Cursed Silicons Wiki - User contributions [en]

Known Bugs

2026-04-22T22:55:08Z

CursedSilicon:

=== Just a scratchpad for "stuff that is known to not work and needs fixing" ===

===== PvPGN =====
PvPGN, the BattleNet emulator on the network seems to error out when StarCraft clients running Mac OS X (PowerPC) connect with game client 1.16.1

1.15.2 on Mac OS 9 works.

'''Unsure if x86 Mac is also broken?'''

Known Bugs

2026-04-22T22:53:23Z

CursedSilicon: /* Just a scratchpad for "stuff that is known to not work and needs fixing" */

=== Just a scratchpad for "stuff that is known to not work and needs fixing" ===

===== PvPGN =====
PvPGN, the BattleNet emulator on the network seems to error out when StarCraft clients running Mac OS X (PowerPC) connect with game client 1.16.1. 1.15.2 on Mac OS 9 works. Unsure if x86 Mac is also broken?

Known Bugs

2026-04-22T22:53:04Z

CursedSilicon: Created page with "== Just a scratchpad for "stuff that is known to not work and needs fixing" == ===== PvPGN ===== PvPGN, the BattleNet emulator on the network seems to error out when StarCraft clients running Mac OS X (PowerPC) connect with game client 1.16.1. 1.15.2 on Mac OS 9 works. Unsure if x86 Mac is also broken?"

== Just a scratchpad for "stuff that is known to not work and needs fixing" ==

===== PvPGN =====

PvPGN, the BattleNet emulator on the network seems to error out when StarCraft clients running Mac OS X (PowerPC) connect with game client 1.16.1. 1.15.2 on Mac OS 9 works. Unsure if x86 Mac is also broken?

AIM Clients

2026-01-20T23:32:58Z

CursedSilicon:

This is just a scratch page for me to send the Retro AIM Server project on supported 3rd party AIM clients I've tested

Windows testing is done on a Windows XP (32-bit) virtual machine with all updates applied

Mac testing is done on OS X 10.6.8 via Proxmox

Linux testing is done on Ubuntu 5.04 (32-bit) via Proxmox but may be augmented in future with different distros

'''All testing was performed on [[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|CGHMN]] to simplify packet captures. IP addresses do not reflect the ones used by regular RAS clients but CGHMN is connected to ChivaNet/RAS'''

This test isn't likely to be 100% coverage because I'm not going to test *every build* of every client. But should give users a general direction for further testing

Submissions are also welcome. Please feel free to email me or send me a message on Mastodon

== TESTED WORKING ==

=== Windows ===
Regular AIM. Pretty much all of these up to 6.1 (at time of writing) are tested and working. 6.1 should work on everything from Windows 9x/NT 4.0 through to Windows 11

AIM 1.5 also works on Windows 3.11 with Win32s

=== Mac ===
Adium X 1.0.6 (x86) works! (PPC untested but presumed working)

Adium 1.3.10 (x86) works! (PPC untested but presumed working)

iChat 3.1.9 on OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) PPC works!

iChat 5.0.3 on OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) x86 works!

iChat on OS X Leopard (PPC or x86 unspecified) works!

AIM 4.7 for OS 9 (PPC) works!

=== Linux ===
GAIM 1.1.4 (Ubuntu 5.04) works. Though users will show as offline to other client(s) for several minutes. [https://github.com/mk6i/retro-aim-server/issues/123#issuecomment-2933138905 Bug filed]

TiK 0.90 (Ubuntu 5.04) works! Though needs to be run as root for some reason?

== TESTED '''NOT''' WORKING ==

=== Windows ===
Miranda 0.10.80 - Queries '''slogin.oscar.aol.com''' (fixed) but fails to connect. No errors printed by the client. Client also corrupts its database file if exited and relaunched - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Instantbird - Originally a Pidgin plugin. Later became its own stand-alone client. Development halted in 2013(?). Siohaza tested and confirmed it works!

=== Mac ===
Adium 1.4.5 - Queries '''api.screenname.aol.com''' (fixed) and attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AIM 2.1.302 - Queries '''clienturls.aol.com AND aoldiag.aol.com''' (fixed). Attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AIM 2.2.439 - Queries '''kdc.uas.aol.com''' (fixed) Attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== Linux ===
Ayttm 0.4.6-26 - Fails to connect to '''toc.oscar.aol.com''' (fixed) then returns 400 bad request from Nginx(?) - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Centreicq 4.13.0 - I have no goddamn idea how to use this client. But it seems to do...something? then eventually just shows '''[aim] disconnected''' - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Kopete 0.10 - Attempts to connect but never completes. No errors reported from client - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

naim 0.11.7.2 - '''Seems to connect to its own TOC server toc.n.ml.org (???)''' (fixed) but fails to connect. Client logging enabled but did not produce any log files - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== AmigaOS/MorphOS ===
nAIM 0.11.8.3.1 for AmigaOS - Also connects to its own TOC server '''(toc.n.ml.org)''' (DNS patched already previously for testing) but fails to connect similar to Linux client. Client did not produce any log files. [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AmiAIM 0.11 for AmigaOS. Fails to connect, invalid username/password error. [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

== UNTESTED ==

Adium X 0.89.1 - Fails to launch on OS X 10.6.8 (x86)

iChat v??? on OS X 10.7 (Lion) was the final client revision is currently untested as I cannot get it to successfully boot under Proxmox

Finch - Seems to be a plugin for Pidgin(?) to enable text mode chat instead of using a GUI?

Jitsi - Cannot find old versions. Application seems to be more geared toward SIP and video conferencing?

Messages - Beta version was released for OS X '''''10.7''''' which I can't run under Proxmox currently

Quiet Internet Pager - Seems like possible malware? Judging by the quality of its Wikipedia page. Final version also was for PDA's instead of Windows(???)

TNT - Probably works? Last updated in 2006 and claims to support the "TOC2 protocol" (OSCAR?). But it's an '''''Emacs''''' client. I don't know how to use Emacs, let alone add AIM to it

VSide. Looks like a weird...SecondLife knockoff? Development halted in 2018 but it was never a messaging client. Just had AIM support attached to it

Proxmox Notes

2026-01-14T23:05:18Z

CursedSilicon: Created page with "Proxmox! Everyone's...favourite? virtualization stack. Turns out it has some "fun" quirks when it comes to retro computing specifically. This Wiki page exists as a sort of mental scratchpad of things that I've <s>spent weeks of my finite existence fucking fighting with</s> '''''tripped over''''' so that other users (particularly of CGHMN) don't repeat my mistakes! == Windows == Windows is...mostly? pretty well behaved on Proxmox. Probably because of the sheer amoun..."

Proxmox! Everyone's...favourite? virtualization stack.

Turns out it has some "fun" quirks when it comes to retro computing specifically.

This Wiki page exists as a sort of mental scratchpad of things that I've <s>spent weeks of my finite existence fucking fighting with</s> '''''tripped over''''' so that other users (particularly of CGHMN) don't repeat my mistakes!

== Windows ==
Windows is...mostly? pretty well behaved on Proxmox. Probably because of the sheer amount of effort that's gone into QEMU and Proxmox in keeping it '''''working'''''. But there's still some gnawing issues that need to be kept in mind!

* Windows versions '''''older''''' than Server 2003 or XP have broken (or non-existent) SMP ACPI support. This means if you create a Windows NT VM (or Windows Server 2000) and provide it more than a single CPU core, the VM will consume 100% of all available CPU cycles on the server host endlessly. There are no patches or 'idle drivers' that can correct this behavior.
* Virtio '''''kind of''''' works? At least in Windows 2000 or newer. You will want to do a '''normal install''' using IDE + RTL 8139. Patch the system with every update available (hey have you checked out LegacyUpdate? it's pretty fuckin cool). Once that's done, download the Virtio drivers here. Add them to your VM (don't forget WinRAR!) and attach a virtio network card and hard drive to the VM. Once Windows has completed its driver install process. Shut down the VM, remove the "legacy" hardware and enjoy the enormous speed boost of native virtio support.
* DOS and friends don't really work that well. This includes Windows 9x. If you want to use a legacy system to prototype with just use WinXP in a Proxmox VM

== Mac(OS/X) ==
Yeah so uh Macs basically are unusable in Proxmox by design. Because Apple are shitasses and demand you use their special hardware. (Reportedly) if you install VMware ESXi (huuuurgh) '''''on''''' a Mac you can then run Mac VM guests so yeah good luck with that

== Linux ==
The biggest headache is by default Proxmox will give you a Realtek RTL8139'''''C''''' the C revision seemingly came late enough that Debian 2.2 "Potato" won't have drivers and thus won't automatically configure it during install

CGHMN Hosting

2025-12-07T23:55:22Z

CursedSilicon:

One of the headline features of the early web was users being able to host their own websites. This was typically accomplished through services such as Geocities, free webhosting from your ISP or other large organizations such as universities.

