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https://github.com/doctorwkt/4bsd-uucp

Simulate a UUCP network with 4.3BSD SimH images
https://github.com/doctorwkt/4bsd-uucp

bsd retro simh unix

Last synced: 2 months ago
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Simulate a UUCP network with 4.3BSD SimH images

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README 

        
# 4bsd-uucp

This is a script and a set of template files which customises a generic 4.3BSD

SimH disk image so that it acts as a uucp node and connects to other uucp

nodes via TCP links.



# Installation

You will need the *bsdtar* program installed so that tarballs compatible with

4.3BSD can be installed. On Ubuntu, `sudo apt-get install bsdtar`. *Can someone

add instructions for other systems? The source for bsdtar is at

*



You will also need a recent version of SimH: 4.0; version 3.9 doesn't work.

You can download the SimH Github repository at .

In your local copy, build a vax780 SimH binary and copy the resulting binary

somewhere useful:



```

make vax780

sudo cp BIN/vax780 /usr/local/bin

```



Download this Github repository. In this repository, compile the mktape

program:



```

cc -o mktape mktape.c

```



You will see the generic 4.3BSD SimH image, `rq.dsk.gz`. The `buildimg` script

builds a tarball for each uucp system with the specific changes for that

system.



As an example, look at the `site_generate` script:



```

# An example of three uucp sites connected in series

#

#    site5 ----- site6 ----- site7

#

./buildimg site5:5000 site6:localhost:6000

./buildimg site6:6000 site5:localhost:5000 site7:localhost:7000

./buildimg site7:7000 site6:localhost:6000

```



*site5* allows you to telnet in on TCP port 5000. Ditto *site6* and TCP

port 6000, and *site7* and TCP port 7000.



*site5* has a (simulated) hard-wired serial connection to *site6* through

TCP port 6000. The syntax allows *site6* to be on a remote computer, e.g.

available through www.somewhere.com:6000.



*site6* has a (simulated) hard-wired serial connection to *site5* and *site7*.

Finally *site7* has a (simulated) hard-wired serial connection to *site6*.

This means that each site can initiate a connection to another site; they

don't have to wait for the other site to dial in.



For each site, there are two files generated:

* `siteX.ini` is the SimH config file to run this system

* `siteX.tap` is a tarball in *tap* format with the customisations



We also need to copy the generic disk image `rq.dsk.gz` to be the disk

for each site:



```

zcat rq.dsk.gz | dd conv=sparse > site5.dsk

zcat rq.dsk.gz | dd conv=sparse > site6.dsk

zcat rq.dsk.gz | dd conv=sparse > site7.dsk

```



I prefer to use `dd conv=sparse` because a lot of the disk image is empty

and this saves disk space for these files.



# Customising each System



Once you have a disk, a config file and the customisation tape, here is

how you customise the system. Boot up the system:



```

vax780 site5.ini

```



At the `login:` prompt, login as *root* with no password. At the shell prompt,

read in and unpack the tarball, and run a script which sets appropriate

file permissions:



```

myname# tar xf /dev/rmt12

tar: blocksize = 1

myname# ./mkdirs

29 password entries, maximum length 93

Type ctrl-D at the # prompt to restart things

erase ^?, kill ^U, intr ^C

#

```



Type a ctrl-D to restart in multi-user mode and login as *root*.

Your system now has a hostname:



```

login: root

Last login: Wed Mar  7 10:52:10 on console

You have mail.

Don't login as root, use su

site5#

```



Repeat the process for the other sites, e.g. *site6* and *site7*.

**SET ROOT PASSWORDS NOW!!** It is a good idea to reboot your simulated

system, as this will pick up the new kernel from the tarball.



# Sending E-mail



On *site5* you can send e-mail to `site6!root` and `site6!site7!root`.

Watch out for escaping the bang characters as the shell is *csh*, e.g.



```

echo Hello there | mail site6\!site7\!root

```



You should be able to work out the bangpaths to send e-mails on the other

systems.



