205 lines
8.3 KiB
PHP
205 lines
8.3 KiB
PHP
@extends('layouts.app')
|
|
@section('htmlheader_title')
|
|
About
|
|
@endsection
|
|
|
|
@section('content')
|
|
<h2>About the FTN Clearing Houz</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>Welcome to the <strong class="highlight">FTN Clearing Houz</strong>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<div class="float-end ps-3 pb-3" id="network_traffic"></div>
|
|
<p>FTN is an abbreviation for FidoNet Technology Network, and the most well known FTN is
|
|
"<a href="https://wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet">FidoNet</a>" that still exists today.
|
|
There were many other "Othernets" also created around that time and since, and some still in operation today as
|
|
well.</p>
|
|
<p>FidoNet was born in the 1980's (well before the public Internet) when personal computers were being introduced to
|
|
homes, and modems were being invented.
|
|
Some very clever people developed protocols and standards to exchange mail and files with peers, with the
|
|
network growing to around 40,000 systems in the mid 1990's.
|
|
Those systems were called BBSes or <a href="https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system">Bulletin Board
|
|
Systems</a>.
|
|
As "the Internet" became more accessible, the usage of FidoNet and BBSes drastically reduced, but there are some
|
|
systems still in operation today.</p>
|
|
<p>The <strong class="highlight">FTN Clearing Houz</strong> is both an FTN Mailer and FTN message tosser, where mail
|
|
is stored internally in a DB, and files in an S3 bucket. It can also hatch and toss files into FTN networks for
|
|
both upstream and downstream nodes.</p>
|
|
<p>It was created as an idea to bring modern technology and capabilities to that legacy computing network that
|
|
existed in the 1980's and 1990's, where many of those programs from the 1980's and 1990's are still in use today
|
|
too.</p>
|
|
<p>Setting up an FTN network is fun, but managing one for the longer term, in amongst our busy lives can involve
|
|
some tedious repetitive tasks.
|
|
In the same vain, maintaining and growing an FTN network also can be time consuming, especially when your effort
|
|
(or lack thereof) can affect the experience of your users.
|
|
So FTN Clearing Houz was created to help address that.</p>
|
|
<p>Building this software is driven by three main goals:</p>
|
|
<ol>
|
|
<li>Self Service - so that users can setup and re-jig their configuration themselves, or new users can join a
|
|
network with the minimum of effort (relieving a dependancy on an admin to set you up, and thus freeing up
|
|
time for those admins).
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>Automation - so that repetitive tasks can be done with minimal effort.</li>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strike>High Availability - So if one hub goes down, users can automatically connect to an alternate hub to keep
|
|
mail flowing. Furthermore, as hubs retire, new hubs can assume the role of the retiring hub with minimal
|
|
effort.
|
|
</strike>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ol>
|
|
|
|
<p>...all so that you can spend your time playing on your BBS rather than managing messages, failures or keeping an
|
|
FTN network running.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>For the BBS Sysop</h3>
|
|
<p>For the BBS sysop, the FTN Clearing Houz has the following features:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Supports BINKP network transfers</li>
|
|
<li>Supports EMSI network transfers (for legacy "frontend" mailers)</li>
|
|
<li>Supports PING responses (to netmails)</li>
|
|
<li>A consistent reliable echomail/netmail hub for your BBSes, while you reconfigure your BBS.<br>
|
|
If you have more than 1 BBS, then the Clearing Houz can receive all your mail from your uplinks and feed
|
|
them to your BBSes.
