NETWORK STEWARDSHIP 5 Sep 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (updated May 2005) APRS is a network. APRS works well when all members of the network adhere to the common protocol and best practices. Sometimes to assure the best performance for all, it is necessary to limit the excesses of others. The original concept of APRS assumed that "APRS" software would encourage, if not enforce this kind of network discipline. However, in the original APRS Specification Committee formed by TAPR, the provision of all of these concepts referred to as "Network Stewardship" were not allowed in the spec. This was a grave mistake as it has allowed un-constrained saturation of the net and encouragement of blind-operating practices where the user is removed from the responsibilty to understand the limitations of the network and his own impact on others. Hence we have prepared this document to list all of the features that should be in user software to provide a degree of "Network Stewardship" and to encourage efficient and network friendly operations. NETWORK STEWARDSHIP: What I mean by Network Stewardship is that software must attempt to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the network to survive and provide some basic level of service. This includes minimizing paths, proper choice of rates, reducing fluff, eliminating bad data, timing out of old data, smart ack techniques, smart beaconing among others. Since the New N Paradigm was developed in 2004/2005 which greatly simplified paths and digipeater settings, it is even easier now for APRS client software to help encourage proper operation via these network stewardship functions. Here are some of the features involved in Network Stewardship -------------------------------------------------------------- Auto Netcycle (10minutes local else 30 minutes for wider area) Auto ALOHA Circle display Default Path of WIDE2-2 challenge and Confirmation for hops over 3 Challenge and Confirmation for hops past GATE RELAY no longer desired (causes multiple dupes at each digi) HID in TNC forced to OFF (to eliminate useless packets) Local TNC beacon forced OFF (eliminates useless packets) Decaying of old Messages to minimize old and speed up new data Decaying of old Posits to minimize old and speed up new data Decaying of old Objects to minimize old and speed up new data Randomizing multiple objects Randomizing all timings Message termination after N Retry Messages on Heard Redundant ACKing (to improve the probability of an ACK) Message Reply ACKing (to improve the probability of an ACK) Analysis Tool for ALOHA range Analysis Tool for observing HOPS (for best path selection) Analysis Tool for observing Paths Analysis Tool for observing PHG RF range circles Heard counts per station per hour (for rapidly seeing abusive packets) Monitoring tool for HID's Channel Loading Display (to give users feedback on the network) de WB4APR, Bob