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-
- Sending this around again, seems it didn't get to many
- parts of the country. If you wonder why dups appear and why
- messages get lost, read this carefully.
-
- If you have any questions, send them to the author of the code you run.
-
- I ran some tests with the different BBS codes
- to see how they handled BIDs and MIDs when they forwareded messages.
-
- If you think these are the "wrong tests" or "not enough tests"
- you can run your own, it is quite simple to do.
-
- For each system, I logged in as a user, and did the following commands.
- Note that I used a different BID in the third case for each test,
- otherwise the forwarded messages would be rejected.
- Each system then forwarded the messages to me.
-
- > sp w0rli @ w0rli.or.usa.na
- > No BID
- > /EX
- > sp w0rli @ w0rli.or.usa.na $
- > Auto BID
- > /EX
- > sp w0rli @ w0rli.or.usa.na $rlifbbn
- > With BID
- > /EX
- > b
-
- The tests were repeated using SB in place of SP, and with a
- non-callsign in the TO field.
-
- I ran 36 tests, 9 with each flavor of BBS code:
-
- MSYS version 1.14
- AA4RE version 02.1H
- FBB version 5.15
- RLI version 16.3
-
- These were the only versions available for me to test with.
- I'm sure the authors of these codes will let us know if any of the
- problems noted have been fixed in later releases.
- One set of tests was run with an "M" in my SID, one without.
- There were the same three kinds of messages in each test.
-
- The tables below show what was on the "S" command "$" field
- the systems sent when they forwarded the messages to me.
-
- What I got back when the messages were forwarded to me are as follows ...
-
- With an "M" in my SID, using SP:
-
- BBS type No BID Auto BID Given BID
- ---------------------------------------------------
- AA4RE 9397_N7VYN 9398_N7VYN RLIRE
- MSYS 45123_N7IFJ 45124_N7IFJ 45125_N7IFJ
- FBB 16288_N7CHR 16289_N7CHR FBBRLI
- RLI 22172_W0RLI 22173_W0RLI RLIRLI
- GTEPMS 21110_WB3V 21111_WB3V RLIGTE1
-
- Notes:
- All codes provided the requested BID,
- MSYS dropped the given BID, and supplied a new one instead.
- All codes added a BID when none was requested.
-
- With no "M" in my SID, using SP:
-
- BBS type No BID Auto BID Given BID
- ---------------------------------------------------
- AA4RE <none> <none> <none>
- MSYS <none> <none> <none>
- FBB <none> <none> <none>
- RLI <none> 22175_W0RLI RLIRLIN
- GTEPMS <none> <none> <none>
-
- Notes:
- All codes except RLI failed to provide the requested
- BID or threw the given BID away.
-
- With an "M" in my SID, using SB:
-
- BBS type No BID Auto BID Given BID
- ---------------------------------------------------
- AA4RE 9751_N7VYN 9752_N7VYN RLIRE8
- MSYS 45493_N7IFJ 45494_N7IFJ RLIMSYS8
- FBB 16588_N7CHR 16591_N7CHR RLIFBB8
- RLI 23009_W0RLI 23010_W0RLI RLIRLI8
- GTEPMS 21113_WB3V 21114_WB3V RLIGTE2
-
- Notes:
- All codes behaved correctly.
-
- With no "M" in my SID, using SB:
-
- BBS type No BID Auto BID Given BID
- ---------------------------------------------------
- AA4RE <none> 9710_N7VYN RLIREN1
- MSYS <none> <none> <none>
- FBB <none> <none> <none>
- RLI 23004_W0RLI 23005_W0RLI RLIRLIN1
- GTEPMS 21113_WB3V 21114_WB3V RLIGTE2
-
- Notes:
- MSYS and FBB failed to provide default BID
- and threw away the given BID. AA4RE failed
- to provide the default BID.
-
- With an "M" in my SID, using SB, to a non-callsign:
-
- BBS type No BID Auto BID Given BID
- ---------------------------------------------------
- AA4RE 9794_N7VYN 9795_N7VYN RLIRE9
- MSYS 45496_N7IFJ 45497_N7IFJ RLIMSYS
- FBB 16593_N7CHR 16594_N7CHR RLIFBB9
- RLI 23012_W0RLI 23013_W0RLI RLIRLI9
- GTEPMS 21116_WB3V 21117_WB3V RLIGTE3
-
- Notes:
- All codes behaved as expected.
-
- With no "M" in my SID, using SB, to a non-callsign:
-
- BBS type No BID Auto BID Given BID
- ---------------------------------------------------
- AA4RE 9713_N7VYN 9714_N7VYN RLIREN2
- MSYS <none> <none> <none>
- FBB <none> <none> <none>
- RLI 23006_W0RLI 23007_W0RLI RLIRLIN2
- GTEPMS 21116_WB3V 21117_WB3V RLIGTE3
-
- Notes:
- MSYS and FBB failed to provide the requested or required BID,
- and threw away the given BID.
-
- Analysis: You can do your own, but here are some things I noticed.
-
- 1. Some systems threw away the BID they were given.
-
- 2. Some systems added a BID when there was none given.
-
- 3. Some systems changed the BID they were given to something else.
-
- 4. Some systems have no way to tell a BID from a MID.
-
- What does this all mean?
- Means there is software with bugs in it.
- I hope that this is no big surprise to anyone.
-
- ... Hank
-