Attached is the file I have available from my main menu, which provides Fidonet wannabes with a little information on net125 and how to join. I doubt it is what you were looking for, but you might want to take a look. There are, btw, a couple of compiler control commands that aren't part of the text (the very first and last lines).
William Sommers - via FidoNet node 1:125/555 UUCP: ...!uunet!hoptoad!kumr!fidogate!222!William.Sommers INTERNET: William.Sommers@f222.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG
About Joining Fidonet
=====================
This system is the home of the current Net Coordinator for Fidonet Net125. Net125 is centered in San Francisco and also provides service to nearby northern parts of the penninsula, Marin County, Sonoma County, much of Napa County, Mendocino County and Humboldt County. Yes, it's a big one. Two Hubs, one in Santa Rosa and one in Humboldt County, help in the distribution of mail and files to the more out-lying member nodes.
Fidonet membership is not to be taken lightly. Every member has certain responsibilities, set forth in Fidonet Policy 4. There is really only one rule -- that you run an FTS-0001 compliant mailer during ZoneMailHour (ZMH) daily. Net125 specifically also requires that you maintain regular contact with either the Net Host (this system) or one of the Hubs. All Net125 members must also receive the NET_125 echo, our primary means of communication amongst ourselves. All net members must also receive the weekly Nodediff and FidoNews files. Those members who are not local to San Francisco, and in general those who do not run 24- hour mail systems, must poll this system on a regular basis to pick up these files.
Fidonet is open to any and all comers who are able to meet the ZMH technical requirement, but is not something you join on the spur of the moment without understanding your responsibilities. You will really need to have at least a basic understanding of how Fidonet and your FTS- 0001 compliant software work. The best way to gain this knowledge is to both participate as a user on an existing Fido-BBS, and to set up your own not-yet-linked-to-Fidonet BBS. Once you have a basic understanding of what Fidonet provides and how your software does this, you are ready to proceed with joining as an official member.
Don't let this scare you -- virtually nobody knows what's going on when they first join. There will be plenty of time for questions and usually tons of help available to you later. Waiting until you have a little bit of understanding will simply ease the process for both yourself and your Net Coordinator. Remember that your NC is just a hobbyist too, has plenty of work to do already, and often has several other newcomers like yourself needing help at any given time.
How To Join Fidonet
===================
Step 1: Gain a basic understanding of Fidonet and your software. Download the POLICY4.ZIP document from File Area 23 of this system -- read this thoroughly. Then read it again. Do the same with your software's documentation. You will also need a current copy of the Fidonet Nodelist, also available in File Area 23. These are both available via File REQuest (FREQ) mechanisms as well, under the names POLICY4 and NODELIST.
Step 2: Set up your BBS. Make sure it operates correctly, to the best of your knowledge.
Step 3: Follow, to the letter, the procedure outlined in POLICY4 for joining Fidonet. The request MUST come in as a Netmail message. This shows the NC that your system is indeed capable of exchanging mail -- the basic requirement for membership. Do NOT request a node number in a local message on your NC's system, it will only delay the process, and may even be simply ignored.
Step 4: Be patient. It may take up to 2 weeks for your request to be fully processed and appear in the Nodelist. Remember that your NC may not be able to contact you at all until your address becomes official. One good way to speed up this process is to provide in your request a specific Node number (address) that you would like to use, along with a second choice. Do this by checking the Nodelist (or the 125NODES.TXT file in Area 23) and picking a number that is not yet in use. Some node numbers may be reserved or retired, thus always provide a second choice (or more). By you providing a number instead of having one arbitrarily assigned, your NC may be able to leave mail on hold for you right away (instead of waiting up to 2 weeks), so you can call back and possibly have confirmation of your request or other information.
Step 5: If you have provided an address in your request, you can begin receiving the NET_125 echo right away. As a matter of fact, the NC will set it up for you as soon as your node number has been assigned, no matter what. Be sure to set up a NET_125 echo message area on your system before you call back. There will very likely already be mail waiting for you to pick up. Your link for this echo is always the NC's primary Fidonet address, 1:125/222 at present.
Step 6: Once your address is officially in the Nodelist, send out a "test" or "howdy" message in the NET_125 echo. Use this echo to experiment in getting echomail working on your system. If you do not get a reply within a day or two, something is definitely wrong and you'll need to do some fiddling.
Step 7: Once you are sure that your NET_125 echo is functioning properly, you are ready to contact the Net Echo Coordinator (NEC) to arrange for other echomail feeds. Do this by sending Netmail to the NEC, currently Barry Kapke at 125/33. Note that the actual system which distributes the echomail is NOT 125/33, but 125/10. So, send human type mail regarding echomail feeds to 125/33 and use 125/10 to pick up and send echomail. The NEC will provide you with information regarding how to turn on or turn off echoes, as well as information about how we all share the costs of bringing echomail into our net, and anything else you might need to know.
Step 8: There is no step 8 -- it's time to sit back and enjoy yourself.
I hope this document helps -- comments on how it can be improved are
always welcome.
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