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h3>For the FTN network operator</h3>
|
|
<p>For the FTN network operator, the FTN Clearing Houz has the following features (or planned ones):</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Supports BINKP network transfers</li>
|
|
<li>Supports EMSI network sessions with ZMODEM transfers</li>
|
|
<li>Automatic route configuration, routing netmail directly where links exist, or to the next uplink/downlink</li>
|
|
<li>Manages ECHO areas and FILE areas</li>
|
|
<li>Supports PING and TRACE responses <sup>(TRACE to be implemented)</sup></li>
|
|
<li>Nodelist Management</li>
|
|
<li>Self service FTN Network Applications <sup>being implemented</sup></li>
|
|
<li>Dynamic mail bundling for upstream and downstream nodes (no more "inbounds" and "outbounds")</li>
|
|
<li>Support for Fidonet Packet formats <a href="http://ftsc.org/docs/fts-0001.016">FTS-0001</a>,
|
|
<a href="http://ftsc.org/docs/fsc-0039.004">FSC-0039</a>,
|
|
<a href="http://ftsc.org/docs/fsc-0045.001">FSC-0045</a>,
|
|
<a href="http://ftsc.org/docs/fsc-0048.002">FSC-0048</a></li>
|
|
<li>Automatic delisting of idle nodes <sup>(to be implemented)</sup></li>
|
|
<li>DNS server, to enable resolving of registered nodes using domain dns names <a href="http://ftsc.org/docs/fts-5004.001">FTS-5004</a>
|
|
with <strong class="highlight">p<em>N</em>.f<em>N</em>.n<em>N</em>.z<em>N</em>.<em>domain</em>.ftn</strong>, or
|
|
<strong class="highlight">p<em>N</em>.f<em>N</em>.n<em>N</em>.z<em>N</em>.<em>[domain dns zone]</em></strong>
|
|
syntax, including TXT and CNAME records</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Other things</h4>
|
|
<p>Other ideas that may make it into this tool:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>SMTP integration</li>
|
|
<li>PGP signed mail and mail verification</li>
|
|
<li>SQRL simple authentication <small>(so there is 1 less username/password you need to remember)</small></li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>If you are here to link to BBS, please get started by <a href="{{ url('login') }}">logging in</a>.</p>
|
|
|
|
<h2>Open Source</h2>
|
|
<p>FTN Clearing Houz is built with Open Source software. At it's core, PHP drives this web UI and the interaction
|
|
with nodes.</p>
|
|
<p>This web UI has been inspired by the great work at <a href="https://int10h.org">int10h.org</a>. If you have ideas
|
|
to make it even better, please send me a message, or submit your comments in <a
|
|
href="https://dev.dege.au/bbs/clrghouz">gitlab</a></p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Other technology that drives the Clearing Houz</h3>
|
|
<p>FTN Clearing Houz is made available by these technologies:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Docker - taking the effort out of building, deploying and easing the effort of upgrading.</li>
|
|
<li><strike>CockroachDB - a high available, geodispersable database, that enables accessing configuration and
|
|
data from multiple locations. CockroachDB enables the FTN Clearing Houz to appear as the same hub from
|
|
multiple locations, providing a high available environment for Sysops to drop off and collect
|
|
mail</strike></li>
|
|
<li>PostgreSQL - to store all the data
|
|
<li>Memcached - to take some of the pressure off the database</li>
|
|
<li>PHP/Laravel - the coding framework used to create this UI, and to enable the transfer of mail between systems</li>
|
|
<li>jQuery - to help with the web UI</li>
|
|
<li>Highcharts - to render the graphs</li>
|
|
<li>AnsiLove - to render the messages, for when they have ANSI code sequences</li>
|
|
<li><a html="https://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm/">PhpStorm</a> - the development IDE that makes all this possible and for supporting Open Source projects</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>If you'd like to support enhancing Clearing Houz, <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/dege">Buy me a coffee!</a></p>
|
|
@endsection
|
|
|
|
@section('page-scripts')
|
|
@js('highcharts')
|
|
|
|
<script>
|
|
var chart = Highcharts.chart('network_traffic', {
|
|
chart: {
|
|
type: 'spline',
|
|
zoomType: 'x',
|
|
backgroundColor: '#000000',
|
|
resetZoomButton: {
|
|
position: {
|
|
x: 0,
|
|
y: -40,
|
|
}
|
|
}
|
|
},
|
|
credits: {
|
|
enabled: false
|
|
},
|
|
exporting: {
|
|
buttons: false
|
|
},
|
|
title: {
|
|
text: 'FTN Network Traffic'
|
|
},
|
|
xAxis: {
|
|
type: 'datetime',
|
|
title: {
|
|
text: 'Time'
|
|
},
|
|
},
|
|
yAxis: {
|
|
title: {
|
|
text: 'Echomail'
|
|
},
|
|
},
|
|
legend: {
|
|
symbolWidth: 40
|
|
},
|
|
plotOptions: {
|
|
series: {
|
|
point: {
|
|
events: {
|
|
click: function () {
|
|
//window.location.href = this.series.options.website;
|
|
}
|
|
}
|
|
},
|
|
cursor: 'pointer'
|
|
}
|
|
},
|
|
series: [
|
|
@foreach (\App\Models\Domain::active()
|
|
->when(((! $user) || (! $user->isAdmin())),function($query) { return $query->public()->active(); })
|
|
->orderBy('name')
|
|
->with(['echoareas'])
|
|
->get() as $o)
|
|
@if ($o->isManaged())
|
|
{
|
|
name: '{{ $o->name }}',
|
|
data: [],
|
|
dashStyle: 'ShortDot',
|
|
},
|
|
@endif
|
|
@endforeach
|
|
],
|
|
});
|
|
|
|
chart.series.forEach(function(item) {
|
|
$.ajax({
|
|
url: '/api/domain/daily',
|
|
type: 'GET',
|
|
dataType: 'json',
|
|
data : {name: item.name},
|
|
success: function(data) {
|
|
item.setData(data);
|
|
},
|
|
cache: false
|
|
});
|
|
});
|
|
</script>
|
|
@append |