# Testing Your Serial Links



Your mail is now sitting on your system waiting to be delivered over uucp.

Before you try to do a uucp connection, you can check if you have a working

serial link with a remote uucp site. In your simulated 4.3BSD system, edit

the *dialer* line in */etc/remote* to say:



```

dialer:dv=/dev/tty00:br#9600:

```



Now try:



```

# tip dialer

```



which should connect out over */dev/tty00* to the remote uucp site via the

TCP connection. Hit Return a few times to see if there is any response. On your

host system, do `netstat -a | grep ESTAB` and see if there is a TCP connection

to the remote system. To get out of *tip*, type in the two characters `~.`



# Performing UUCP Connections



Here is how to perform a manual uucp connection. On *site5*, to call *site6*:



```

# /usr/lib/uucp/uucico -r1 -ssite6 -x7

root site6 (3/9-06:27-166) DEBUG (Local Enabled)

finds (site6) called

getto: call no. tty00 for sys site6

Using DIR to call

Opening /dev/tty00

login called

wanted """"

got: that

. . .

Password:got: that

send "uucp"

root site6 (3/9-06:27-166) SUCCEEDED (call to site6 )

imsg looking for SYNC<

\20>

imsg inputgot 11 characters

omsg 

imsg looking for SYNC<

. . .

Proto started g

protocol g

root site6 (3/9-06:27-166) OK (startup tty00 9600 baud)

*** TOP ***  -  role=MASTER

daemon site6 (3/9-06:27-166) REQUEST (S D.site5B00D2 D.site5S00D2 daemon)

. . .

PROCESS: msg - SY

SNDFILE:

send 0221

send 0231

send 0241

rec h->cntl 042

state - 010

. . .

daemon site6 (3/9-06:27-166) OK (conversation complete)

send OO 0,omsg 

imsg looking for SYNC<\0\0\20>

imsg input<     \5*%\3\20>

imsg input<     "*\10   \20>

imsg input<     "*\10   \20>

imsg inputgot 6 characters

site5#

```



The `-x7` flag turns on debugging; it's not normally used in production.

Now go to *site6* and run a similar command to forward the e-mail to

*site7*:



```

# /usr/lib/uucp/uucico -r1 -ssite7 -x7

```



On *site7*, you can now read your e-mail:



```

site7# mail

Mail version 2.18 5/19/83.  Type ? for help.

"/usr/spool/mail/root": 3 messages 3 new

>N  1 MAILER-DAEMON Sat Jul  9 23:21  35/1191 "Returned mail: Host unknown"

 N  2 MAILER-DAEMON Sat Jul  9 23:22  33/986 "Returned mail: Host unknown"

 N  3 site5!root Wed Mar  7 11:02  14/422

& 3

Message  3:

From site6!site5!root Wed Mar  7 11:02:14 1984

Received: by site7.ARPA (4.12/4.7)

        id AA00173; Wed, 7 Mar 84 11:02:14 pst

Received: by site6.ARPA (4.12/4.7)

        id AA00168; Wed, 7 Mar 84 10:58:33 pst

Received: by site5.ARPA (4.12/4.7)

        id AA00170; Wed, 7 Mar 84 10:55:27 pst

Date: Wed, 7 Mar 84 10:55:27 pst

From: site6!site5!root (Charlie Root)

Message-Id: <[email protected]>

To: site6!site7!root

Status: R



Hello there



&

```



# Automating uucp Connections



You can edit `/usr/lib/crontab` to have entries that run *uucico* for each site

that you connection to. Here is an example line that connects to *site6*

every minute:



```

* * * * * uucp /usr/lib/uucp/uucico -r1 -ssite6

```



# Dealing with Multiple Outbound Connections



The system has to dedicate a */dev/tty0x* device for each outbound uucp

connection. If you have this situation, read through the 

[tcpdial](Docs/Tcpdial.md) documentation for a solution.