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net's network design makes it fairly trivial for users of sufficient technical capacity to host their own sites and services. Indeed many users already do just that. Either running websites, game servers or other things that fit their interests.

This page acts to document the types of services offered by CGHMN and how users may access them.

__TOC__

=== Domain Registration ===
CGHMN in one of its many branching roles functions as a ''root DNS server''. What that means in a technical sense is outside the scope of this document. But for the end-user it means that if you want a website, we can handle gluing a domain name (such as "cursedsilicon.retro") to an IP address your service is running on.

CGHMN offers '''''.retro''''' as the "defacto" domain extension (TLD) for use on the network. This was chosen both to fit the scope of the project and to provide a domain that would not cause real-world DNS lookup issues. There is also '''''.cghmn''''' for services core to CGHMN itself. However these domains are rare as most infrastructure is run by members and staff of the project, rather than directly run by the network.

If you would like to get your own domain(s) for running services on CGHMN's network. You will need to email domains@cghmn-mail.retro from inside the CGHMN network. If you don't have an email address, you can register a free email account at <nowiki>http://cghmn-mail.retro/register</nowiki> and then email us.

In the email simply put a list of domain names and IP addresses you want the domains to correspond to. An example might look like
cursedsilicon.retro 100.96.52.3
runescape2.retro 100.96.52.7
classic.runescape.retro 100.96.52.5
This email inbox is monitored semi-regularly by the CGHMN Staff. Once we've read the email we'll make an effort to action the changes and email you with a reply letting you know. DNS '''''updates''''' may take a few hours to propagate. Particularly if you require changes after the domain is registered.

=== Bring Your Own TLD ===
One of the benefits of running our own "retro internet" service is that we're (largely) un-burdened by the constraints of the regular web. While "classic" domains such as .com, .net .org etc are reserved and '''''will not be delegated to a user'''''. Custom TLD's are available for use if the user would like to have their own domain name extension.

This allows for a greater degree of user freedom and customization. Examples of custom TLD's include ChivaNet who own the '''''chivanet''''' TLD. Typing www.chivanet will take you to their main website.

The caveat to this is that custom TLD's are expected to be hosted and handled '''entirely by the end user''''''.''' Our DNS server (BIND) will return your custom TLD's DNS server in requests. But the availability and domains running on it are expected to be handled by the user who owns the TLD. We do not promise (nor expect of the user) any reliability of these custom TLD's. We simply make the functionality available for use.

If you would like to request your own TLD. Please email dns@cghmn-mail.retro from inside the CGHMN network. If you don't have an email address, you can register a free email account at <nowiki>http://cghmn-mail.retro/register</nowiki> and then email us. We'll work with you to verify your DNS server compatibility with modern BIND (not all servers are compatible out of the box, such as Windows Server DNS) and integrate it with the CGHMN DNS network.

=== Server hosting ===
At this time we do not (currently) have the resources to host websites or other servers for members. There is a desire to eventually offer this as a "paid" service where members (likely via Patreon?) will gain access to a Proxmox server and IP block which they can spin up as many virtual servers as they desire up to a fixed quota of CPU/Memory/Hard disk. This service will be offered '''''at cost of physically hosting the server''''' in order to make it as cheap for users as possible

CGHMN Hosting

2025-12-07T23:53:13Z

CursedSilicon: Created page with "One of the headline features of the early web was users being able to host their own websites. This was typically accomplished through services such as Geocities, free webhosting from your ISP or other large organizations such as universities. Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net's network design makes it fairly trivial for users of sufficient technical capacity to host their own sites and services. Indeed many users already do just that. Either running websites, game servers..."

One of the headline features of the early web was users being able to host their own websites. This was typically accomplished through services such as Geocities, free webhosting from your ISP or other large organizations such as universities.

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net's network design makes it fairly trivial for users of sufficient technical capacity to host their own sites and services. Indeed many users already do just that. Either running websites, game servers or other things that fit their interests.

This page acts to document the types of services offered by CGHMN and how users may access them.

=== Domain Registration ===
CGHMN in one of its many branching roles functions as a ''root DNS server''. What that means in a technical sense is outside the scope of this document. But for the end-user it means that if you want a website, we can handle gluing a domain name (such as "cursedsilicon.retro") to an IP address your service is running on.

CGHMN offers '''''.retro''''' as the "defacto" domain extension (TLD) for use on the network. This was chosen both to fit the scope of the project and to provide a domain that would not cause real-world DNS lookup issues. There is also '''''.cghmn''''' for services core to CGHMN itself. However these domains are rare as most infrastructure is run by members and staff of the project, rather than directly run by the network.

If you would like to get your own domain(s) for running services on CGHMN's network. You will need to email domains@cghmn-mail.retro from inside the CGHMN network. If you don't have an email address, you can register a free email account at <nowiki>http://cghmn-mail.retro/register</nowiki> and then email us.

In the email simply put a list of domain names and IP addresses you want the domains to correspond to. An example might look like
cursedsilicon.retro 100.96.52.3
runescape2.retro 100.96.52.7
classic.runescape.retro 100.96.52.5
This email inbox is monitored semi-regularly by the CGHMN Staff. Once we've read the email we'll make an effort to action the changes and email you with a reply letting you know. DNS '''''updates''''' may take a few hours to propagate. Particularly if you require changes after the domain is registered.

=== Bring Your Own TLD ===
One of the benefits of running our own "retro internet" service is that we're (largely) un-burdened by the constraints of the regular web. While "classic" domains such as .com, .net .org etc are reserved and '''''will not be delegated to a user'''''. Custom TLD's are available for use if the user would like to have their own domain name extension.

This allows for a greater degree of user freedom and customization. Examples of custom TLD's include ChivaNet who own the '''''chivanet''''' TLD. Typing www.chivanet will take you to their main website.

The caveat to this is that custom TLD's are expected to be hosted and handled '''entirely by the end user''''''.''' Our DNS server (BIND) will return your custom TLD's DNS server in requests. But the availability and domains running on it are expected to be handled by the user who owns the TLD. We do not promise (nor expect of the user) any reliability of these custom TLD's. We simply make the functionality available for use.

If you would like to request your own TLD. Please email dns@cghmn-mail.retro from inside the CGHMN network. If you don't have an email address, you can register a free email account at <nowiki>http://cghmn-mail.retro/register</nowiki> and then email us. We'll work with you to verify your DNS server compatibility with modern BIND (not all servers are compatible out of the box, such as Windows Server DNS) and integrate it with the CGHMN DNS network.

=== Server hosting ===
At this time we do not (currently) have the resources to host websites or other servers for members. There is a desire to eventually offer this as a "paid" service where members (likely via Patreon?) will gain access to a Proxmox server and IP block which they can spin up as many virtual servers as they desire up to a fixed quota of CPU/Memory/Hard disk. This service will be offered '''''at cost of physically hosting the server''''' in order to make it as cheap for users as possible

Main Page

2025-12-07T23:18:32Z

CursedSilicon:

Welcome!

This is my little wiki where I keep various details about old computers and other various projects.

The main project that this wiki is known for at this time is Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN) and [[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|can be viewed here]]

I also have a page of [[Old Computers|old computers]] if you're into that

If you...somehow stumbled across this page on accident however, perhaps you'd like to check out other places I'm more active!

