Re: Read only echos for FTN nodes.
By: Digital Man to Rampage on Fri Jan 31 2020 10:39:52
Yeah, don't have separate read and write access for a node to a msg
area. The node either has access or it doesn't and access means
both read and write.
traditional ""advanced"" FTN tossers have this capability... i've
used it numerous times in the past when i was running fastecho...
i know there are numerous other FTN tossers that also offer it...
And this capability is reflected in their area file (e.g. areas.bbs)
or some other configuration?
there's no mechanism for denoting it in the areas.bbs file... it is only in the record for the linked node and/or the message area... basically similar to the method currently used to limit access to areas but applied on a read/write level instead of an overall level... FE did it with secutiry levels which worked but was limiting in several ways...
i'll try to post some screen shots from the FE docs... the character set conversion might be a tad off because the editor (kate) that i'm using only let's me use CP850 to get the best view of the >128 characters so there's going to be some manual editing to clean it up into ASCII because i have no clue if the proper bytes will be pasted for proper UTF-8 glyphs :(
the following system has access to echo groups A and B and has security setting 100...
FESetup System Data Export Import F1 Help
+== 1/1 =================== Node-Manager ==========================+
| Addresses |
| Main: 2:999/900.0 4D/Type 2+: Y |
| ARCmail: 2:999/900.0 TosScan: N |
| ARCmail 0.60: N |
| Name: Ben Grimm Pack priority: 0 |
| Convert Umlaut: N |
| Your Aka: 2:999/999.0 |
| Allow Area-Create: Y |
| Passwords New Area Default Group: B |
| Packet: Export By Name: N |
| AreaFix: THETHING |
| Status AreaFix flags: > |
| ARCmail: None |
| AreaFix: None Send Notify: Y |
| Packer: ZIP Max. size: 0 Send Help: Y |
| |
| Groups: AB Passive: N |
| Security: 100 Automatic Passive: 0 |
+==================================================================+ Enter-Edit Ins-Add Del-Delete F2-Rout F5-Browse F4 Area List F5-Copy
[...]
5.5.1.8 - Groups
In the group section you have to define the groups of areas that
your downlink will be able to request to your system through an AreaFix
request. The same groups will be used by FastEcho internally for its
maintenance. When you position the cursor upon the "Groups" item then
the following PopUp-menu will be automatically shown:
+---------------------------------+
|>_ A) - FidoNet EchoMail Natl< |
| _ B) - FidoNet EchoMail Intl |
| C) - ZyXELnet EchoMail Area |
| D) - Local BBS Area |
| [...] |
| X) |
| Y) |
| Z) |
+---------------------------------+
The groups listed in this box are the same you defined before in
the "Group Names" section (see: 5.4.13 paragraph). Here, you must se-
lect, by marking them, the areas-group that you want left available to
the downlink which you are defining. This downlink, then, will be able
to link or unlink the available areas sending an AreaFix request to
your system. You can, of course, activate manually other areas belon-
ging to other groups but the operating field of your downlink will be
strictly limited to the group defined herein. To activate the groups,
simply move the cursor upon the desired group that you want to make ac-
tive for this downlink and press the space key; you will see one small
black square to the left of the selected group name. This box means
that the group will be available for this node. To select groups you
may either press the relative key (I.E. pressing the "A" key you will
tag the "A" group), further, you can select all groups with the "ALT-A"
key combination or deselect them with "ALT-C". You might know that
there are some exceptions to this rule, for example, if your downlink
has a security level of 10 and has the "A" group available, but you,
have a particular area belonging to the "A" group that has a minimum
security level of 20, then your downlink won't be able to link this
area because its security level isn't enough. For our tutorial you
haven't any need to define groups for this node because you are confi-
guring one "Uplink" and you will never receive an AreaFix request from
an "Uplink" but, for "Equity" you'll tag it all the same. Press the
letter "A" and the letter "B" until the two fidonet groups are tagged
by the little black square; then press the "ESC" key to return to the
"Node Configuration" layout.
5.5.1.9 - Security
As already mentioned in the previous paragraph, a downlink cannot
link any areas having security level higher that the one specified in
this field; further, this security level, is strictly related to the
groups available to this node. For example: A node has level 10 and has
available the "A" and the "B" groups; this node will request, by means
of AreaFix, an EchoMail area belonging to group "A" but having security
level 11, well, the linking will be denied because of its level; the
same node now wants to link, with AreaFix request, an EchoMail area be-
longing to the group "C", the linking will be denied again because this
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- 50 -
FastEcho MANUAL - Tutorial - Data dropdown menu - Node Configuration -
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node hasn't any access to group "C". A node can definitely link or un-
link any areas IF the area belongs to an authorized group and it has a
security level lower or equal to the Node security level. For the tu-
torial, input here the level 100 and strike the "return" key.
then we have the defaults for the message area groups...
