This is Part Two in the history of FidoNet. Itچ turned out that the original FIDOHIST.DOC (now calledچ FIDOHIST.DC1, or just "Part One") was useful, and manyچ people read it. Unfortunately, by the time everyone read it,چ it became totally obsolete. Oh well. Here is Part Two. FIDOHIST.DOC covered the early history of FidoNet,چ why it was done, how it was done, and the reasons for theچ organization and obscure rituals surrounding node numbers.چ If you havent read it yet, I suggest you do now, becauseچ I'll probably refer to things that won't make any senseچ otherwise. The original FidoNet was organized very simply; eachچ FidoNet system (each node) had a number that served like aچ phone number, uniquely identifying it. The NODELIST,چ generated by the folks in St. Louis that had all FidoNetچ nodes in it, contains information on all known FidoNetچ systems. Every system in FidoNet had a current copy of theچ NODELIST, which served as the directory of systems. (In the interests of brevity I'm leaving out hugeچ amounts of information; I hope you have read FIODHIST.DOC byچ now ...) FidoNet has been growin7 steadily since it startedچ by accident in May 84 or so. The node list continued to /etچ out of hand; the ori7inal FIDOHIST.DOC was written to tryچ and help smooth things out. It is impossible toچ overemphasize the amount of work inrïlved in keeping theچ node list accurate. Basically, the guys in St. Louis wereچ keeping track of hundreds of FidoNet systems in Boston, Losچ Angeles, London, Stockholm and Sweden, and publishing theچ results weekly. There has never been such a comprehensiveچ and accurate list of bulletin board systems generated. We talked for many months as to how we couldچ possibly find a solution to the many problems; it was at theچ point where if a solution was not found in a few months (byچ Aug. 85 or so) that FidoNet would collapse due to the sheerچ weight of it's node list. The newsletter, FidoNews, was, and still is, anچ integral part of the process of FidoNet. FidoNews is theچ only thing that unites all FidoNet sysops consistently;چ please keep up to date on it, and stock it for your users ifچ you have the disk space. And contribute if you can! There were many constraints on the kind of things weچ could do; we had no money, so it had to be done for zeroچ cost. Centralization was out, so obviously localization wasچ in; just how to do it was a total unknown. We thought ofچ going back to having people in different areas handle newچ node requests in their area, but that always generatedچ confusion as to who a person should go to, how to avoideچ having someone requesting a node number from differentچ people simultaneously, etc etc. The old method of routing was very different thanچ the current method, and much more complex; instead of Fidoچ automatically routing to hosts, each sysop had to specifyچ (via the ROUTE.BBS file) how all routing was done in theچ system. The was done originally by hand, later by Johnچ Warren's (102/31) NODELIST program. Then of course there was the problem that no matterچ what we did, it would not be done overnight. (ha ha.) Itچ would take many weeks at the least, possibly months, so thatچ whatever we did had to be compatible with the old method asچ well. We went through probably hundreds of ideas in theچ next few months, some possibly useful, some insane.چ Eventually the insanity boiled down to a pretty workableچ system. We chatted by FidoNet and by voice telephone.چ Eventually, we settled on the two part number scheme, likeچ the phone company does with area codes and exchanges. Itچ accomodated backwards compatibility (you can keep yourچ present node number) and the new "area code" (net number)چ could be added into an existing field that had been set toچ zero. (This is why everyone was originally part of net #1). When a fortunate set of circumstances was to bringچ Ezra Shapiro and me to St. Louis to speak to the McDonnellچ Douglas Recreational Computer Club on XXXX 11th, we plannedچ ahead for a national FidoNet sysops meeting that weekend.چ Ken and Sally Kaplan were kind enough to tolerate having allچ of us in their living room. The people who showed up were (need that list) Theچ meeting lasted ten continuous hours; it was the mostچ productive meeting I (and most others) had attended. When weچ were done, we had basically the whole thing layed out inچ every detail. We stuck with the area code business (now known asچ net and region numbers) and worked out how to break thingsچ up into regions and nets. It was just one of those rare butچ fortunate events; during the morning things went "normally",چ but in the afternoon solutions fell into place one by one,چ so that by late afternoon we had the entire picture laid outچ in black and white. Two or three months of brainstormingچ just flowed smoothly into place in one afternoon ... What we had done was exactly what we have now,چ though we changed the name of "Admin" to "Region", and addedچ the "alternate" node and net numbers. (We still seem to beچ stuck with that terrible and inaccurate word, "manager". Anyچ ideas?) I previously had a buggy test hack running usingچ area codes, and the week after the meeting it was made toچ conform to what we had talked about that Saturday. When version 10C was done, it accomplished more orچ less everything we wanted, but it sure did take a long time.چ 10C was probably the single largest change ever made toچ Fido/FidoNet, and the most thoroughly tested version. Atچ 10M, there are STILL bugs left from that early version, inچ spite of the testing. Once the testing got serious, and it looked like weچ had a shippable version, St. Louis froze the node list, andچ started slicing it into pieces, to give to the soon-to-beچ net and region managers. (That word again.) This caused aچ tremendous amount of trouble for would-be sysops; not onlyچ was it difficult enough to figure out how on earth to get aچ node number, once they did they were told node numbersچ weren't being given out just yet. Explaining why was evenچ harder, since FIDOHIST.DC2 (ahem) wasn't written yet. (Iچ have to agree, this thing is a little bit late) It was aچ typical case of those who already knew were informaedچ constantly of updates, but thse in the dark had a hard time.