# Setting up Mail



The mail system uses *pathalias* and *smail*, as well as *sendmail*.

These allow you to send e-mail to a uucp site several hops away like this:



```

$ echo hello | mail [email protected]

$ echo hello | mail site!user

$ echo hello | mail long!bang!path!to!site!user

```



*smail* needs to derive a set of best paths to all the remote sites on the

global uucp network. To do this, copy the [uucp.map](uucp.map) file into your

system as the file `/usr/lib/uucp/uucp.map`. Then run the

`/usr/lib/uucp/mkpaths` script to create the file `/usr/lib/uucp/paths`.

This holds the best path to deliver mail to each site.



If you see very high numbers, that's a *pathalias* bug. Edit the file

and set the number down to e.g. 10000.



# Setting up News



The *buildimg* script will configure your system to be ready to run C News,

but you need to set up some cron jobs to actually make it happen. Read

through the [C News documentation](Docs/Cnews_setup.md) to see how to do this.



# Other Applications

If you want to install other applications, you'll have to find them, compile them

and install them. There is an archive of applications already configured at

. You might also want to look at an archive of

the [http://ftp.acc.umu.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/doc/usenet/ftp.uu.net/comp.sources.unix/](comp.sources.unix) Usenet postings.



# Security

The *tty* lines are exposed to the Internet through the bound TCP port, so

you may want to implement some firewall rules to only allow connections from

specific IP addresses.



The tty lines are set as insecure in the 4.3BSD `/etc/ttys`, so they won't

allow root logins. You can only login as root on the console, i.e. the place

where you ran `vax780 system.ini`. You should probably do this in a *tmux*

or *screen* session, so that you can get back to the 4.3BSD console easily.



It is a good idea to add a non-root user

so that you can telnet in on the TCP port: *only do this on localhost, as

the telnet session is not encrypted*. If you add this non-root user to the

group *wheel* (in `/etc/group`), then you can `su` and become root.



Make sure that you are running the kernel from the *buildimg*-created tarball:

you will see *munnari ... 2017* as the kernel boots. The *tty* lines in the

new kernel are set to kill off running shells when an incoming telnet

session is closed or disconnects unexpectedly.



# Disabling the Telnet Protocol



If you are running a SimH site which accepts connections from non-SimH uucp sites

(or vice versa), then there can be a problem because SimH uses the Telnet protocol

on the TCP port to, for example, know when to echo/not echo text (think: passwords).

This can cause uucp protocol problems, as the Telnet can interpret the incoming uucp

data, which screws up the uucp protocol.



If you have this situation, you can set up an incoming TCP port with Telnet disabled.

You will still want some of your simulated tty lines doing Telnet, so that you can log

into your simulated 4.3BSD system and have your password hidden. Here is an example

SimH configuration file with Telnet disabled.



```

# Set up eight DZ serial ports in 8-bit mode.

# Connect to a remote uucp site on 127.0.0.1:6000

# Listen on TCP port 5001 with Telnet disabled

# All other DZ lines will listen on port 5000 with Telnet enabled

set dz lines=8

set dz 8b

attach dz -a -m line=0,Connect=127.0.0.1:6000

attach dz -a -m line=1,5001;notelnet

attach dz -a -m 5000

```



# Notes and Gotchas



At present, none!



# Joining the Growing UUCP Network



If you are interested in joining this simulation of the 1980s *uucp* network,

then send some e-mail to Warren Toomey. Indicate what historical *uucp*

site(s) you want to run and which other sites you want to connect to.



If you don't know what historical site to choose, have a look at the maps here:



If you have a specific historical site in mind, do a search on the site's

name, e.g. "#N decvax", and include the double quotes; add the *uucp* keyword

as well if you like. Look for the lines after the "#N decvax" without hash

characters: they show you the connectivity that this site used to have.