'''[https://social.restless.systems/@CursedSilicon/ Mastodon]'''

'''[https://www.youtube.com/@CursedSilicon YouTube]'''

Sun E450

2025-12-03T21:23:26Z

CursedSilicon: Created page with "An absolute beast of a machine purchased at Re-PC in March of 2025. This unit contains many of the same hardware features as the 4U Sun 420R Blaze It but in a mini fridge sized design able to hold up to 20(!) SCSI hard disks. Getting this unit to working order again is likely an eventual project for [https://DMA.space DMA]"

An absolute beast of a machine purchased at Re-PC in March of 2025. This unit contains many of the same hardware features as the 4U [[SunFire Enterprise 420R|Sun 420R Blaze It]] but in a mini fridge sized design able to hold up to 20(!) SCSI hard disks.

Getting this unit to working order again is likely an eventual project for [https://DMA.space DMA]

Old Computers

2025-12-03T21:21:29Z

CursedSilicon:

As the title suggests, and indeed why you're here. '''''I have a lot of old computers'''''

This page serves as an index catalog of them for easy reference.

<big>'''NOTE: This list is non-exhaustive as I'm constantly picking up new weird old tech'''</big>

=== Acer Inc ===
[[Acer EasyStore H340]]

=== Apple Computers Inc ===
[[Powermac G4]] "Mirror Drive Door" (MDD)

[[Powermac G5]] Quad

[[Mac Mini G4]]

[[Xserve G4]]

[[Xserve G5]]
=== Cobalt Networks ===
[[Cobalt Qube]]

[[Cobalt RaQ|Cobalt RaQ4]]

=== Dell Computers ===
[[PowerEdge 2500]]

[[Dell XPS Pro200N|XPS Pro200N]]

[[Dimension XPS D266]]

=== Digital Equipment Corporation ===
[[DEC AlphaServer 2100|DEC AlphaServer 2100 4/275]]

=== Hewlett Packard ===
[[HP MediaSmart EX495]]

=== Silicon Graphics ===
[[SGI Octane]]

[[SGI Visual Workstation 320]]

=== Sun Microsystems ===
[[Netra X1]]

[[Netra T1]]

[[SunFire Enterprise 420R]]

[[Ultra 10 Workstation]]

[[Sun E450|Sun Enterprise E450]]

=== Whitebox/custom builds ===

[[Windows 98 PC|World's Fastest Windows 98 PC]]

[[Disc Ripper|Disc Ripper aka "Napster"]]

=== Miscellaneous (Anything not 'retro') ===
[[Framework 13]]

[[Main Desktop]]

[[Home Server]]

[[Hyve Zeus]]

[[Hyve Cygnus]]

[[Video Capture PC]]

Hyve Zeus

2025-12-03T21:20:44Z

CursedSilicon:

The Hyve "Zeus" is a server made for Facebook before their "Open Compute Project". As a result there's about a bajillion of these things floating around on eBay these days

Hyve Zeus units feature a Super Micro X9DRD-iF motherboard with all PCI-E slots except for one removed

They are usually equipped with some variation of low-end Intel Xeons with passively cooled heatsinks attached

The unit I (unfortunately) upgraded with two top-end Xeon 2697v2's and 128GB of DDR3 ECC memory. As a result the unit now contains two Delta R25 7K RPM fans. The resulting noise of this server renders it virtually unusable in areas with people present

'''Devhack (defunct hackerspace) previously had possession of the server until it was retired after hardware failure. The server was scrapped for parts and the remains were given to an unknown member of that hackerspace'''

SunFire Enterprise 420R

2025-12-03T21:19:32Z

CursedSilicon:

The second largest Sun in my collection. The '''''Sunfire Enterprise 420R Blaze It''''' is an 80+ pound beast of metal and loud

Currently it is likely to be cannibalized for parts for the larger [[Sun E450]]

[[File:Sunfire 420R (Front).jpg|alt=Sunfire 420R (Front)|none|thumb|Sunfire 420R (Front)]]
[[File:Sunfire 420R (Back).jpg|alt=Sunfire 420R (Rear)|none|thumb|Sunfire 420R (Rear)]]

Dimension XPS D266

2025-12-03T21:17:28Z

CursedSilicon:

As with the other Dell towers, this unit was another pickup from the University of Washington auction

Also similarly to the newer [[OptiPlex GX1|Optiplex GX1]] this unit also includes a proprietary power supply.

According to TheRetroWeb this unit could be outfitted with a 233/266/300/333Mhz Pentium II, making this 266 a "mid-range" model.

A correction from TheRetroWeb however is that this unit can accept '''''512MB''''' of total memory, not 384MB.

The CPU can also be upgraded to a maximum 533Mhz ''Mendocino'' Celeron. A Celeron is required as the Pentium 3 versions operate with the full 100Mhz FSB rather than the 66Mhz of the motherboard

[[File:XPS D266 (front).jpg|thumb|alt=XPS D266 (front)|XPS D266 (front)]]
[[File:XPS D266 (rear).jpg|thumb|alt=XPS D266 (rear)|XPS D266 (rear)]]

Xserve G5

2025-12-03T21:15:02Z

CursedSilicon:

Unlike it's little brother the [[Xserve G4]] the Xserve G5 is a significant step up in capability and usefulness.

The unit I own is the fastest Xserve G5 model sold. The 2.3Ghz "Dual Processor" G5.

Unlike its "cheese grater sibling" the [[Powermac G5|G5 Quad]] the DP Xserve is based on the older G5 lineage, featuring '''''PCI-X''''' rather than PCI-E slots. This significantly reduces its expandability as 64-bit PCI-X slots are limited to approximately 266MB/s of bandwidth, versus the 4GB/s of a PCI-E 1.0 16x slot in the G5 Quad.

This limitation means we're stuck with only gigabit ethernet rather than the 10G of the Quad. We also only get two PCI-X slots in total instead of three. Of which at least one requires a video card to be installed to operate the unit (unless remote administration tools are installed)

Another limitation and correction from the EveryMac Wiki. Early Xserve G5's could only take 8GB of RAM (via 8 1GB DIMM's). Later models such as this can '''''only''''' accept 16GB via 8x2GB sticks of '''ECC only''' unbuffered and non-load-reduced DIMM's. '''Which are exceptionally hard to find'''

'''At present the G5 is paired with a 120GB SATA disk with OS X 10.5.9 "Sorbet" Leopard. However at time of writing the machine is currently unused, pending decisions about what tasks to run on it'''

[[File:Xserve G5 (Front).jpg|alt=Xserve G5 (Front)|none|thumb|Xserve G5 (Front)]]
[[File:Xserve G5 (Rear).jpg|alt=Xserve G5 (Rear)|none|thumb|Xserve G5 (Rear)]]

Powermac G5

2025-12-03T21:12:26Z

CursedSilicon:

Apple's G5 Powermac's are rather infamous, being Apple's "last gasp" of PowerPC. The PowerMac G5 '''''Quad''''' in particular is easily among Apple's most unloved and slapdash engineered products.

Due to me taking the suggestion of a friend far too literally (ilu Ben please don't hate me) I own '''''FOUR''''' (soon five!) G5 Quads

'''Despite this only one of them is (as of December 2025) functional!'''

All Mac G5 Quads were made with "liquid cooling" loops, due to the thermal output of the CPU's at the time. (105 watts of heat in 2005 is a lot, though with what Intel puts out these days seems rather pedestrian!) '''''however calling it water cooling is incorrect.''''' It's actually radiator fluid! Specifically glycol.

The water cooling loops were designed and manufactured by American car maker GM Auto's engine radiator subsidiary. Your G5 Mac literally uses car parts to cool its CPU's! It's any wonder Apple ditched IBM.

It's possible (and desirable) to replace the entire cooling assembly, the 68KMLA forms calls it the "New Blood Mod" though I have not yet performed the repairs on my units due to cost.

Anyway. The one singular G5 Quad I have working is effectively a maxed out G5 Quad. The specifications are listed below

4x 2.5Ghz PPC64 G5 CPU's (2c/2t)

16GB DDR2-667 (or 800? I forget the max speed) RAM. In theory the chipset can support 32GB but nobody has managed to get one operating with that much memory.

Two 240GB SATA SSD's. '''Due to Apple's flaky SATA controller most drives won't work as negotiating SATA 3 speeds down to SATA 1 causes the controller to instead hang. You may want to find drives that have a SATA1 jumper option to prevent this!'''

