Hi Haaken,

 PK> IMHO, Fidonet should be developing a NEW data record format that
 PK> completely replaces the Nodelist, but still keeps Fidonet nodes
 PK> connected. It MUST be flexible (the current Nodelist format is not at
 PK> all very flexible in this case), and be able to work in ways the
 PK> Nodelist was never designed t work. I think this new format already
 PK> exists today, its called DNS.

 HK> I don't follow You there, perhaps You can explain with an example? 

Ok, I will try and give an example. A LOT still needs to be sorted with
this, but it is just one way of handling the situation.

 HK> The DNS system only resolves IP numbers,

Well it resolves NAMES to numbers, but it can do this for a myriad of
functions being performed for a single host. Effectively, it makes the
actual target system a lot more transparent than the Nodelist does.

 HK> it does not indicate what services are available and on 
 HK> what ports they reside. 

Ahhh, but it CAN, and even more, it can then allow the mapping of those
services to the apprpriate place by using some external glue to handle
it...

The DNS entry actually points to the "mapping" server! Admitedly,
a DNS in its raw state cannot do much of this, it requires a extra bit of
"external glue" to bind that reference to the appropriate place. 

A feature being offered by some Dynamic DNS environments, links an HTTP URL
to a persons home PC, however because that persons ISP prohibits them
running an HTTP server on port 80, the DDNS reference for that web server
points to what I will call a "port mapper", and that task
automatically intercepts that Port 80 request and maps that to the
customers real Web Server which is actually available on a different port. 


All this is possible, but I am not yet aware of a "standard" way
of implementing this yet.

 HK> There are also nodes having a static IP that perhaps not 
 HK> want a DNS for it.

A DNS record can point to a machine, but it does NOT have to define a
specific service available on that machine. There is a difference between
advertising your home address and actually pickng up mail from your letter
box.....;-)

Cheers....................pk.


--- Maximus/2 3.01