[Dxspider-support] Compatibility and Isolate

[Dirk Koopman]

On 16 Aug 2001 10:22:15 +0100, g3orh wrote:
> Hi,
>             If two networks are available (ie normal packet and a
> packet/internet node) what level of traffic flow occurrs when the isolate
> command is used for one of them and , if any , in which direction ?

Umm....

Not the easiest of questions to answer in a pithy one liner... It is
also now complicated by the new route filtering code. But here goes:-

If you are using a vanilla dxspider setup (ie NOT using the new route
filtering stuff) then what set/isolate does is make your node look like
a 'leaf' node to the node to which you are connected. Also any data sent
to you, from that node, can be only seen locally and is NOT sent onto
any other nodes.

Your node is a big collector of information. It is a big honey pot.
Everything that is comes into it is available to it locally. For
'normal' connections everything that comes in is shared, but for
isolated connections, although you can see everything that is sent to
you, this is 'private' to your node only. 

Set/isolate was a 'first pass' attempt at getting over the problems
associated with 'passive' (ie non-protocol) links used in things like
clx.

Now, because some information from isolated links is useful
(spots/wwv/wcy and, of course, announces :-) in varying ways to
different nodes, it is possible to selectively "break" isolation (in
either or both directions) using filters. This allows a node "in the
middle" to provide custom "views" of the data it receives to all the
other nodes connected to it.

The new route filtering code (currently in CVS) takes that one stage
further in allowing neighbouring nodes to selectively receive a bigger
"view" of the nodes and associated information that, for instance, I
have. An "rcmd gb7djk sh/c/n" or even "rcmd gb7djk sh/newc" will give an
idea of what is now possible. However this is not likely to be of much
use to a 'normal' node and should NOT be experimented with lightly or
wantonly - it can seriously annoy you. 

Both Ian (G0VGS) and I hope that we can put together a form of words in
the sysop documentation for the upcoming 1.48 that give a much fuller
explanation of how all this works and interacts. 

> 
>              Also , what is the level of compatibility between DXSpider and
> (for instance) ARClus.
> 

On a protocol level it appears to be fully compatible except for message
transfer, which seems to be an acknowledged bug in ARC.

It would be nice if could interoperate on their internal protocol level
but that seems to be something that they are not interested in.

Dirk G1TLH