Infrastructure

Revision as of 21:46, 6 September 2008

This page has been updated recently. This has been posted to let users know of the change. Reason: clarified some of the software requirements.

Thank you for your interest in helping DareNET!

Hardware & Connectivity Requirements

The listed hardware and connectivity requirements are extremely generous. Our goal is to ensure that each server exhibits the best possible connectivity and responsiveness.

• Minimum Bandwidth. The server must NOT be running on a broadband or dial-up connection. It should be on a multihomed network. We must also be able to verify that your server is on a multihomed network, via BGP announcements.

• Processor. A 500MHz or better processor. Generally, Intel or other compatible hardware is preferred and makes life a bit easier for us, but it's not a hard-and-fast rule.

• Memory. 256MB or more of RAM is required.

• Disk space. Space usage for logs may vary from system to system. In general, it's best to leave appreciable amounts of free space.

• Hours of operation. 24-7, reliable operation is a must.

• Multiple uses. We do not require that the machine be dedicated; however, it must adequately address any and all security concerns and be sufficient to properly run ircd. We advise against running critical applications on the same host; if you do, please plan to monitor resource usage (including allocation of memory and processor time). We attempt to provide timely notification of problems, but we're a volunteer organization running a 24/7 network and staff are not always available as needed.

Software-related Requirements

The following list details the software-related requirements for DareNET servers. Again, some attention has been paid to providing room for expansion with minimum effort on the part of server administrators / hosting organizations.

• FreeBSD or GNU/Linux. Current servers run either FreeBSD or GNU/Linux. Other excellent open source / free software operating systems exist and have been shown to work with our server software, but the use of these two operating systems simplifies network operations. FreeBSD 4.4 or later or the Linux 2.4.23+ kernel are required.

• The bash shell. Shell scripts for server operations assume the availability of this shell.

• GNU Awk (gawk). The awk utility interprets a special-purpose programming language that makes it possible to handle simple data-reformatting jobs with just a few lines of code. This is needed for our linesync program, which automatically updates and syncs server configuration files across the network.

• GNU WGet. Shell scripts for server operations assume the availability of this utility.

• Screen. The GNU screen utility is frequently used to run sessions which can be detached automatically at disconnection.

• Perl 5.x. Perl 5.6+ is preferred.

• Compile toolchain facilities. These should include gcc and gdb, as well as any required binary utilities. We currently require gcc 3.2.

• A selection of editors. Joe, ae and vi are highly preferred. Emacs may be helpful.

• At least one IRC client for testing. If no other clients are available, ircII is an acceptable minimum.

• Core files. Expect core files on occasion. Core file size limits should be generous. Our ircd code base continues to evolve, and as such we will need this handy debugging resource.

• A running network time daemon. Preferred daemons are either xntpd or ntpd, with local access via {,x}ntpdc to get server status. The server host should be synced to a time server at all times and should have backup servers. It's recommended you specify groups of three servers (with a minimum of at least one such group) to sync time from. It's essential that you start up ntpd in your init scripts. It's also essential that you run ntpdate, part of the package, at startup before starting up ntpd.

• Account access. The server daemon (ircd) runs as a user program under a vanilla end-user account (frequently called "darenet"), with no setuid or special privilege. Our Routing Team must have access to the account via password, and ssh public key as well. Root access to the machine is highly desirable, since it makes it easier for us to double-check the initial configuration and resolve problems in an emergency; although, this is NOT required.

• Recent opensshd daemon, ssh2 protocol only; account access via ssh and scp. All access to the server account will use ssh. The scp program is required to transfer files. Access to the account by public key should be allowed, as should access by password.

• OpenSSL toolkit. Our servers support SSL connections on specified ports using the OpenSSL toolkit.

• The rsync program. File transfers may use this program.

Applying to Link

Before applying to host a server, you should take time to read over our current policies. All new admins should be in agreement with our current policies and practices. Additionally, you may find it helpful to consult with our Routing Team (#routing or routing@darenet.org). They can answer any questions you might have, and guide you through the whole link process.

Regardless, the formal application process is begun by completing and submitting the server link application, which can be found at http://www.darenet.org/linkapp.