Hi All,

I have a new node/link in AmigaNet using Synchronet on Freebsd. I'm noticing some strangeness:


+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] incoming session with ***
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] OPT CRYPT
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] Remote requests CRYPT mode
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] SYS ***
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] ZYZ ***
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] LOC ***
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] NDL 115200,TCP,BINKP
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] TIME Tue Nov 11 2025 08:29:58 GMT+0000 (WET)
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] VER BinkIT/2.41,JSBinkP/4,sbbs3.20d/FreeBSD binkp/1.1 + 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] addr: 39:***/***@AmigaNet
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] addr: 21:*/***@fsxnet (n/a or busy)
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] addr: 1337:*/***@tqwnet (n/a or busy)
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] pwd protected session (MD5)
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] session in CRYPT mode
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] receiving f4o5881q.pkt (19 byte(s), off 0)
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] rcvd: f4o5881q.pkt (19, 19.00 CPS, 39:***/***@AmigaNet)
? 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] recv: connection closed by foreign host
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] done (from 39:***/***@AmigaNet, failed, S/R: 0/1 (0/19 bytes))
11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] session closed, quitting...

------------ Tue 2025-11-11, FMail-lnx64-2.3.2.4-Beta20240523
09:29:58.974 Toss
09:29:58.978 Error reading packet header in file: /home/fido/inbound/f4o5881q.pkt, renamed with extension: '.error'

# xxd f4o5881q.pkt.error
0000000: 4269 6e6b 4954 2f32 2e34 3120 6172 6773 BinkIT/2.41 args
0000010: 3a20 0a : .


Firstly the .pkt file that isn't a .pkt file?

Secondly the 'recv' from the remote before the connection is complete, so my binkd flags it as 'failed'...


Bye, Wilfred.

--- FMail-lnx64 2.3.2.4-B20240523
* Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Strange issues
By: Wilfred van Velzen to All on Tue Nov 11 2025 10:30 am

09:29:58.978 Error reading packet header in file: /home/fido/inbound/f4o5881q.pkt, renamed with extension: '.error'

# xxd f4o5881q.pkt.error
0000000: 4269 6e6b 4954 2f32 2e34 3120 6172 6773 BinkIT/2.41 args
0000010: 3a20 0a : .

Firstly the .pkt file that isn't a .pkt file?

Looks like that is the contents of a lock/.bsy file created by BinkIt. These files should *not* sent to the remote host, so that is very weird.

Secondly the 'recv' from the remote before the connection is complete, so my binkd flags it as 'failed'...

I don't follow you there.
--
digital man (rob)

Sling Blade quote #26:
Karl: kaiser blade, ax handle with long blade on it shaped kinda like a banana. Norco, CA WX: 81.1øF, 36.0% humidity, 4 mph WSW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs ---
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Hi Digital,

On 2025-11-11 13:58:33, you wrote to me:

09:29:58.978 Error reading packet header in file:
/home/fido/inbound/f4o5881q.pkt, renamed with extension: '.error'

# xxd f4o5881q.pkt.error
0000000: 4269 6e6b 4954 2f32 2e34 3120 6172 6773 BinkIT/2.41 args
0000010: 3a20 0a : .


Firstly the .pkt file that isn't a .pkt file?

Looks like that is the contents of a lock/.bsy file created by BinkIt. These
files should *not* sent to the remote host, so that is very weird.

Indeed weird, but what is the solution? ;-)

Secondly the 'recv' from the remote before the connection is complete,
so my binkd flags it as 'failed'...

I don't follow you there.

A "normal" incoming session, like for instance one with your system ends like this (as seen in the binkd log):

...
- 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] VER BinkIT/2.41,JSBinkP/4,sbbs3.21a/Linux binkp/1.1
+ 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] addr: 1:103/705@fidonet
...
- 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] receiving 691445ca.pkt (1007 byte(s), off 0)
+ 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] rcvd: 691445ca.pkt (1007, 1007.00 CPS, 1:103/705@fidonet)
+ 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] done (from 1:103/705@fidonet, OK, S/R: 0/1 (0/1007 bytes))
12 Nov 09:31:13 [22442] session closed, quitting...

