Hey everyone,

Late last month I decided to try my hand at setting up a small echo network, originally going with QWK as the networking methodology to some success but lackluster enthusiasm -- it was suggested to me that setting it up as FTN would be a better option, which I didn't disagree with but I felt it to be a little "too much" for me and my skill set. This opinion stems from little things about my current FTN setups which I've not been able to fully understand or, in one case, even get working.

To be honest I find the whole thing quite fiddly, slightly arcane (not in the good way) and on a whole just unpleasant to get working. That being said, I still want to take on the challenge of getting, if even just on a small scale, my little echo network available via FTN as well as QWK.

My question then is, well, how do I go about actually making myself a hub? I feel I understand the basic principles of SBBSecho and, as a person with their board on fsxNet and Micronet, broadly grasp the gist of how FTN operates, but would rather seek guidance than spend my own and another sysop's time in testing things (not that I can't just set up a test board myself, but that's a chore of it's own)

My understanding would be, broadly this:
I am board A, and a board which has me as their hub will be board B.
I would get the normal FTN information from the board A sysop (web address, passwords for fix / tic, etc) and assign them a node number.
I would set them up in my linked nodes just like any other board, and they would do the same to me, with them setting me as an uplink for a message group: I would, per the wiki, have an area file set up containing the echos I wish to provide to these downlinks.

And.... that's vaguely my grasp of things. Forgive me for not being explicit with every step, I find writing technical details to be an absolute chore. What I'm really wanting to do is see if my overall idea is sound -- understanding that I would do similar steps to subscribing to a network, but in a kind of reverse way... heck, that might be too complex of a way to think about it, but that's what first comes to my mind.

Am I correct or way off base? I apologize for this being a bit of a read but it is a complicated topic and I want to make sure I'm not mucking things up.

Thanks,
Chris
_____
xadara.com | final-zone.net

---
þ Synchronet þ Final Zone BBS - final-zone.net
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:47:49 -0600
"Kurisu" (VERT/FINALZON) <VERT/FINALZON!Kurisu@endofthelinebbs.com>
wrote:

Hey everyone,

Late last month I decided to try my hand at setting up a small echo
network, originally going with QWK as the networking methodology to
some success but lackluster enthusiasm -- it was suggested to me that
setting it up as FTN would be a better option, which I didn't
disagree with but I felt it to be a little "too much" for me and my
skill set. This opinion stems from little things about my current FTN
setups which I've not been able to fully understand or, in one case,
even get working.

Maybe the issue isn't whether you're using QWK or FNT, but it's whether
sysops want to deal with YADN (Yet Another Dead Network).

To be honest I find the whole thing quite fiddly, slightly arcane
(not in the good way) and on a whole just unpleasant to get working.
That being said, I still want to take on the challenge of getting, if
even just on a small scale, my little echo network available via FTN
as well as QWK.

This is why I've never really tried to or wanted to be a hub. Just
seems way too many hoops to jump through just to configure yourself as
a node for a network, let alone a hub.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

Your defeatist attitude and opinions are noted and filed appropriately in the garbage.

It absolutely amazes me how people in this scene can have an attitude like that about even just the experiment of creating such and the enjoyment which can come from seeing it work. Yet, here it is, on full display, along with the classic failure of reading comprehension combined with a presumption of what my goals are with the project -- acting like I think it's going to be the next FidoNet or something, and not just a little thing I want to try making for myself and a few friends to take advantage of, as well as something to have fun with in the creation of.

But no, your attitude is don't try. Yep, real constructive idea there.

Right, here's where people who actually want to help and like the idea of creating new things and helping the community grow in any capacity comes in and actually *gasp* actually helps!
_____
xadara.com | final-zone.net

---
þ Synchronet þ Final Zone BBS - final-zone.net
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 20:20:18 -0600
"Kurisu" (VERT/FINALZON) <VERT/FINALZON!Kurisu@endofthelinebbs.com>
wrote:

Your defeatist attitude and opinions are noted and filed
appropriately in the garbage.

It absolutely amazes me how people in this scene can have an attitude
like that about even just the experiment of creating such and the
enjoyment which can come from seeing it work. Yet, here it is, on
full display, along with the classic failure of reading comprehension combined with a presumption of what my goals are with the project --
acting like I think it's going to be the next FidoNet or something,
and not just a little thing I want to try making for myself and a few
friends to take advantage of, as well as something to have fun with
in the creation of.

But no, your attitude is don't try. Yep, real constructive idea there.

Right, here's where people who actually want to help and like the
idea of creating new things and helping the community grow in any
capacity comes in and actually *gasp* actually helps!
_____
xadara.com | final-zone.net

---
_ Synchronet _ Final Zone BBS - final-zone.net

TL;DR blah blah blah.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

El 15/2/24 a las 19:47, Kurisu escribió:

Hey everyone,

Late last month I decided to try my hand at setting up a small echo network, originally going with QWK as the networking methodology to some success but lackluster enthusiasm -- it was suggested to me that setting it up as FTN would
be a better option, which I didn't disagree with but I felt it to be a little "too much" for me and my skill set. This opinion stems from little things about
my current FTN setups which I've not been able to fully understand or, in one case, even get working.

Hi I made a small net too, this is for learn how to work sbbs as main
hub for ftn, that act as areafix, tickfix. makenl,etc.

I don't care getting people of the world try to join it, (I'm really
search for Latinoamerican people instead)

but, if you want to make some expirements, feel free to contact me.

You can check the info pack here: https://bbs.docksud.com.ar/zudaka

Saludos!
---
ï¿­ Synchronet ï¿­ Dock Sud BBS TLD 24 HS - bbs.docksud.com.ar
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

On Sun, 18 Feb 2024 01:26:05 -0300
"Ragnarok" (VERT/DOCKSUD) <VERT/DOCKSUD!Ragnarok@endofthelinebbs.com>
wrote:

Hi I made a small net too, this is for learn how to work sbbs as main
hub for ftn, that act as areafix, tickfix. makenl,etc.

I kept meaning to look up your network. A lot of people in the US speak
Spanish so it might of been interesting to them.

I don't care getting people of the world try to join it, (I'm really

search for Latinoamerican people instead)

But I guess I won't.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)