ATi Radeon X9150 (Mac vBIOS flashed)

Unfortunately G5 Quads cannot run Tiger due to missing fan control drivers. If installed, the fans will eventually ramp to 100% as a failsafe mechanism.[[File:Mac G5 Quad (front).jpg|thumb|G5 Quad (Front)|none]]
[[File:Mac G5 Quad (rear).jpg|alt=G5 Quad (Rear)|none|thumb|G5 Quad (Rear)]]

CGHMN 1.0

2025-11-17T05:48:01Z

CursedSilicon: Release date

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
'''Ideally I wanna have this ready by April 24th 2026? Being able to do a talk and be like "by the way we just launched it go sign up" would be huge'''

== Tracking sheet for "what would we want in a general 1.0 release" ==

Let's break these down by user just to keep division of labor easy. This isn't a "we will do this" so much as a "request for comments"

=== CursedSilicon suggestions ===

We can trivially set up an OpenWRT build bot. But a custom splash screen that just asks for a users Wireguard+IP details would be fantastic for user onboarding. Need someone who can write Lua to do this though

=== ch0ccyra1n suggestions ===
<s>We should ensure that there is a better way to do onboarding. Some sort of web form on the clearnet for signups (or signup requests) would be good to have.<big>'''['''</big></s><big>'''[https://signup.cghmn.org done]]'''</big>

=== Sneps ToDo- and Wishlist: ===

* Create an IP plan, removing the 172.23.0.0/16 subnet and planing ahead for distributed CGHMN entry nodes across the world
* Storage Situation on the OVH Proxmox, either switch to thin provisioned VM disks or have a shared storage server with SMB and NFS?
* Proper backups of the CGHMN Proxmox box

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net

2025-11-08T05:52:08Z

CursedSilicon: Changed Open Beta URL to point to signup page

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
=== Preamble ===
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby shortened to '''''CGHMN''''' for easier reference) originally started as me making good on a promise to use a Cisco AS5300 I acquired years ago to make a Dial-Up internet provider. Over time while working on the project and watching other YouTubers work on their own ISP projects it became clear that many of them are happy to set up the hardware, there was very little interest (or ability) to make it usable to other folks, or to have anything fun or useful to "do" with it (beyond the novelty of browsing a few vintage websites such as FrogFinder)

CGHMN (its name [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9STeegpxSb0 borrowing from a Simpsons joke, naturally]) is another one of my "biting off far more than I can possibly chew" projects. Intended to be an intersection point between art, shitpost, rejection of "internet modernity", refuge for the nostalgic and a communal home for projects of a specifically retro computing bent.

CGHMN is currently in '''''[https://signup.cghmn.org/ Open Beta]'''''. Users can sign up and join the network along with their devices. While the network is totally solid, we need a large enough userbase to make it interesting for users to contribute! A bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. But hopefully one we can overcome.

An eventual goal is to provide "open" access to an era of the web that has been not so much "lost" as ''obliterated'' by capitalism. A space that can mimic "the vibe" of the late 1990's internet through faithful reconstruction or mimicry of the hardware and software stacks that powered it.

Mechanisms will be implemented to discourage (but not outright prevent) "modern systems" from accessing the network where possible, both for the security of users on the network and to try and further the "vibe" of using period-accurate hardware and software. Using IRC and playing StarCraft on Windows 11 simply isn't as "''fun''" for us!
=== So what's this all about? ===

CGHMN is a collaborative project aimed to create a late 1990's/early 2000's compatible "internet" for retro computing enthusiasts and their machines to connect to each other

=== Okay so how do I connect to it ===

You can sign up '''[[Signup|right now]]!''' to "beta test" the network

=== How fast is it? ===

Total internal network capacity is '''''500Mbps''''' (symmetric). This is mainly due to the limitations of the OVH server being rented. This speed may be raised or lowered depending on future federation with other members.

'''''Your''''' speed will likely depend on factors such as how fast your device can run Wireguard and your internet connection

=== Is this safe to use? I thought connecting old PC's to the internet was a bad idea! ===

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is not accessible by the wider internet and is specifically designed to be a ''hermetically sealed'' network. Users can only connect via the above methods '''and can only communicate with other devices on the network'''. Users that violate the Terms of Service or attempt to abuse the network (or other members) will have their access '''permanently removed'''. With that said the usual rules about not downloading suspicious files and other "internet hygiene" rules still apply. While we don't expect bad actors to be a problem, please ensure that any files contributed to the network are scanned for malware first! [https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload VirusTotal] provides free scanning services for this.

=== How can I help? ===

A lot of folks have offered to donate server hosting which is wonderful. Though not (yet!) required. The two biggest things we need are

'''Donations to buy infrastructure''' (Particularly hard disks!) there's an Amazon Wishlist here that will get updated over time. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1W3S0E9IN7ZB7?ref_=wl_share

'''Volunteers who want to set up services'''. Want to come build a website? Run an old game server? Have some weird retro hardware you want to attach to the network? Please, reach out!

Signup

2025-11-06T03:46:41Z

CursedSilicon: A lot of this was duplicated on the "How to get connected" page so

CGHMN 1.0

2025-10-28T23:53:24Z

CursedSilicon:

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
== Tracking sheet for "what would we want in a general 1.0 release" ==

Let's break these down by user just to keep division of labor easy. This isn't a "we will do this" so much as a "request for comments"

=== CursedSilicon suggestions ===

We can trivially set up an OpenWRT build bot. But a custom splash screen that just asks for a users Wireguard+IP details would be fantastic for user onboarding. Need someone who can write Lua to do this though

=== ch0ccyra1n suggestions ===
<s>We should ensure that there is a better way to do onboarding. Some sort of web form on the clearnet for signups (or signup requests) would be good to have.<big>'''['''</big></s><big>'''[https://signup.cghmn.org done]]'''</big>

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T23:36:29Z

CursedSilicon:

=== A brief history on how the internet worked in the 1990's ===

[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly "1995 to around 2005 or so". A sort of nebulous "Before Web 2.0 took off" kind of period. Though, really we support anything that speaks ethernet and (usually) TCP/IP. We've had devices as old as a DOS 286 PC clone connected successfully. Most users trend toward Windows XP as their platform of choice due to its relative flexibility and widespread hardware and software support

Unfortunately for all of us we live at the "[[wikipedia:End_of_history|end of history]]". In 1995 the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to ''Wireless Networking'' being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

<big>'''This created two major problems:'''</big>

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[[wikipedia:ILOVEYOU|ILOVEYOU]]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [[wikipedia:Blaster_(computer_worm)|Blaster]], [[wikipedia:Sasser_(computer_worm)|Sasser]], [[wikipedia:Mydoom|Mydoom]], [[wikipedia:Nimda|Nimda]] and [[wikipedia:Conficker|Conficker]]. Among others.

A remedy proposed in the 1990's to the issue of IP exhaustion was "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In layman terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for home and business computers and other devices to access the modern internet.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet as most folks imagine (or remember it) was originally built on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT broke that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to ''receive'' data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. You and the Other User talk to a central server and it handles sending messages to-and-fro. ''However'' to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If either user is behind NAT. They won't be able to "see" the remote computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to [this IP address on the LAN] exclusively. This (mostly) solved the problem at the time. Additional solutions were proposed such as "UPnP" to allow programs to ask the router to forward ports for them dynamically. However, support for this was few-and-far-between (mostly BitTorrent clients) and in time it faded into oblivion.

As stated before, we live at the end of history. Which means we have the benefit of looking back on what was, and understanding the flaws. Which (finally) brings us to the point of this wiki page.

=== Okay but what does that have to do with CGHMN? ===
Every CGHMN user is allocated a /24 block of IP's. Effectively every user has 253 IP addresses to use as they'd like. This was a deliberate decision both to maximize the amount of freedom users would have to connect ALL their retro equipment if desired, and to try and allow direct end-to-end connectivity that the old web "expects"

'''''However''''' because we have the benefit of historical hindsight. Having directly allocated IP addresses does not mean that your devices are directly exposed to the network. By default (if using OpenWRT with Snep's setup script) your IP block will be ''firewalled'' against incoming connections. This is a necessary security measure because because of the very nature of "running a retro network". Connecting machines that are (likely) un-patched would make them immediately vulnerable to attack. Even before they're properly configured for service by the end user.