On this system I see this:

...
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] VER BinkIT/2.41,JSBinkP/4,sbbs3.20d/FreeBSD binkp/1.1 ...
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] receiving f4o5881q.pkt (19 byte(s), off 0)
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] rcvd: f4o5881q.pkt (19, 19.00 CPS, 39:***/***@AmigaNet)
? 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] recv: connection closed by foreign host
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] done (from 39:***/***@AmigaNet, failed, S/R: 0/1 (0/19 bytes))
11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] session closed, quitting...

I don't know the exact meaning of the recv line, but it seems like a forced connection close by the other end. And not a regular protocol "finish". So it's flagged as "failed", and my binkd tries this node again after a configured retry time...


Bye, Wilfred.

--- FMail-lnx64 2.3.2.4-B20240523
* Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Re: Strange issues
By: Wilfred van Velzen to Digital Man on Wed Nov 12 2025 11:05 am

Hi Digital,

On 2025-11-11 13:58:33, you wrote to me:

09:29:58.978 Error reading packet header in file:
/home/fido/inbound/f4o5881q.pkt, renamed with extension: '.error'

# xxd f4o5881q.pkt.error
0000000: 4269 6e6b 4954 2f32 2e34 3120 6172 6773 BinkIT/2.41 args
0000010: 3a20 0a : .


Firstly the .pkt file that isn't a .pkt file?

Looks like that is the contents of a lock/.bsy file created by BinkIt. These
files should *not* sent to the remote host, so that is very weird.

Indeed weird, but what is the solution? ;-)

I'm not sure. Have you asked the node to be sure their Synchronet install is up-to-date (especially their exec and load directories)?

Secondly the 'recv' from the remote before the connection is complete,
so my binkd flags it as 'failed'...

I don't follow you there.

A "normal" incoming session, like for instance one with your system ends like this (as seen in the binkd log):

...
- 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] VER BinkIT/2.41,JSBinkP/4,sbbs3.21a/Linux binkp/1.1
+ 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] addr: 1:103/705@fidonet
...
- 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] receiving 691445ca.pkt (1007 byte(s), off 0)
+ 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] rcvd: 691445ca.pkt (1007, 1007.00 CPS, 1:103/705@fidonet)
+ 12 Nov 09:31:12 [22442] done (from 1:103/705@fidonet, OK, S/R: 0/1 (0/1007 bytes))
12 Nov 09:31:13 [22442] session closed, quitting...

On this system I see this:

...
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] VER BinkIT/2.41,JSBinkP/4,sbbs3.20d/FreeBSD binkp/1.1 ...
- 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] receiving f4o5881q.pkt (19 byte(s), off 0)
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] rcvd: f4o5881q.pkt (19, 19.00 CPS, 39:***/***@AmigaNet)
? 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] recv: connection closed by foreign host
+ 11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] done (from 39:***/***@AmigaNet, failed, S/R: 0/1 (0/19 bytes))
11 Nov 09:29:58 [23984] session closed, quitting...

I don't know the exact meaning of the recv line, but it seems like a forced connection close by the other end. And not a regular protocol "finish". So it's flagged as "failed", and my binkd tries this node again after a configured retry time...

Maybe they have an old or modified version of BinkIT or one of the dependent files (e.g. binkp.js). If you're not seeing the same behavior with my system (which is using the latest and greatest), it might just be a bug specific to that system or version of binkit (and it's dependencies).
--
digital man (rob)

This Is Spinal Tap quote #38:
Artie Fufkin: I'm not asking, I'm telling with this. Kick my ass.
Norco, CA WX: 63.3øF, 72.0% humidity, 1 mph NE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs
---
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Hi Digital,

On 2025-11-12 23:11:43, you wrote to me:

Looks like that is the contents of a lock/.bsy file created by

BinkIt. DM> These DM> files should *not* sent to the remote host, so
that is very weird. Indeed weird, but what is the solution? ;-)

I'm not sure. Have you asked the node to be sure their Synchronet install is
up-to-date (especially their exec and load directories)?

He is using a virtual Freebsd system with a synchronet version compiled by someone else. (I don't know anymore details)

The plan now is to switch to a virtual Linux system, hopefully with a freshly compiled synchronet from the latest release source. Let's wait and see how that goes...


Bye, Wilfred.

--- FMail-lnx64 2.3.2.4-B20240523
* Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net