چ Things were published fairly regularly (am I rememberingچ "conveniently" or "accurately" on this part?) Eventually, 10C was released, and seemed to workچ fairly well, ignoring all the small scale disasters due toچ bugs, etc. We couldn't just swap over to the new area codeچ business until very close to 100% of all Fidos were usingچ the new version. This was (for me) an excruciating period,چ basically a "hurry up and wait" situation. There had notچ been a node list release for a month or two, and for allچ practical purposes it looked like FidoNet had halted ... Finally, on June 12th, we all swapped over to theچ new system; that afternoon, sysops were to set their netچ number (it had been "1" for backwards compatibility), copyچ in the new node list issued just for this occasion, and go.چ I assumed the result was going to be perpetual chaos,چ bringing about the collapse of FidoNet. Almost the exactچ opposite was true; things went very smoothly (yes, thereچ were problems, but when you consider that FidoNet consistsچ of microcomputers owned by almost 300 people who had neverچ even talked to each other ...) Within a month or so,just about every Fido hadچ swapped over to the area code, or net/node architecture.چ With a few exceptions, things went very smoothly. No one wasچ more suprised than pessimistic I. At this time, August, Iچ don't think there is a single system still using the oldچ node number method. This is all well and fine as far as the softwareچ goes, but it made a mess for new sysops. For us sysops whoچ have been around for a while, there was no great problem, asچ we saw the changes happen one by one. However, new sysopsچ frequently came out of the blue; armed with a diskette fullچ of code, they attempted to set up a FidoNet node. Actually, I don't understand how anyone does it. Theچ information needed is not recorded in any place that a nonچ sysop could find. On top of that, most of it is now totallyچ wrong! If you follow the original instructions, it saidچ "call Fido #1 ..." if you found a real antique, or "callچ Fido #51 ..." if it is more current. Of course now it tellsچ you to find your region manager. "Region manager???" Well, aچ list of region managers was published in FidoNews, butچ unless you read FidoNews, how does anyone ever find out?چ I'll probably never know. ANYWAYS ... the original reason for all the changesچ was to DECENTRALIZE FidoNet. It just wasn't possible for Kenچ Kaplan to keep accurate, up to date information on everyچ Fido in the US and Europe. The decentralization has beenچ more or less a total success. The number of problemچ sintroduced were negligable compared to the problems solved,چ and even most new problems are by this time solved. It is interesting to note that with the hundreds ofچ systems there are today, the national FidoNet hour is lessچ crowded than it was when there were only 50 nodes. Please, keep in mind that no one has done anythingچ like this before, we are all winging it, and learningچ (hopefully) as we go. Please be patient with problems, noneچ of us is paid to do this, and it is more and more work asچ time goes on. Somehow it seems to all get done ... HOW TO GET A NODE NUMBER AND ALL THAT 20 August 1985 This is by necessity a very general idea of how it'sچ done, and you were warned earlier that this may be obsoleteچ this very minute; with that, here's the "current" processچ for starting up a new FidoNet node. You can of course skip all or part o6 this if you'veچ done this before; if you haven't, well, be prepared for aچ lot of searching and asking questions. Of course, you need to have your Fido BBS systemچ running first. It's probably best that you play with id forچ a while, and get some experience with how it all works, andچ whether you have the patience to run a BBS. It can getچ exasperating, and you will never find time to use theچ computer ever again. Obtain the most recent copy of the nodelistچ possible; thi may take some searching. If you get totallyچ lost, you can always contact Fido 125/1 or Fido 100/51;چ though these are very busy systems, they both usually haveچ the very latest of anything, and can direct you to the rightچ place. The big problem here is to find out if oyu are in aچ net or not, and if not, then who your region manager is. Ifچ you are in a lrge city (Los Angeles, Cincinnati, etc) thenچ there is probably a net in your area. Look through the nodeچ list (use the N)odebook command in Fido, or a text editor)چ for the right area code or city. If there is no net in your area, then you are partچ of a region. This is a little harder, because regions areچ large, and sometomes cover many states. Look at all theچ regions in the node list, you should find a region that fitsچ you. Once you find this, you have to contact the net orچ region manager to get your node number. Exactly how this isچ done depends on who the manager is, and how sticky they areچ fir details. A near universal requirement is that you sendچ your request via FidoNet, not by manully; this isn't done toچ make you life difficult, but to ensure that your system isچ really working right. IF you manage to get a FidoNet messageچ to the manager, its usually safe to assume that you'reچ system is working OK. If you get a reply in return, then youچ know both directions work. It is usually each sysops' responsibility to go getچ the latest nodelist and newsletters; they are notچ distributed to all systems because of the expense. (Though,چ I'm trying to get them distributed to more places than theyچ are now, it's sometimes very difficult to get a copy of theچ nodelist!) Again, read the FidoNew newsletter regularly; it isچ about the only way to stay in contact with the rest of theچ net. Programs, problems, services, bugs and interestingچ announcements can always be found there. FidoNews articlesچ don't come out of thin air; send in anythnig you think mightچ be of interest. They don't have to be lifetime masterpieces,چ or even well written. Please remember the entire network is made of theچ sysops; there is no central location from which good thingsچ come, the net consists entirely of the sysops and theirچ contributions. If you don't do it, chances are no one elseچ will! Tom Jennings 20 Aug 85 Ken Kaplan Fido 100/51 314/432-4129 Tom Jennings Fido 125/1 415/864-1418 Ben Baker Fido 100/10 314/234-1462