From a0ab9dea57b6a6b17bd6bf0c2edd6d3d732a8f32 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Harald Welte Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2017 12:47:20 +0100 Subject: initial checkin of 34c3 talk on BBSs --- .../bbs_early_internet.html | 5068 ++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 5068 insertions(+) create mode 100644 2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html (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 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bacb74e --- /dev/null +++ b/2017/bbs_early_internet-34c3/bbs_early_internet.html @@ -0,0 +1,5068 @@ + + + + +BBSs and Early Internet Access in Germany + + + + + + + + +
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Circuit Switched Telephony

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+
    +
  • + +Telephony from 1876 until ~ 1988 + +
    • +
  • + +Analog voice circuit 300-3000 Hz + +
    • +
  • + +Dial-up connection between A and B party + +
    • +
  • + +Copper wires physically switched at intermediate telephone exchange + +
    • +
  • + +Voice signal possibly amplified in the path + +
    • +
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Hardware

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+
    +
  • + +Telephone + +
    • +
  • + +Copper wire + +
    • +
  • + +Telephone Exchange + +
    • +
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Accoustic Coupler

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+
    +
  • + +First devices to transmit bits as audible tones over telephone + +
    • +
  • + +User manually dialled phone number like voice call + +
    • +
  • + +After call was established, both sides put receiver into coupler + +
    • +
+

+images/accoustic_coupler.jpg +

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Modems

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+

Automatization of the accoustic coupler

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    +
  • + +Avoid speaker/micrphone path + +
    • +
  • + +directly generate/receive tones on phone line + +
    • +
  • + +directly dial the phone number / answer the line + +
    • +
+

+images/Modems.jpg +

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Modem Speeds / Standards

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StandardRate (bps)Year created

V.21

300

1962*

V.22

1200

1980*

V.22bis

2400

1984*

V.32

9600

1984*

V.32bis

14400

1991

V.32ter

19200

1993

V.34

28000

1994

V.34bis

33600

1996

V.90

56000

1998

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BBSs

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What’s a BBS?

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    +
  • + +Computer with Modem accepting incoming calls + +
    • +
  • + +offering interactive service to users who dial in + +
    • +
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Content

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+
    +
  • + +bulletin boards / message boards + +
    • +
  • + +live chat with sysop (or other users in multi-line BBS) + +
    • +
  • + +multi-user games (text based!) + +
    • +
  • + +file areas / downloads + +
    • +
  • + +ASCII / ANSI artwork + +
    • +
+

+images/dosbox-telemate-login.png +

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Technology/Software

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+
    +
  • + +Both sides: Computer + Modem + +
    • +
  • + +BBS Side + +
      +
    • + +BBS Software + +
      • +
    • + +often extended by "doors" (external programs, think of CGI for web) + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +User Side + +
      +
    • + +Terminal Program (e.g. TELIX, Telemate for DOS) + +
      • +
    +
    • +
+

+images/telemate.jpg +

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The "BBS Protocol Stack"

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+

In the spirit of protocol stack diagrams…

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+images/bbs-protocol_stack.svg +

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Curiosity: Vector Graphics

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+
    +
  • + +BBSs were typically all Text, mostly ANSI CP437 charset + +
    • +
  • + +RIP (Remote Imaging Protocol) / RIPscrip introduced vector graphics + +
      +
    • + +RIPscrip introduced in 1992 (by TeleGrafix) + +
        +
      • + +Commands like “!|w00001B0M10” to draw vector graphics over Modem + +
        • +
      +
      • +
    • + +RIPterm as terminal program for EGA (640x350) + +
      • +
    +
    • +
+

+images/Nouveau.png +

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Isolated BBSs

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To participate in bulletin/message boards

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    +
  • + +Users log in at different times + +
    • +
  • + +BBS is busy while a user is logged in + +
    • +
  • + +Multiple modems / phone lines is one (expensive) option to scale + +
    • +
  • + +Time limit per User (minutes/day) often used + +
    • +
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Points / Offline Messages

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    +
  • + +Users don’t read/write interactively during active modem call + +
    • +
  • + +Messages get written offline and compressed/batched during short call + +
    • +
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Advantages:

+
    +
  • + +lower cost (shorter phone calls, metered!) + +
    • +
  • + +shorter connection per user + +
    • +
  • + +BBS can scale to more users this way + +
    • +
+

+images/xpmenu.gif +

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BBS networks (store + forward)

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

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    +
  • + +scalability in number of users + +
    • +
  • + +scalability in geographic scope + +
      +
    • + +most users will prefer least-expensive local calls to long-distance + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +efficient transport over long distance due to routing/forwarding of compressed batches + +
    • +
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BBS network technology (examples)

