• Connecting Mystic to the Internet & beyond (fsxNet)...

    From m@stermind@21:1/999 to All on Sat Nov 30 09:51:42 2019
    ok folks, im sure some of you have seen me posting messages concerning
    getting my mystic bbs up and running.
    i know my questions have been very newb; as many of you, i ran a few bbses in the early 90s and then my career took me away from computers... so, my 'internet' knowledge is... there, but i didnt continue in the technology
    field so... :P lulz.

    at any rate, i was asking questions about getting telnet going.. about how to give fsxNet my static IP... etc etc. and, like many of you - im figuring it out.. but can i ask ya'll if im on the right track, or if you can see any
    steps or issues im missing? here are facts:

    -----
    i paid to register AmericanPiBBS.com on godaddy... simply paid for 3 years hosting.

    i am going to setup my raspberry pi to have a static ip address... i see how
    to do it on IPv4; do i need to do it for IPv6 too? (thats a little harder,
    but im sure i can figure it out with help on the web...)

    then i assume i have to goto godaddy, and manage my DNS settings to foward my static IP to the DNS/my hosting.

    after which, i can fill out the fsxNet application and give Avon the static
    #s he needs in order to issue me a node #.
    -----

    so, im not asking ya'll how to DO these things; i know i can find and figure that out on my own... but, for a total newb; am i on the right track? any
    other dummy steps or issues im forgetting? i thank you in advance for any responses.

    as stated, i thought i knew everything about bbses... come to find out that everything has changed because of the INTERNET!!! itll be better, once i get
    it all setup... but, thanks much.

    M@STERMIND

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/03 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: American Pi (21:1/999)
  • From Al@21:4/106 to m@stermind on Sat Nov 30 13:51:20 2019
    i paid to register AmericanPiBBS.com on godaddy... simply paid for
    3 years hosting.

    That's what I did although I didn't use godaddy, I used some Canadian
    outfit, I forget the name now.

    In their webpage are settings to add A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) records so
    if you can point them to your IP addresses and away you go. It may take
    some hours for DNS services around the globe to pick those settings up.

    Ttyl :-),
    Al

    --- MagickaBBS v0.13alpha (Linux/x86_64)
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (21:4/106)
  • From Analog@21:2/123 to Al on Sat Nov 30 15:38:24 2019
    First, you'll need a Dynamic IP updater client to set the A record on your GoDaddy account. Check GoDaddy for this. I use Namecheap Dynamic Dns Client.
    It finds your IP and updates at some interval. You'll have to setup an API
    key to use to update with instead of your password.

    OR

    You can use a third party dns updated. I used DNSEXIT.COM for many years.
    It's a little hard to first figure out but it's free and works great. They
    have a client you can install.

    A quick search for GoDaddy supported clients returned a few third party apps. If you're in the know, you can use a web URL to update your IP. If you have "curl" installed, you can always:

    :curl ifconfig.me

    in a script to get your IPv4 address. Set this in a batch/bash script
    variable to use in the web URL. Then you can have a system task/cronjob to
    call that periodically (at least once per hour, I use 15 mins). to update
    your IP.

    If you need more information, please feel free to ask.

    Cheers,
    Analog

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/03 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: deadbeatz.org (21:2/123)
  • From maskreet@21:1/114 to m@stermind on Sat Nov 30 23:04:44 2019
    On 30 Nov 2019, m@stermind said the following...

    i am going to setup my raspberry pi to have a static ip address... i see how to do it on IPv4; do i need to do it for IPv6 too? (thats a little harder, but im sure i can figure it out with help on the web...)

    If you're talking about a static IP on your local network, that won't work in terms of people being able to actually find you. Giving an IP of
    192.168.1.100, for example, only works on your local network. Your assigned internet IP and local IP are two different beasts. *IF* this is what you were alluding to.

    For example, with my setup, I have Cox internet. A home setup only gives me a dynamic IP. I can only have a static IP with a registered business, and it costs a lot more. So, what I do, is have a dynamic DNS provider, specifically Dynu, keep itself updated to my dynamic IP with an app they provide on my BBS machine. Whenever the IP changes, it sends that info to Dynu, and they update accordingly.

    Then, I have a CNAME record set on my website (bbs.throwbackbbs.com) point to the Dynu address, which is doorparty.dynu.net. Then I just give out the bbs.throwbackbbs.com addy for my BBS, since it's part of the BBS website name.

    Not sure how anyone else does it, but that's the easiest way for my setup.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/02 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: throwbackbbs.com -\- meriden, ct -\- (21:1/114)
  • From Static@21:2/140 to m@stermind on Sun Dec 1 14:05:04 2019
    On 30 Nov 2019, m@stermind said the following...
    at any rate, i was asking questions about getting telnet going.. about
    how to give fsxNet my static IP... etc etc. and, like many of you - im

    Is your public-facing IPv4 address actually static? With most home Internet service it won't be, in which case you would need a dynamic DNS service that can update your DNS record with your new IP each time it changes. I know it's very easy with namecheap since they natively support DDNS and have their own client for it, but I'm not sure how godaddy handles it.

    Running a BBS/mailer over IPv4 is generally handled through port forwarding. You would use your Internet gateway to forward the ports you want to use to
    the internal private IP you choose for the Pi. The internal address and
    routing is behind the scenes and the outside world never sees or needs to
    care about it.

    If your ISP provides IPv6 you could have a single public IPv6 address and use port forwarding internally the same way, or if they provide you with a block
    of v6 addresses you could give your Pi a public address so it could be reached directly. You'd need to check with your provider to see what options you have for IPv6 and how to set up your gateway.

    i paid to register AmericanPiBBS.com on godaddy... simply paid for 3
    years hosting.

    Hosting, or just the domain registration? AFAIK godaddy also offers web
    hosting but that would be unrelated to running a telnet BBS.

    after which, i can fill out the fsxNet application and give Avon the static #s he needs in order to issue me a node #.

    Avon just needs your domain name and the ports you're using for telnet/ssh
    and binkp. If your public IP actually is static he can use that for white- listing purposes but it isn't actually required.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 2019/03/02 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: Subcarrier BBS (21:2/140)