/alpha workstations I would like
to
      attach to the hecnet network. I have a static IP and the bridge
setup,
      although I imagine I would need a hecnet node-name and number at
this
      point.


hi folks.

"me too": I've got an alphaserver with OpenVMS 8.4 ready to roll. I've
got Rob Jarratt's router running on a spare linux box (raspberry pi,
since you asked) because I don't have a static IP. The router code's
not configured yet.

I'm a DECnet newbie, so would appreciate some abbreviated hecnet
directions if any exist (and if not, a pointer to just go away and
read the DECnet manuals is equally welcome).

I'm in the UK. Is hecnet organised by geographic region?

Like already answered, HECnet is not organized that way.
As for connecting, if you have Jarratt's code up and running, you might
want
to try and hook up with him?
Other questions to figure out is if you are going in a new area, or
connecting
into an existing one.
This matters both since if you are using an existing area, you need to use
the
same area as the next person you connect to.
If you go for your own area, you instead need an area router on your side,
and a connection to another area router.

And then we have the question about node names, which is more loosely
regulated. It's pretty much a question of picking names not already in
use.

Having a dynamic IP address is a cause for some problems. Let's see if
Jarratt's router will handle it well.

	Johnny

The point about the router I wrote is that if you have a dynamic IP address
it needs the *peer* to use it. That is because it periodically queries DNS
(in a non-blocking manner) for your IP address. Clearly there will be a
period after an IP address change when the router will send packets to the
wrong address, but the poll period can be set to whatever period you wish.

The router will interoperate with the bridge, I run it here and I don't
think anyone on HECnet notices a difference other than that it does not
implement other protocols, so you can't SET HOST to it for example. So there
is no specific need to peer with me, but I am happy to do so, if you want to
peer with me give me your DNS name and port number, mine is
jarratt.dyndns.org:4713 (one limitation I ought to fix is the need for a
separate port for each peer). Note that since I connect to the rest of
HECnet via Johnny, and he is not using the router, I could lose connectivity
to HECnet if my IP address changes, because I too have a dynamic IP address,
but luckily my ISP does not make it change often.

The router works as an area router so you might need to have your own area.
It can also work as a non-area router, and this configuration has not been
tested quite as much.

Regards

Rob