[Dxspider-support] Curiosities about network topology

[Kin]

Keith, I share your opinion; I’ve never refused a partnership request. However, for a network like ours, which was built not on standard protocols but de facto ones, with a very slow evolution, and after such a long time, I think limiting the number of links doesn’t make sense.
 
I see it as more important for sysops to understand how the network and the nodes they use work, as well as the implications of having 3 links versus 30, both for their node and for the rest of the network.
 
When it comes to nodes, there is a wide variety: from small Raspberry Pis, to laptops and desktop PCs, hosts that are maintained at home, and even those hosted in the cloud.
 
There are also common misconceptions, such as:
 
My node hasn’t rebooted in 1553 days. This proves its reliability.
My node is in the cloud with backup across continents. It will always stay active.
My node has links to all five continents. You’ll receive spots faster than anyone.
My node has a lot of users. You’ll see the spots first.
…
Anyone who reads this and takes it at face value might aspire to have a host that won’t deliver the performance they’re paying for.
 
Our network is both a service network and a platform for experimentation. For that reason, we should approach it the same way we investigate the best antenna for our location, its characteristics: impedance, SWR, max power, radiation angle, orientation, etc, but with a focus on:
 
What purpose will I use it for?
What level of availability do I need?
What resources do I require for n users and m neighbors?
If we understand what we’re using, we’ll make better use of it, perform more appropriate maintenance, and foster better collaboration among ourselves.
 
73 de Kin EA3CV
 
 
EA3CV-2 dxcluster.cronux.net 7300
http://clustermap.cronux.net/map.html
 
 
De: Dxspider-support <dxspider-support-bounces at tobit.co.uk> En nombre de Keith Maton via Dxspider-support
Enviado el: lunes, 2 de diciembre de 2024 22:13
Para: The DXSpider Support list <dxspider-support at tobit.co.uk>
CC: Keith Maton <g6nhu at me.com>
Asunto: Re: [Dxspider-support] Curiosities about network topology
 
Yeah, we have too many nodes and the nodes we have, have many more partners than they need.  I’m as guilty of this as the next person.
 
If someone asks me to be a partner node, I find it very difficult to turn them down, in fact, I don’t think I’ve rejected anyones request.  If they’ve gone out of their way to ask me, they must have a reason for it so I think it’d be rude to reject it.  I do now insist that they connect to me rather than vice versa.
 
On the positive side it means we have a very robust system and huge chunks of it could fail but we’d all still get our spots, and we’d still get them quickly.  
 
73 Keith
 



On 2 Dec 2024, at 17:59, Kin via Dxspider-support <dxspider-support at tobit.co.uk> wrote:
 
*snip*
 
Makes you think, doesn't it?
 
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