=== So, what stuff breaks, exactly? ===

There's no definitive list of "what" breaks under this decision. A broad (but by no means encompassing) list of things that ''won't work'' are

- Servers. You won't be able to run any kind of server or service (EG: hosting your own website, running a game server) without the ability for users to connect to it

- Games that '''''don't''''' use a server browser. Games like Quake or Halo where users all connect to a single server to play on will work (provided the server is either port forwarded or the firewall is disabled) but other games such as StarCraft or Command & Conquer have players connect dynamically connect to a single player as the "host" (typically the player that created the game lobby). These will not work

- FTP! FTP is such an old protocol that the '''''remote server''''' initiates a connection back to the client and then begins sending files that way. This was fixed in [https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1579 RFC 1579] with the "Firewall-Friendly FTP" proposal. Unfortunately despite being proposed in February 1994, some software such as Microsoft FrontPage did not enable it until 2003(!)

- AIM file transfers. As described already on this wiki page, AIM (and IRC and other chat clients such as MSN or Yahoo) all use a direct connection between two computers to send files across a network

=== How do I opt-out out? ===
 

 

<big>'''It should be made completely clear that opting out of using the OpenWRT firewall is not a decision that should be made lightly. We cannot explicitly guarantee that a user won't accidentally (or intentionally) release a malware Pandora's Box on the network. Blaster/Sasser/Mydoom/ILOVEYOU/etc are still real malware samples that can be downloaded and executed either by mistake or by a malicious user. We highly recommend installing any and all software patches that were (or are) available for your chosen systems before doing this!'''</big>

There are two "modes" of opt-out available. Depending on user preference.

The most drastic is simply to disable OpenWRT's firewall completely. This means any machine you plug in will have direct access to the network and any other devices on the network will be able to directly access it. If you choose this option we highly recommend putting any machines behind a (preferably modern!) Firewall and then port forwarding as necessary

The other option is to set a static (fixed) IP address on the device you want to run servers or play games from. Once this is done you can access the OpenWRT Firewall page (Network -> Firewall) and manually forward the required ports for that specific host.

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T23:17:15Z

CursedSilicon:

=== A brief history on how the internet worked in the 1990's ===

[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly "1995 to around 2005 or so". A sort of nebulous "Before Web 2.0 took off" kind of period. Though, really we support anything that speaks ethernet and (usually) TCP/IP. We've had devices as old as a DOS 286 PC clone connected successfully. Most users trend toward Windows XP as their platform of choice due to its relative flexibility and widespread hardware and software support

Unfortunately for all of us we live at the "[[wikipedia:End_of_history|end of history]]". In 1995 the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to ''Wireless Networking'' being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

<big>'''This created two major problems:'''</big>

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[[wikipedia:ILOVEYOU|ILOVEYOU]]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [[wikipedia:Blaster_(computer_worm)|Blaster]], [[wikipedia:Sasser_(computer_worm)|Sasser]], [[wikipedia:Mydoom|Mydoom]], [[wikipedia:Nimda|Nimda]] and [[wikipedia:Conficker|Conficker]]. Among others.

A remedy proposed in the 1990's to the issue of IP exhaustion was "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In layman terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for home and business computers and other devices to access the modern internet.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet as most folks imagine (or remember it) was originally built on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT broke that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to ''receive'' data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. You and the Other User talk to a central server and it handles sending messages to-and-fro. ''However'' to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If either user is behind NAT. They won't be able to "see" the remote computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to [this IP address on the LAN] exclusively. This (mostly) solved the problem at the time. Additional solutions were proposed such as "UPnP" to allow programs to ask the router to forward ports for them dynamically. However, support for this was few-and-far-between (mostly BitTorrent clients) and in time it faded into oblivion.

As stated before, we live at the end of history. Which means we have the benefit of looking back on what was, and understanding the flaws. Which (finally) brings us to the point of this wiki page.

=== Okay but what does that have to do with CGHMN? ===
Every CGHMN user is allocated a /24 block of IP's. Effectively every user has 253 IP addresses to use as they'd like. This was a deliberate decision both to maximize the amount of freedom users would have to connect ALL their retro equipment if desired, and to try and allow direct end-to-end connectivity that the old web "expects"

'''''However''''' because we have the benefit of historical hindsight. Having directly allocated IP addresses does not mean that your devices are directly exposed to the network. By default (if using OpenWRT with Snep's setup script) your IP block will be ''firewalled'' against incoming connections. This is a necessary security measure because the very nature of the

=== So, what stuff breaks, exactly? ===

There's no definitive list of "what" breaks under this decision. A broad (but by no means encompassing) list of things that ''won't work'' are

- Servers. You won't be able to run any kind of server or service (EG: hosting your own website, running a game server) without the ability for users to connect to it

- Games that '''''don't''''' use a server browser. Games like Quake or Halo where users all connect to a single server to play on will work (provided the server is either port forwarded or the firewall is disabled) but other games such as StarCraft or Command & Conquer have players connect dynamically connect to a single player as the "host" (typically the player that created the game lobby). These will not work

- FTP! FTP is such an old protocol that the '''''remote server''''' initiates a connection back to the client and then begins sending files that way. This was fixed in [https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1579 RFC 1579] with the "Firewall-Friendly FTP" proposal. Unfortunately despite being proposed in February 1994, some software such as Microsoft FrontPage did not enable it until 2003(!)

- AIM file transfers. As described already on this wiki page, AIM (and IRC and other chat clients such as MSN or Yahoo) all use a direct connection between two computers to send files across a network

=== How do I opt-out out? ===
 

 

<big>'''It should be made completely clear that opting out of using the OpenWRT firewall is not a decision that should be made lightly. We cannot explicitly guarantee that a user won't accidentally (or intentionally) release a malware Pandora's Box on the network. Blaster/Sasser/Mydoom/ILOVEYOU/etc are still real malware samples that can be downloaded and executed either by mistake or by a malicious user. We highly recommend installing any and all software patches that were (or are) available for your chosen systems before doing this!'''</big>

There are two "modes" of opt-out available. Depending on user preference.

The most drastic is simply to disable OpenWRT's firewall completely. This means any machine you plug in will have direct access to the network and any other devices on the network will be able to directly access it. If you choose this option we highly recommend putting any machines behind a (preferably modern!) Firewall and then port forwarding as necessary

The other option is to set a static (fixed) IP address on the device you want to run servers or play games from. Once this is done you can access the OpenWRT Firewall page (Network -> Firewall) and manually forward the required ports for that specific host.

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T23:16:47Z

CursedSilicon:

= Or "a treatise on setting up a retro network" =

=== A brief history on how the internet worked in the 1990's ===
[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly "1995 to around 2005 or so". A sort of nebulous "Before Web 2.0 took off" kind of period. Though, really we support anything that speaks ethernet and (usually) TCP/IP. We've had devices as old as a DOS 286 PC clone connected successfully. Most users trend toward Windows XP as their platform of choice due to its relative flexibility and widespread hardware and software support

Unfortunately for all of us we live at the "[[wikipedia:End_of_history|end of history]]". In 1995 the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to ''Wireless Networking'' being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

<big>'''This created two major problems:'''</big>

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[[wikipedia:ILOVEYOU|ILOVEYOU]]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [[wikipedia:Blaster_(computer_worm)|Blaster]], [[wikipedia:Sasser_(computer_worm)|Sasser]], [[wikipedia:Mydoom|Mydoom]], [[wikipedia:Nimda|Nimda]] and [[wikipedia:Conficker|Conficker]]. Among others.

A remedy proposed in the 1990's to the issue of IP exhaustion was "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In layman terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for home and business computers and other devices to access the modern internet.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet as most folks imagine (or remember it) was originally built on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT broke that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to ''receive'' data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. You and the Other User talk to a central server and it handles sending messages to-and-fro. ''However'' to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If either user is behind NAT. They won't be able to "see" the remote computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to [this IP address on the LAN] exclusively. This (mostly) solved the problem at the time. Additional solutions were proposed such as "UPnP" to allow programs to ask the router to forward ports for them dynamically. However, support for this was few-and-far-between (mostly BitTorrent clients) and in time it faded into oblivion.

As stated before, we live at the end of history. Which means we have the benefit of looking back on what was, and understanding the flaws. Which (finally) brings us to the point of this wiki page.