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+
    +
  • + +FIDO (Netmail + Echomail) + +
      +
    • + +Othernets like TrekNet, GerNet using same FTN technology + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +Z-Netz (Mail + News) + +
      +
    • + +T-Netz, CL-Netz + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +UUCP (Usenet Mail + News) + +
      +
    • + +Often only way to access "Internet" before IP access was available + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +MausNet - Münster Apple User Service + +
      +
    • + +used by up to 120 BBSs in DE / AT / CH + +
      • +
    +
    • +
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Example: FIDOnet

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+
    +
  • + +Starts in 1984 with two BBSs + +
    • +
  • + +Initial limit of 250 nodes reached in 1985 + +
    • +
  • + +Hierarchic, Regoinal routing/Adressing introduced in 1986 + +
      +
    • + +Nodelist defines all nodes of the network + hierarchy + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +Addresses like "Harald Welte @ 2:2490/1343" + +
    • +
  • + +Up to 39,000 nodes in 1996, estimated 2 Million users world-wide + +
    • +
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Example: Z-Netz

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    +
  • + +Started as Zerberus-Netz implemented in Zerberus Software + +
    • +
  • + +Later renamed to Z-Netz as the ZConnect protocol was implemented in other software + +
      +
    • + +Standards defined based on perceived complexity of RFCs and Usenet/UUCP + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +CrossPoint (DOS) most popular point software for ZConnect + +
    • +
  • + +Addresses like H.WELTE@SILVER, later H.WELTE@SILVER.zer + +
    • +
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Example: UseNet

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    +
  • + +Established in 1980 in the US + +
    • +
  • + +Uses UUCP (Unix-to-Unix-Copy) as transport mechanism over Modmes + +
      +
    • + +UUCP was created in the 1970ies and used to copy files, including Internet Mal + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +Usenet News format (RFC850) designed very similar to Internet Mail (RFC822) + +
    • +
  • + +Hierarchy of News Groups that gets replicated / flooded accross the network + +
    • +
  • + +Routing defined in route maps + +
    • +
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Curiosity: Floppy Poll/Point

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+
    +
  • + +Not everyone had a phone line in the 1990ies + +
      +
    • + +particularly Eastern Germany had big lack of phone lines + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +Some people thus exchanged daily floppies in evenlopes and mailed them as postal letters + +
    • +
  • + +Messages arrived about one day later, but with 1-2 days latency even inside the dial-up store-and-forward network, it hardly matters + +
    • +
+

+images/floppy-disk-1219954_640.png +

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Internet

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Early ways to access Internet:

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    +
  • + +Mail/News via UUCP (as stated earlier) + +
    • +
  • + +Dial-Up Modem to a TTY of a Unix machine connected to TCP/IP + +
      +
    • + +Often workstations at universities. You could then run FTP, IRC, telnet, Gopher on the test console + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +ftp-mailers + +
      +
    • + +a FTP client running on a remote machine, whose input/output is used by e-mail + +
      • +
    • + +you send a mail with "ftp ftp.sun.com" and "ls" + +
      • +
    • + +hours or days later you get the list of files + +
      • +
    • + +you respond with cd / get / … + +
      • +
    • + +hours later you get the file as batch of UUencoded mails + +
      • +
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    • +
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Internet with SLIP

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    +
  • + +if you had dial-up access to a Unix box + +
    • +
  • + +you could run SLIP on both sides, transporting IP over the modem line + +
      +
    • + +IP. At home. In your apartment !!1! + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +later superseded by PPP (auto-configuration, authentication, compression, …) + +
    • +
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ISDN

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    +
  • + +Digital Circuit-Switched Telephony Network + +
      +
    • + +Transport of Digital Voice (PCM) audio and transparent digital data + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +Germany + +
      +
    • + +1989 put in operation + +
      • +
    • + +Until 1993 German 1TR6 system + +
      • +
    • + +From 1994 European E-DSS1 + +
      • +
    • + +Hugely popularized from 1995 by subsidies + +
      • +
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    • +
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ISDN Terminal Adapter

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    +
  • + +ISDN is an all-digital network + +
    • +
  • + +No modulator / demodulator required + +
    • +
  • + +Instead, so-called terminal adapter + +
    • +
  • + +Speeds: 64000 (single B-channel) or 128000 (both B-channels) + +
    • +
  • + +V.110 as adaptation to do async serial over sync ISDN (1988) + +
    • +
+

+images/isdn.jpg +

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How to get Internet Access?

