From 842948b8d2309c600786b8bf6147b460862512ff Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Harald Welte Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2017 14:43:53 +0100 Subject: update, final version before presentation --- .../bbs_early_internet.html | 423 +++++++++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 395 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) (limited to '2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html') diff --git a/2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html b/2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html index bacb74e..a1fc9df 100644 --- a/2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html +++ b/2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html @@ -3869,6 +3869,53 @@ setTimeout(w3c_slidy.hide_slides, 50); Harald Welte <laforge@gnumonks.org>
+

Introduction

+
+
    +
  • + +this is not a high-tech talk + +
    • +
  • + +way fewer acronyms than in mots of my other talks + +
    • +
  • + +I didn’t invent any of the technologies covered + +
    • +
  • + +I didn’t write any of the software covered + +
    • +
  • + +Just a mere user and operator/sysadming + +
    • +
  • + +.. this is the world I grew up in (age 11 onwards) + +
    • +
  • + +very limited information available in literature and on the WWW + +
    • +
  • + +lots of younger members of our community lack this history + +
    • +
+
+
+

Circuit Switched Telephony

    @@ -3911,19 +3958,50 @@ Telephone
  • -Copper wire +Copper wire[s]
  • -Telephone Exchange +Telephone Exchange[s] + +
    • +
+

+images/pots_fig10.2.png +

+
+
+
+

Phone Charges

+
+

In Germany during the 80ies and 90ies

+
    +
  • + +even local calls were metered / charged + +
    • +
  • + +flat rates didn’t exist + +
    • +
  • + +various zones between local and long distance + +
    • +
  • + +not many people could afford long distance BBSing
-

Accoustic Coupler

+

Acoustic Coupler

  • @@ -3950,11 +4028,11 @@ After call was established, both sides put receiver into coupler

    Modems

    -

    Automatization of the accoustic coupler

    +

    Automation of the acoustic coupler

    • -Avoid speaker/micrphone path +Avoid air gap speaker/microphone path
    • @@ -3969,6 +4047,14 @@ directly dial the phone number / answer the line

    +images/analogm.png +

    +
    +
    +
    +

    Modems

    +
    +

    images/Modems.jpg

    @@ -4058,6 +4144,44 @@ offering interactive service to users who dial in
+

To operate a BBS, you had to have

+
    +
  • + +a separate/dedicated computer + +
      +
    • + +most BBS software predated/predates multi-tasking OSs + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +running 24/7 + +
    • +
  • + +attached to separate / dedicated phone line + +
    • +
+

To use a BBS, you

+
    +
  • + +power your computer when using it + +
    • +
  • + +can share your regular phone line with the modem + +
    • +
@@ -4106,7 +4230,7 @@ Both sides: Computer + Modem
  • -BBS Side +BBS Side Software
    • @@ -4116,14 +4240,14 @@ BBS Software
    • -often extended by "doors" (external programs, think of CGI for web) +often extended by "doors" (external programs, think of CGI in Web)
  • -User Side +User Side Software
    • @@ -4140,6 +4264,20 @@ Terminal Program (e.g. TELIX, Telemate for DOS)
    • +

    Demo

    +
    +

    Time for a demo

    +
    + + + +
    +
    Note
    +    		I’m using telnet instead of modem/dialup (POTS lines hard to find these days)
    +
    +
    +
    +

    The "BBS Protocol Stack"

    In the spirit of protocol stack diagrams…

    @@ -4256,6 +4394,7 @@ BBS can scale to more users this way

    BBS networks (store + forward)

    +

    As opposed to individual BBSs with isolated communities…

    Idea: Replicate bulletin / message boards between independent BBSs, for

    • @@ -4349,24 +4488,24 @@ Starts in 1984 with two BBSs
    • -Initial limit of 250 nodes reached in 1985 +Initial technological limit of 250 nodes reached in 1985
    • -Hierarchic, Regoinal routing/Adressing introduced in 1986 +Hierarchic, Regional routing/Addressing introduced in 1986
      • -Nodelist defines all nodes of the network + hierarchy +Nodelist defines all nodes of the network + hierarchy
    • -Addresses like "Harald Welte @ 2:2490/1343" +Addresses like Harald Welte @ 2:2490/1343
    • @@ -4405,7 +4544,7 @@ CrossPoint (DOS) most popular point software for ZConnect
    • -Addresses like H.WELTE@SILVER, later H.WELTE@SILVER.zer +Addresses like H.WELTE@SILVER, later H.WELTE@SILVER.zer
    @@ -4422,12 +4561,12 @@ Established in 1980 in the US
  • -Uses UUCP (Unix-to-Unix-Copy) as transport mechanism over Modmes +Uses UUCP (Unix-to-Unix-Copy) as transport mechanism over Modems
    • -UUCP was created in the 1970ies and used to copy files, including Internet Mal +UUCP was created in the 1970ies and used to copy files, including Internet Mail
    @@ -4439,9 +4578,21 @@ Usenet News format (RFC850) designed very similar to Internet Mail (RFC822)
  • -Hierarchy of News Groups that gets replicated / flooded accross the network +Hierarchy of News Groups that gets replicated / flooded across the network, e.g. + +
      +
    • + +comp.* — Discussion of computer-related topics like “comp.lang.c++” + +
      • +
    • + +sci.* — Discussion of scientific subjects
      • +
    +
  • Routing defined in route maps @@ -4453,7 +4604,7 @@ Routing defined in route maps

