[Dxspider-support] New DX Cluster Telent Node Database - 23 January 2011

[Jim Reisert AD1C]

I have uploaded a new DX Cluster Telnet database and listing.  The new
URL is:

  http://www.dxcluster.info/telnet/index.php

** SYSOPS: please read the middle third of this message
** DATA FILE CLIENTS: please read the last third of this message

This list is generated from a MySQL database.  The good news is that
SYSOPs can now update their node information in real time, using this
new submission form:

  http://www.dxcluster.info/telnet/submit.php

I have tried to make the new Telnet page look as close as possible to
the old Telnet page.  There are presently two differences:

1.  Instead of the country NAME, it uses the PREFIX.

2.  For Australia, Canada and USA, calls are no longer sorted first by
    state, then by callsign.  They are just sorted by callsign.

I will try to work on these problems when I get time, but they are low
priority compared to some other tasks (see below).


IMPORTANT (for SYSOPs):

If you are submitting node information, please use the new form above.
The database will automatically update as soon as you click on the
SUBMIT button (you will get a confirmation on the screen of the data
you entered).  If I get E-mail with a node request, I will know you
are using the OLD submission form.

The Node Callsign (including -SSID) must be UNIQUE.  You can NOT have
two entries in the database with the same node callsign.  As far as I
know, this only affects one user.

The submission form does some error checking on the node callsign, IP
address, port number, grid locator, SYSOP callsign and E-mail, Web
login (URL) and Club/Organization (URL). It also checks that the
required fields are filled in.  If something is wrong, there will be a
pop-up telling you what to correct.  If there is NOTHING wrong, but
you still get the pop-up (which prevents form submission), send E-mail
to the webmaster.

At the current time, you can not RECALL your current record in the
database.  I want to add this feature, but it is going to take more
coding time than I have right now.  So just re-enter all your
information and the new record will replace the old one.

The submission form does NOT automatically subscribe a SYSOP to the
reflector.  I have not decided how to handle this.

If you have submitted a node change recently, and it's not showing at
the new URL above, please submit the information again using the new
form (submission URL above).


IMPORTANT (for data file clients):

I used to maintain four different data files, derived from this
database:

    cluster.dat
    dxclusters.dat
    nodes.txt
    telnet.txt

Those files will be replaced by URLs which generate the file
dynamically from the current database. You can see an example here:

  http://www.dxcluster.info/telnet/dx4win.php

I will try to update these in the coming days.  If accessing a PHP web
page from your application is going to be a problem, send E-mail to
the webmaster.


Many thanks to everyone for helping to keep this list up-to-date.  I
hope that the new database and form will make everyone's job easier
(especially mine :-)

73 - Jim AD1C

-- 
Jim Reisert AD1C, <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>, http://www.ad1c.us