=== Okay but what does that have to do with CGHMN? ===
Every CGHMN user is allocated a /24 block of IP's. Effectively every user has 253 IP addresses to use as they'd like. This was a deliberate decision both to maximize the amount of freedom users would have to connect ALL their retro equipment if desired, and to try and allow direct end-to-end connectivity that the old web "expects"

'''''However''''' because we have the benefit of historical hindsight. Having directly allocated IP addresses does not mean that your devices are directly exposed to the network. By default (if using OpenWRT with Snep's setup script) your IP block will be ''firewalled'' against incoming connections. This is a necessary security measure because the very nature of the

=== So, what stuff breaks, exactly? ===

There's no definitive list of "what" breaks under this decision. A broad (but by no means encompassing) list of things that ''won't work'' are

- Servers. You won't be able to run any kind of server or service (EG: hosting your own website, running a game server) without the ability for users to connect to it

- Games that '''''don't''''' use a server browser. Games like Quake or Halo where users all connect to a single server to play on will work (provided the server is either port forwarded or the firewall is disabled) but other games such as StarCraft or Command & Conquer have players connect dynamically connect to a single player as the "host" (typically the player that created the game lobby). These will not work

- FTP! FTP is such an old protocol that the '''''remote server''''' initiates a connection back to the client and then begins sending files that way. This was fixed in [https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1579 RFC 1579] with the "Firewall-Friendly FTP" proposal. Unfortunately despite being proposed in February 1994, some software such as Microsoft FrontPage did not enable it until 2003(!)

- AIM file transfers. As described already on this wiki page, AIM (and IRC and other chat clients such as MSN or Yahoo) all use a direct connection between two computers to send files across a network

=== How do I opt-out out? ===
 

 

<big>'''It should be made completely clear that opting out of using the OpenWRT firewall is not a decision that should be made lightly. We cannot explicitly guarantee that a user won't accidentally (or intentionally) release a malware Pandora's Box on the network. Blaster/Sasser/Mydoom/ILOVEYOU/etc are still real malware samples that can be downloaded and executed either by mistake or by a malicious user. We highly recommend installing any and all software patches that were (or are) available for your chosen systems before doing this!'''</big>

There are two "modes" of opt-out available. Depending on user preference.

The most drastic is simply to disable OpenWRT's firewall completely. This means any machine you plug in will have direct access to the network and any other devices on the network will be able to directly access it. If you choose this option we highly recommend putting any machines behind a (preferably modern!) Firewall and then port forwarding as necessary

The other option is to set a static (fixed) IP address on the device you want to run servers or play games from. Once this is done you can access the OpenWRT Firewall page (Network -> Firewall) and manually forward the required ports for that specific host.

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T23:16:08Z

CursedSilicon:

=== A brief history on how the internet worked in the 1990's ===
[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly "1995 to around 2005 or so". A sort of nebulous "Before Web 2.0 took off" kind of period. Though, really we support anything that speaks ethernet and (usually) TCP/IP. We've had devices as old as a DOS 286 PC clone connected successfully. Most users trend toward Windows XP as their platform of choice due to its relative flexibility and widespread hardware and software support

Unfortunately for all of us we live at the "[[wikipedia:End_of_history|end of history]]". In 1995 the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to ''Wireless Networking'' being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

<big>'''This created two major problems:'''</big>

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[[wikipedia:ILOVEYOU|ILOVEYOU]]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [[wikipedia:Blaster_(computer_worm)|Blaster]], [[wikipedia:Sasser_(computer_worm)|Sasser]], [[wikipedia:Mydoom|Mydoom]], [[wikipedia:Nimda|Nimda]] and [[wikipedia:Conficker|Conficker]]. Among others.

A remedy proposed in the 1990's to the issue of IP exhaustion was "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In layman terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for home and business computers and other devices to access the modern internet.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet as most folks imagine (or remember it) was originally built on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT broke that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to ''receive'' data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. You and the Other User talk to a central server and it handles sending messages to-and-fro. ''However'' to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If either user is behind NAT. They won't be able to "see" the remote computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to [this IP address on the LAN] exclusively. This (mostly) solved the problem at the time. Additional solutions were proposed such as "UPnP" to allow programs to ask the router to forward ports for them dynamically. However, support for this was few-and-far-between (mostly BitTorrent clients) and in time it faded into oblivion.

As stated before, we live at the end of history. Which means we have the benefit of looking back on what was, and understanding the flaws. Which (finally) brings us to the point of this wiki page.

=== Okay but what does that have to do with CGHMN? ===
Every CGHMN user is allocated a /24 block of IP's. Effectively every user has 253 IP addresses to use as they'd like. This was a deliberate decision both to maximize the amount of freedom users would have to connect ALL their retro equipment if desired, and to try and allow direct end-to-end connectivity that the old web "expects"

'''''However''''' because we have the benefit of historical hindsight. Having directly allocated IP addresses does not mean that your devices are directly exposed to the network. By default (if using OpenWRT with Snep's setup script) your IP block will be ''firewalled'' against incoming connections. This is a necessary security measure because the very nature of the

=== So, what stuff breaks, exactly? ===

There's no definitive list of "what" breaks under this decision. A broad (but by no means encompassing) list of things that ''won't work'' are

- Servers. You won't be able to run any kind of server or service (EG: hosting your own website, running a game server) without the ability for users to connect to it

- Games that '''''don't''''' use a server browser. Games like Quake or Halo where users all connect to a single server to play on will work (provided the server is either port forwarded or the firewall is disabled) but other games such as StarCraft or Command & Conquer have players connect dynamically connect to a single player as the "host" (typically the player that created the game lobby). These will not work

- FTP! FTP is such an old protocol that the '''''remote server''''' initiates a connection back to the client and then begins sending files that way. This was fixed in [https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1579 RFC 1579] with the "Firewall-Friendly FTP" proposal. Unfortunately despite being proposed in February 1994, some software such as Microsoft FrontPage did not enable it until 2003(!)

- AIM file transfers. As described already on this wiki page, AIM (and IRC and other chat clients such as MSN or Yahoo) all use a direct connection between two computers to send files across a network

=== How do I opt-out out? ===
 

 

<big>'''It should be made completely clear that opting out of using the OpenWRT firewall is not a decision that should be made lightly. We cannot explicitly guarantee that a user won't accidentally (or intentionally) release a malware Pandora's Box on the network. Blaster/Sasser/Mydoom/ILOVEYOU/etc are still real malware samples that can be downloaded and executed either by mistake or by a malicious user. We highly recommend installing any and all software patches that were (or are) available for your chosen systems before doing this!'''</big>

There are two "modes" of opt-out available. Depending on user preference.

The most drastic is simply to disable OpenWRT's firewall completely. This means any machine you plug in will have direct access to the network and any other devices on the network will be able to directly access it. If you choose this option we highly recommend putting any machines behind a (preferably modern!) Firewall and then port forwarding as necessary

The other option is to set a static (fixed) IP address on the device you want to run servers or play games from. Once this is done you can access the OpenWRT Firewall page (Network -> Firewall) and manually forward the required ports for that specific host.

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T23:00:08Z

CursedSilicon: /* A brief history on how the internet worked in the 1990's */

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T22:57:54Z

CursedSilicon:

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T22:57:10Z

CursedSilicon:

== A brief history on how the internet worked in the 1990's ==
[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly "1995 to around 2005 or so". A sort of nebulous "Before Web 2.0 took off" kind of period. Though, really we support anything that speaks ethernet and (usually) TCP/IP. We've had devices as old as a DOS 286 PC clone connected successfully. Most users trend toward Windows XP as their platform of choice due to its relative flexibility and widespread hardware and software support

Unfortunately for all of us we live at the "[[wikipedia:End_of_history|end of history]]". In 1995 the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to ''Wireless Networking'' being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

'''This created two major problems.'''

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[[wikipedia:ILOVEYOU|ILOVEYOU]]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [[wikipedia:Blaster_(computer_worm)|Blaster]], [[wikipedia:Sasser_(computer_worm)|Sasser]], [[wikipedia:Mydoom|Mydoom]], [[wikipedia:Nimda|Nimda]] and [[wikipedia:Conficker|Conficker]]. Among others.