FESetup System Data Export Import F1 Help
+--------------------- Area defaults for Group A --------------------+
| Comment: FidoNet EchoMail Natl |
| Origin: System in test @Fidonet.org |
| Type: EchoMail |
| Storage: Hudson Board: 1 |
| Path: |
| Use Aka: 2:999/999.0 |
| |
| Mandatory: N Keep SEEN-BY: Y Tiny SEEN-BY: N CPD: N |
| Convert Umlaut: N Keep users: N Kill read: N Disab. Psve: N |
| Remote changes: Y Hide area: N Keep NetMail: N |
| |
| Purging # Msgs: 50 # Days: 30 # Rcvd Days: 0 |
| Security Read: 0 Write: 0 |
| |
| SEEN-BY: 2:999/999.0 |
| Export to: 2:999/900 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Press F10 to save or ESC to abort editing...
so the defaults for message group A have security of 0 for both read and write access... the defaults for this group are what an area in this group starts with...
now an area definition...
+------------------------------ Edit Area ---------------------------+
| Name: Group: |
| Comment: |
| Origin: |
| Type: EchoMail |
| Storage: Hudson Board: |
| Path: |
| Use Aka: |
| |
| Mandatory: N Keep SEEN-BY: N Tiny SEEN-BY: N CPD: N Psive: N |
| Convert Umlaut: N Keep users: N Kill read: N Disble Psive: N |
| Remote changes: Y Hide area: N Keep NetMail: N |
| |
| Purging # Msgs: 0 # Days: 0 # Rcvd Days: 0 |
| Security Read: 0 Write: 0 |
| |
| SEEN-BY: |
| Export to: | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Press F10 to save or ESC to abort editing... | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
[...]
5.5.3.1.23 - Security
In the following two items you can define which security level the
area you are defining will have. The levels must be adjusted conformly
to the security level that the nodes, defined in your "Node Manager",
have, in order to allow them to link this particular area or not.
These security levels have only means for automated operations
performed from your downlinks through AreaFix "Link" requests and
whether or not messages in an area will be accepted from or send to a
specific system.
5.5.3.1.23.1 - Read (Security)
This is the security level that you wish to assign to this area.
If a downlink, having its own security level in node manager (see: Se-
curity - chapter 5.5.1.9) greater or, at least, equal to this "Read-
area-security", tries to link this area, its request will be honored;
if, instead, it has the security level lower than the one specified in
this item, then the request will be refused and the link denied. Remem-
ber that this switch gives to the downlinks, only the permission to
read this area. In this way you may leave some downlinks abled to Read
only this area even if they are currently linked. For this tutorial,
input in this field the number "10" and strike return to continue.
5.5.3.1.23.2 - Write (Security)
With this item you can bind the "Write-Security" at this particular
area. As said before, a downlink may have the permission to "read-on-
ly" a area if its node-security level is greater or equal only to the
one specified in "Read" security. If you want to leave the downlinks
also free to link this area in "Write", check that the "Node" se-
curity level is greater or, at least, equal to the "Area" security le-
vel you will input herein. For our tutorial, input the number "10" con-
firming with the "return" key.
5.5.3.1.23.3 - Examples (Security)
The node 2:888/888 has security level 100
The node 2:777/777 has security level 50
The node 2:666/666 has security level 30
The EchoMail area TEST0.CHT has security level 100 read and 100 write
The EchoMail area TEST1.CHT has security level 50 read and 50 write
The EchoMail area TEST2.CHT has security level 30 read and 40 write
The node 2:888/888 will be able to link all the EchoMail areas here
mentioned both in read/write because it has 100 as security level which
is higher than the area security level for TEST1 and TEST2 and equal to
the TEST0 read/write level. The node 2:777/777 will be able to link
only the TEST1 and TEST2 EchoMail area, because its security level is
greater than the read/write security level of the TEST2 area and equal
to the TEST1 read/write level. The node 2:666/666 will be able to link
in read-only the EchoMail area TEST2 because its security level is lo-
wer than the read/write security level of the TEST0 and TEST1 area and
furthermore, is lower that the "write" security level of the TEST2.
it worked but even reading over it now, i see the limitations and i'm sure there's probably easier and better ways to handle these types of needs/desires... in any case, a linked system has to have access to the group and then the security level for read and write determines if messages are sent to or received from that system...
sorry, that's longer than i really wanted to post but after having done it now, i don't want to take a chance to edit it down for fear that fseditor will ABEND on me and show the dreaded "the impossible has happened" message...
)\/(ark
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