An example for *decvax*:



```

#N	decvax, decvax.dec.com

#S	Vax 8300; Ultrix 32 V2.2

#O	Digital Equipment Corp.

#C	Larry Palmer

#E	decvax!lp

#T	(603)8848385

#P	MK2-1/H10 Continental Blvd, Merrimack, NH 03054

#L	42 49 N / 71 31 W

#R	

#W	

#U	bellcore cca mandrill dartvax decwrl genrad gsg harpo ichaya 

#U	linus mcnc savax tektronix ucbvax vortex yale

#R	decvax has moved to a new location - an update is expected soon... -jj

#

# local calls

decvax	bu-tyng(DIRECT), ichaya(DIRECT), savax(DIRECT), sequitor(DIRECT), 

	shaman(DIRECT), sii(DIRECT), skippy(DIRECT), stellar(DIRECT)

# Internet

decvax  decwrl(DEDICATED), ucbvax(DEDICATED)

#

# frequent calls

decvax	bellcore(HOURLY), cca(HOURLY), cg-atla(HOURLY), mandrill(HOURLY), 

	deceds(HOURLY), decuac(HOURLY), genrad(HOURLY), granite(HOURLY), 

	hanauma(HOURLY), ihnp4(HOURLY), lafite(HOURLY), 

	linus(HOURLY), mcnc(HOURLY), mit-athena(HOURLY), netrix(HOURLY), 

	tektronix(HOURLY), vortex(HOURLY), yale(HOURLY)

#

# non-prime time calls

decvax	allegra(EVENING), astrovax(EVENING), bobo(EVENING), brunix(EVENING),

	bunker(EVENING), cbosg(EVENING), cbosgd(EVENING), cincy(EVENING),

	cornell(EVENING), cray(EVENING), duke(EVENING), emory(EVENING), 

	encore(EVENING), esquire(EVENING), farance(EVENING), freeport(EVENING),

	gatech(EVENING), hcr(EVENING), hermix(EVENING), hjuxa(EVENING), 

	hplabs(EVENING), idis(EVENING), ima(EVENING),

	masscomp(EVENING), microsoft(EVENING), mit-vax(EVENING), 

	mtxinu(EVENING), netword(EVENING), philabs(EVENING), pur-ee(EVENING), 

	purdue(EVENING), randvax(EVENING), research(EVENING), 

	rochester(EVENING), sdcsvax(EVENING), sickkids(EVENING), std(EVENING), 

	stolaf(EVENING), sun(EVENING), trwrb(EVENING), ucf-cs(EVENING), 

	ulysses(EVENING), usenix(EVENING), utah-cs(EVENING), utzoo(EVENING), 

	uw-beaver(EVENING), vax135(EVENING), watmath(EVENING)

#

# very long distance calls

decvax	mulga(DAILY)

#

# incoming calls

decvax	apollo(POLLED), attunix(POLLED), bbn(POLLED), bhjat(POLLED), 

	brl-smoke(POLLED), chaos(POLLED), cvbnet(POLLED), dartvax(POLLED),

	elrond(POLLED), epiwrl(POLLED), flkvax(POLLED), 

	frog(POLLED), gsg(POLLED), harpo(POLLED), howtek(POLLED), 

	humus(POLLED), jaxlab(POLLED), ll-xn(POLLED), mindcrft(POLLED), 

	mkunix(POLLED), necntc(POLLED), nicmad(POLLED), noao(POLLED), 

	nrl-css(POLLED), plato(POLLED), raster(POLLED), stcvax(POLLED), 

	sunybcs(POLLED), tifsie(POLLED), unh(POLLED), virgin(POLLED), 

	wang(POLLED)

```



For central sites (like *decvax*) that had a lot of connectivity, you will be

expected to run them continuously. For edge sites which only dial in to one

other site to exchange news and e-mail, you can run them whenever you want.