A remedy proposed in the 1990's to the issue of IP exhaustion was "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In layman terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for home and business computers and other devices to access the modern internet.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet as most folks imagine (or remember it) was originally built on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT broke that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to ''receive'' data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. You and the Other User talk to a central server and it handles sending messages to-and-fro. ''However'' to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If either user is behind NAT. They won't be able to "see" the remote computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to [this IP address on the LAN] exclusively. This (mostly) solved the problem at the time. Additional solutions were proposed such as "UPnP" to allow programs to ask the router to forward ports for them dynamically. However, support for this was few-and-far-between (mostly BitTorrent clients) and in time it faded into oblivion.

As stated before, we live at the end of history. Which means we have the benefit of looking back on what was, and understanding the flaws. Which (finally) brings us to the point of this wiki page.

== Okay but what does that have to do with CGHMN? ==
Every CGHMN user is allocated a /24 block of IP's. Effectively every user has 253 IP addresses to use as they'd like. This was a deliberate decision both to maximize the amount of freedom users would have to connect ALL their retro equipment if desired, and to try and allow direct end-to-end connectivity that the old web "expects"

'''''However''''' because we have the benefit of historical hindsight. Having directly allocated IP addresses does not mean that your devices are directly exposed to the network. By default (if using OpenWRT with Snep's setup script) your IP block will be ''firewalled'' against incoming connections. This is a necessary security measure because the very nature of the

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T22:42:51Z

CursedSilicon:

[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly "1995 to around 2005 or so". Before "Web 2.0" took off. Though, really we support anything that speaks ethernet and (usually) TCP/IP. We've had devices as old as a DOS 286 PC clone connected successfully.

Unfortunately for us now we live at the end of history. In 1995 the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to ''Wireless Networking'' being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

'''This created two major problems.'''

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[[wikipedia:ILOVEYOU|ILOVEYOU]]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [[wikipedia:Blaster_(computer_worm)|Blaster]], [[wikipedia:Sasser_(computer_worm)|Sasser]], [[wikipedia:Mydoom|Mydoom]], [[wikipedia:Nimda|Nimda]] and [[wikipedia:Conficker|Conficker]]. Among others.

A remedy proposed in the 1990's to the issue of IP exhaustion was "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In layman terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for home and business computers and other devices to access the modern internet.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet as most folks imagine (or remember it) was originally built on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT broke that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to ''receive'' data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. You and the Other User talk to a central server and it handles sending messages to-and-fro. ''However'' to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If either user is behind NAT. They won't be able to "see" the remote computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to [this IP address on the LAN] exclusively. This (mostly) solved the problem at the time. Additional solutions were proposed such as "UPnP" to allow programs to ask the router to forward ports for them dynamically. However, support for this was few-and-far-between (mostly BitTorrent clients) and in time it faded into oblivion.

As stated before, we live at the end of history however. Which means we've got historical hindsight on the problems that existed

CGHMN NAT and Firewalls

2025-10-26T06:25:41Z

CursedSilicon: Still a WIP but this is as much as I could write before sickness took over and I passed out

[[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (CGHMN)]] exists in a difficult kind of space. We aim to emulate "the old web". A time of roughly 1995 to around 2005 or so. Before "Web 2.0" took off.

At time of writing that might not sound like too big a problem. After all, Windows 10 came out in 2015 and now it's 2025. But your 4th gen Core i7 PC is still perfectly usable. Just install Linux, right?

Unfortunately for us now we live at the end of history. In 1995 however the "World Wide Web" was in its infancy in such a way that every single year brought quantum technological leaps over the previous year. By the end of the millennium we'd gone from rudimentary analog Dial-Up services to Wireless Networking being accessible to consumers (Apple's AirPort routers alone showed up in 1999)

However on a technical level this began to create severe technical issues. The internet as it was originally designed assumed simple "end-to-end" connectivity. Every computer on the internet could (more or less) talk to another computer without exception.

This created two major problems.

The first one was IP exhaustion. Even by the 1990's there was an understanding that there simply wouldn't be enough IP addresses for everyone on the internet. This needed to be fixed, and fast! This lead to IPv6 as an evolutionary upgrade (a problem the internet still struggles to even deploy in 2025, despite being ratified in 1998)

The second, and much more obvious problem was security. By the year 2000 it was obviously apparent that every machine being able to talk to every other machine on Earth was a problem. Particularly when the dominant operating system these machines ran was what could be charitably described as..."not great" in terms of security. In the 2000's this would only escalate as the "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILOVEYOU ILOVEYOU]" worm gave way to some of Windows XP's greatest hits, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaster_(computer_worm) Blaster], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasser_(computer_worm) Sasser], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mydoom Mydoom], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimda Nimda] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conficker Conficker]. Among others.

A fortunate side-effect at the time of the explosive growth of computers on the internet was the institution of "Network Address Translation" or "NAT". In laymans terms this allows a bunch of computers to all sit behind a single IP address using a device such as a router. This technology is so ubiquitous that even in 2025 at time of writing it's still the defacto standard for computers and other devices to access the modern internet through.

'''''However,''''' this technology came at a cost. The internet was originally predicated on the idea that every computer had its own, unique, IP address. NAT removed that assumption. And, in doing so, programs broke. Sometimes completely with services like FTP, sometimes in subtle ways. Like being unable to connect certain game players in a StarCraft lobby.

The problem that NAT inadvertently introduced was that while "outbound" traffic would work fine. Such as you connecting to a website. If a program needed to receive data on your local computer, it could no longer simply sit and wait for a connection from a remote PC. An example would be AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Chats between users are routed through a remote server. However to save on bandwidth, sending files happens directly between users. If user A is behind NAT. User B won't be able to "see" the computer and send data to it as desired.

The "solution" to this problem is known as '''''Port Forwarding'''''. You tell your router that [these ports] *always* go to "this PC on the LAN" exclusively.

How to Get Connected

2025-10-21T06:36:28Z

CursedSilicon: OPEN beta!

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
This is a quick and dirty "how do I get on CGHMN"

'''Since the service is in "open beta" these steps are a bit vague and manual. But over time as we figure out what works we'll add more connection methods and better documentation'''

=== Step 1: ===
[[Signup|'''Let us know you'd like to connect!''']]

(We'll need information from you such as your Wireguard Pubkey to let you connect to the network)[[File:CGHMN.png|thumb|319x319px|Example CGHMN Router Setup using a GL-AR300M and basic network switch]]

=== Hardware requirements ===
To connect your retro machine(s) to the CGHMN, you'll need the following:
*'''An Ethernet connection on your retro device(s) of choice, with a TCP/IP (v4) stack for now! TrumpetWinSock, Microsoft TCP/IP, whatever. It all works.'''

* '''Something with the ability to run Wireguard and forward IPv4 packets at the minimum and, for any non-IP packets, <code>gretap</code> and <code>nftables</code>. Personally we recommend something running OpenWRT, like the [https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar300m GL-AR300M] which we have successfully tested to work. We're currently working on a pre-built image for some select routers to make the setup easier for new members. A script to configure already existing OpenWRT instances can be found below.'''
* Alternatively, you can also run the CGHMN routing on any standard Linux box which has at least one Ethernet port and either a second one or WiFi for internet connectivity. <s>A basic script to set up a Linux machine as a router is posted below</s> (TODO!).

* '''Optionally: A simple network switch, in case you want to add multiple machines to the network. You plug one end into the CGHMN Router box and then your clients can all access CGHMN. Super easy!'''

On the right is an example of what a CGHMN router setup could look like.

