About Joining Fidonet
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.
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-by-Step)
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Gain a basic
understanding of Fidonet and your software. Download the POLICY4.ZIP document
from a nearby FidoNet BBS. 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.
-
Set up your
BBS. Make sure it operates correctly, to the best of your knowledge.
-
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.
-
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.
Net249
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