[Dxspider-support] Node_default spot filtering

[djk]

On 02/08/15 22:48, Martin Davies G0HDB wrote:
> One of the things I've been trying on GB7DXC-5 is node_default filtering so that I can control
> which spots (and other stuff) get accepted and rejected by the node.  To this end I've tried
> setting the following node_default spot filter:
>
> 	reject/spot node_default on hf and not by_zone 14,15
>
> I had expected that this would prevent any spots originated by stations outside zones 14 and
> 15 from getting into 'DXC-5 but this doesn't seem to be the case - from the sysop console I
> can see that even with the filter appearing to be active there are numerous HF spots from
> stations in especially W, JA and VK coming through the node.
>

One of the rather confusing things about filters is that one can have 
'input' and 'output' filters. The default is 'output'. This means that 
the filter operates on spots emanating 'out' of the node - i.e. to the 
users or connected nodes. The reason this is the default is that the 
user is only interesting in stuff coming 'out' of the node to him/her. 
The 'input' filter will work for the user as well, but it will filter 
the dx spots that are being sent - an unlikely scenario.

But for nodes, you have two options:

1. You can accept all spots and then provide a user_default filter that 
does what you want, but allows the user to override it.

2. You can filter the spots on input (i.e. rej/spot node_default input 
...) which will drop those spots on the floor *on input* with no 
override possible by a user. The more elegant way requires a bit of 
lateral thinking: your node is effectively a user on the peer node that 
you are connected to. So you can set your required filter *on your peer 
node* with a simple 'rcmd gb7xxx reject/spot ...' and that will prevent 
any those spots arriving onto your node in the first place.

Also if I read what you want to filter correctly you actually want:

reject/spot node_default on hf and by_zone 14,15

or

rcmd gb7xxx reject/spot on hf and by_zone 14,15

Which will reject all hf spots coming from zone 14/15.

Dirk G1TLH