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    +
  • + +Hard to access in early/mid 1990ies outside of academia + +
    • +
  • + +Almost no commercial ISPs (XLink, EUnet) - and very expensive + +
    • +
  • + +Grass-Roots groups of enthusiasts established themselves + +
    • +
  • + +Kommunikationsnetz Franken e.V. (KNF, franken.de) one of them + +
      +
    • + +dial-up UUCP and shortly later IP for personal, non-commercial users + +
      • +
    • + +POPs in Nürnberg, Fürth, Erlangen, Forchheim, Würzburg, Regensburg, … + +
      • +
    • + +Every user got 6 static IP addresses routed to wherever he dialed in (OSPF!) + +
      • +
    • + +served ~ 800 users / members at peak + +
      • +
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    • +
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Individual Network (IN) e.V.

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    +
  • + +Umbrella Association established in 1992 + +
      +
    • + +Goal to help regional member associations with negotiating framework contracts + +
      • +
    • + +Actual technical access via WiN/DFN, XLink, EUnet + +
      • +
    • + +Regional Member Associations include Oche, Augusta, Escape, IN-Berlin, Hanse, INKA, Toppoint, muc.de, IN-Passau, ThurNet, MAUS, CL-Net and many more + +
      • +
    • + +IN members served more than 300,000 users at one point + +
      • +
    • + +Dissolved in 2000, when + +
        +
      • + +commercial ISPs were widespread, and + +
        • +
      • + +remaining IN member organizations could get decend connectivity with IN e.V. + +
        • +
      +
      • +
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    • +
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Internet

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With packet-switched TCP-IP

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    +
  • + +you just needed to dial one number + +
    • +
  • + +and then access systems world-wide + +
    • +
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This brought new purpose to leased lines

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Analog Leased Lines

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    +
  • + +Telephone operator permanently interconnects wires at exchange + +
    • +
  • + +No signaling (dialtone/ringtone etc) + +
    • +
  • + +Requires modems with special capabilities + +
      +
    • + +ATA without an incoming ring first + +
      • +
    • + +ATD without a dialtone first + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +In Germany: "Analog G" of Post/Telekom + +
      +
    • + +I finally could afford one in 1998 + +
      • +
    • + +900 DM installation cost + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +180 DM per month (60 DM per hop) + +
    • +
+
+
+
+

hub-nbg.franken.de, 1998

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+

+images/pict3_Lg.jpg +

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ISDN Leased Lines "SPV"

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    +
  • + +Not really a leased line + +
    • +
  • + +Basically only "flat rate calls" to one specific (fixed) destination + +
    • +
  • + +Available in national 1TR6 only + +
    • +
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Abusing Analog Lines, Part 1

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+
    +
  • + +ICU-T + +
      +
    • + +inverse of ISDN NTBA + +
      • +
    • + +ISDN BRI (2x64k + 16k) over 12km of telephone line + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +Special ISDN routers without signaling to use even 16k D-channel for data! + +
    • +
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Easy upgrade to get performance of a leased ISDN line out of an Analog-G

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Leased Lines at KNF, 1997/1998

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+bbs_early_internet__1.png +
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hub-fue.franken.de, undated

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+images/hub-fue-03_Lg.jpg +

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Abusing Analog Lines, Part 2

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When the first DSL modems became availale in the US

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    +
  • + +we imported some Ascend DSLpipe + +
    • +
  • + +with some fimrwares, they could be used back-to-back (without DSLAM) + +
    • +
  • + +suddenly we could get speeds of 2.3 MBps over analog lines + +
      +
    • + +if they were not too long + +
      • +
    • + +if they didn’t have in-line inductors + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +soon less expensive alternatives came up Pairgain (2000) + +
    • +
+

+images/ascend.jpg +

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+

From Online Bistro to Internet Cafe

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+
    +
  • + +Falken’s Maze was an Online Bistro established in the 1990ies + +
      +
    • + +I became a regular around 1994 + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +initially had four DOS PCs, each with a Modem, dedicated phone line and a call charge meter + +
      +
    • + +you could go there, eat + drink and use the PCs to log into BBSs + +
      • +
    +
    • +
  • + +quickly became preferred meeting point of various nerds, BBS users, SYSOP meetings, etc. + +
    • +
  • + +PCs were networked with 10base2 and NetWare (DOOM!) + +
    • +
  • + +people started to dial into CompuServe, AOL, etc. + +
    • +
  • + +Internet became more popluar, Falken’s Maze started subsidiary in Nuernberg + +
      +
    • + +ISDN SPV was used as Intenret uplink + +
      • +
    +
    • +
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Further Reading

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EOF

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End of File

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+ + -- cgit v1.2.3