    Curiosity: Floppy Poll/Point

    -
      +
      • Not everyone had a phone line in the 1990ies @@ -4468,7 +4619,7 @@ particularly Eastern Germany had big lack of phone lines
      • -Some people thus exchanged daily floppies in evenlopes and mailed them as postal letters +Some people thus exchanged daily floppies in envelopes and mailed them as postal letters
      • @@ -4555,7 +4706,69 @@ you could run SLIP on both sides, transporting IP over the modem line
        • -IP. At home. In your apartment !!1! +Result: IP. At home. In your apartment !!1! + +
          • +
        +
        • +
      • + +later superseded by PPP (auto-configuration, authentication, compression, …) + +
        • +
      +

      Popular software stack looked like:

      +
        +
      • + +Windows 3.11 + Trumpet Winsock (Windows didn’t have TCP/IP!) + +
        • +
      • + +NCSA Mosaic as web-1.0 browser (1993 onwards) + +
        • +
      +

      +images/mosaic.jpg +

      +
    +
    +
    +

    Internet on PCs before Linux

    +
    +
      +
    • + +if you didn’t have a 386 or if Linux didn’t exist yet + +
      • +
    • + +there was KA9Q NOS + +
        +
      • + +Implementation of TCP/IP, SLIP, PPP for CP/M and DOS + +
        • +
      • + +POP3 + SMTP server + client, IP routing, telnet, ARP, etc. + +
        • +
      +
      • +
    • + +you could run SLIP on both sides, transporting IP over the modem line + +
        +
      • + +Result: IP. At home. In your apartment !!1!
      @@ -4670,7 +4883,7 @@ Grass-Roots groups of enthusiasts established themselves
    • -Kommunikationsnetz Franken e.V. (KNF, franken.de) one of them +Kommunikationsnetz Franken e.V. (KNF, “franken.de”) one of them
      • @@ -4739,7 +4952,7 @@ commercial ISPs were widespread, and
      • -remaining IN member organizations could get decend connectivity with IN e.V. +remaining IN member organizations could get decent connectivity with IN e.V.
      @@ -4779,7 +4992,7 @@ Telephone operator permanently interconnects wires at exchange
    • -No signaling (dialtone/ringtone etc) +No signaling (dial tone, ring tone etc)
    • @@ -4794,7 +5007,7 @@ ATA without an incoming ring first
    • -ATD without a dialtone first +ATD without a dial tone first
    @@ -4833,6 +5046,14 @@ I finally could afford one in 1998
    +

    hub-nbg.franken.de, 1998

    +
    +

    +images/pict4_Lg.jpg +

    +
    +
    +

    ISDN Leased Lines "SPV"

      @@ -4850,6 +5071,13 @@ Basically only "flat rate calls" to one specific (fixed) destination Available in national 1TR6 only +
        +
      • + +some of them operated until 2006 + +
        • +
    @@ -4903,9 +5131,17 @@ Special ISDN routers without signaling to use even 16k D-channel for data!
    • +

    hub-fue.franken.de, undated

    +
    +

    +images/hub-fue-04_Lg.jpg +

    +
    +
    +

    Abusing Analog Lines, Part 2

    -

    When the first DSL modems became availale in the US

    +

    When the first DSL modems became available in the US

    • @@ -4914,7 +5150,7 @@ we imported some Ascend DSLpipe
    • -with some fimrwares, they could be used back-to-back (without DSLAM) +with some firmwares, they could be used back-to-back (without DSLAM)
    • @@ -4990,12 +5226,53 @@ people started to dial into CompuServe, AOL, etc.
    • -Internet became more popluar, Falken’s Maze started subsidiary in Nuernberg +Internet became more popular, Falken’s Maze started subsidiary in Nuernberg + +
        +
      • + +ISDN SPV was used as Internet uplink + +
        • +
      +
      • +
    +
    +
    +
    +

    Summary

    +
    +
      +
    • + +The first decade[s] of wide-area electronics communications + +
        +
      • + +were powered by a community of enthusiasts + +
        • +
      • + +largely motivated by non-commercial motives + +
        • +
      • + +without much corporate or government influence + +
        • +
      +
      • +
    • + +BBS community / culture is a distinct sub-culture.
      • -ISDN SPV was used as Intenret uplink +different norms than HAM radio, Hackers, Free Software, but some of overlap
      @@ -5004,6 +5281,35 @@ ISDN SPV was used as Intenret uplink
    +

    Conclusions

    +
    +

    In the BBS days

    +
      +
    • + +networks were distributed, without single point of failure + +
      • +
    • + +infrastructure owned and operated by its users + +
      • +
    • + +connection speeds were largely symmetric + +
      • +
    • + +no data center vs. consumer separation with asymmetric speeds + +
      • +
    +

    This autonomy and de-centralization has been lost in the Internet age

    +
    +
    +

    Further Reading

    +
    +
    +
    +

    Thanks

    +
    +
      +
    • + +my uncle for giving me his old Olivetti acoustic coupler in 1990 + +
      • +
    • + +Josef Groll, SysOp of SILVER.zer / SILVER.nbg.sub.org + +
      • +
    • + +Max Riegel, Martin Bokaemper, Joerg Kinzebach and KNF crew + +
      • +
    • + +Reinhold "unhold" Pretscher for Falken’s Maze + +
      • +
    • + +All sotware developers of BBS related software + +
      • +
    • + +All SysOps that made the BBS community possible + +

    EOF

    -

    End of File

    +

    NO CARRIER

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