=== Get connected - With OpenWRT ===
If you chose to go with an OpenWRT compatible router or want to run OpenWRT on typical x86 hardware/in a VM, you can follow these steps to get yourself connected to the CGHMN:

# Update your OpenWRT install to the latest version to ensure all required packages are available and compatible.
# Download [https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jonasluehrig/cghmn-get-connected/refs/heads/main/openwrt/setup-cghmn.sh this script from GitHub] to your OpenWRT router: <code>wget https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh</code>
# Run the following commands on the router:
## <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh install-pkgs</code>
## <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh init</code>
## You will be asked what network port you'd like to use for the Retro LAN. This is where you will plug in your retro machines to be part of the CGHMN. Choose a port that is not assigned to any OpenWRT interface like '''lan''' or '''wan''' or which not already part of a bridge and enter the Linux interface name, e.g. <code>eth1</code>, then press <code>[Enter]</code> to continue. If your router only has two ports and you're using one for WAN, then you first have to [https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/luci/luci.secure#allow_access_from_internet enable the web UI and SSH access via the '''wan''' OpenWRT interface], remove the entire '''lan''' OpenWRT interface to free the network port and continue the setup over the IP address your router got on its WAN side. If you only have a single Ethernet port, you're running on a router setup we can't really recommend, however you can configure VLANs and use a managed switch to both get a WAN DHCP address for internet access and have a separate VLAN for the Retro LAN bridge over a single port. This is commonly referred to as "[[wikipedia:Router_on_a_stick|router on a stick]]". Just enter the VLAN interface name here if you choose to go that route.
# Now you will be given some information on the console, including a Wireguard public key. Send one of the CGHMN admins (currently CursedSilicon and Snep) that key so we can add your router to our Wireguard server. If you cannot copy-paste, for example, because you're on a VM VNC console, you can run <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh pubkey-qr</code> to get a QR code printout of your public key, which can be scanned with a phone, tablet or software QR code parser to get the key as copy-pastable text.
# In return, you will receive a tunnel IPv4 address (<code>100.89.128.x/32</code>) and a routed IPv4 subnet (<code>100.96.x.0/24</code>) from us. These will be needed on the third and final step of the setup script:
## <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh set-tunnel-ip</code>
# Once the script completed successfully, reboot the router to ensure all interfaces are up properly. After the reboot, your retro devices should receive an IP address in your routed IPv4 subnet on the Retro LAN port you chose above and be able to communicate with other machines on the CGHMN network.

=== Get Connected - Manually (Linux, Wireguard only, GRETAP follows shortly) ===
In case you want to setup a connection into the network manually, here are the required steps and information you should be needing:

* Generate a Wireguard private key and public key, this command writes a fresh Wireguard private key to <code>private-key</code> and the corresponsing public key to <code>public-key</code>:

$ wg genkey | tee private-key | wg pubkey > public-key

* NEVER share your private key, even with us! It should never be required outside of your own Wireguard setup!
* You will, however, need to share your public key with us. Send CursedSilicon or Snep on the Discord or via IRC a message including the public key and we'll add you to the tunnel.
* In return, you'll get two IP addresses from us: Your tunnel IP address, with which your router talks to our router, and a routed subnet, from which you can assign IPs to your own machines so they can talk to other CGHMN member devices on the network without NAT in the way.
* Next, you'll need to fill a Wireguard configuration file with the two IP addresses, like below:

[Interface]
PrivateKey = <Your private key goes here>
Address = <Your tunnel IP address goes here>/32
DNS = 100.89.128.0
MTU = 1420

[Peer]
PublicKey = k/QiJIbMakMKgTCHVt8/D+8k4DzRVM6U33F3gMZfRUg=
Endpoint = wg-admin.cursedsilicon.net:42070
AllowedIPs = 172.23.0.0/16, 100.89.128.0/22, 100.96.0.0/13
PersistentKeepalive = 15

* Save this file as <code>wg-cghmn.conf</code>, for example.
* Then, run <code>wg-quick up ./wg-cghmn.conf</code>, perhaps requiring <code>doas</code>/<code>sudo</code>, to bring the tunnel up and connect to the network!

This should bring whatever system you've set the tunnel up on onto the network and is now reachable for other members on the network, as long as the firewall on your device is congfigured accordingly, of course.

<nowiki>#</nowiki>TODO: Add example of routed subnet configuration, perhaps on a different Wiki site

=== Get connected - Server Side, the Admins Guide ===
[[File:Example Configuration for new Wireguard Peer on Core Router.png|thumb|Example Configuration for new Wireguard Peer on Core Router]]
To get a member onto the network, they will send an admin of the project their randomly generated Wireguard key during the setup via the OpenWRT script. Here are the steps that admin will have to follow to get them up and running on the server side:

# Log in on the [https://router.core.cghmn:8443 Core Router] over an existing CGHMN network link
# Navigate to VPN -> Wireguard -> Peer Generator
# You will be asked to enter some data for the new peer, enter the following:
## '''Instance:''' <code>WG_Member</code>
## '''Endpoint:''' <code>wg-admin.cursedsilicon.net:42070</code>
## '''Name:''' <code>member.''<Nickname of the new member>''</code>
## '''Public Key:''' <code>''<their Wireguard public key they've sent over>''</code>
## '''Private Key:''' <code>''<blank>''</code>
## '''Address:''' ''<code><Next highest IP from 100.89.128.0/22, this is their tunnel IP and is auto-filled></code>''
## '''Pre-Shared Key:''' <code>''<blank>''</code>
## '''Allowed IPs:''' <code>''<the same as Address>'', ''<their routed subnet, [[How to Get Connected#But wait, what even is their routed subnet?|see below]]>''</code>
## '''Keepalive interval:''' ''<code><blank></code>''
## '''DNS Servers:''' <code>''<default value>''</code>
# Hit the "Store and generate next" button
# Navigate to VPN -> Wireguard -> Instances
# Hit the "Apply" button
# Do '''either one''' '''(not both!)''' of these steps, depending on if you can SSH into the GRETAP endpoint container:
## SSH into the CGHMN Proxmox Server and enter the command <code>pct enter 10403</code>
## SSH directly into the GRETAP endpoint (formerly VXLAN endpoint) container with <code>ssh root@172.23.4.103</code>
# From there, run the following command: <code>bash /opt/vxlan-scripts/create-vxlan-interface.sh <member-tunnel-ip> <member-name></code> where you replace <code><member-tunnel-ip></code> with the IP tunnel address of the member as it was set above in the '''Address''' field, without the <code>/32</code> CIDR subnet mask, and replace the <code><member-name></code> with the same value you've entered above in the '''Name''' field. For example, like this: <code>bash /opt/vxlan-scripts/create-vxlan-interface.sh 100.89.128.6 member.snep.test</code> This will create a GRETAP (and for legacy purposes, a VXLAN) interface and bring them up automagically. ''Ignore the fact it still says "VXLAN" everywhere, it does both.''
# Now you can send the member their Wireguard Tunnel IP and their routed subnet over and they can finish their client-side setup according to the mini-tutorial above.
# Rember to add the member and their tunnel and subnet IPs to the [[CGHMN-IP-Allocations|IP allocations page]] :)

==== But wait, what even ''is'' their routed subnet? ====
Each members routed subnet comes per default from the <code>100.96.0.0/13</code> IPv4 block and has a <code>/24</code> mask. This subnet is their "Retro LAN", to which all their retro computers are hooked into via the router of their choosing. By default, NAT is enabled on the routers, so it wouldn't make a difference which subnet is used on the remote end for the retro machines. However, if someone wants to host servers in the CGHMN and doesn't want to do port forwading, they can disable NAT and let other membres directly connect to their machines via this routed subnet.

To get the routed subnet of a member, take the number from the last octet of the Wireguard tunnel IP of a member, say <code>100.89.128.'''6'''</code>, and put it into the third octet of the <code>100.96.0.0/13</code> IP block and replace the <code>/13</code> with <code>/24</code>, so you get <code>100.96.'''6'''.0/24</code>. That is their routed subnet, simple as that!

=== After you get connected ===
There are a few optional things you might want to do.

==== Network mailing list ====
There is a mailing list you can subscribe to if you want to be notified about things that may affect CGHMN or core services. You can subscribe to the list here: https://berwick-upon-tweed.cobaltqu.be/postorius/lists/cghmn-announce.lists.cobaltqu.be/.

If you need to post to the list, you will need to subscribe before you can be added to the list of poster.

==== Explore things available on the network ====
There is a collection of [[services people are running]] - things like email/hosting/chat/search/etc.

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net

2025-10-10T17:37:57Z

CursedSilicon: Tweaked as we're in beta now

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
=== Preamble ===
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby shortened to '''''CGHMN''''' for easier reference) originally started as me making good on a promise to use a Cisco AS5300 I acquired years ago to make a Dial-Up internet provider. Over time while working on the project and watching other YouTubers work on their own ISP projects it became clear that many of them are happy to set up the hardware, there was very little interest (or ability) to make it usable to other folks, or to have anything fun or useful to "do" with it (beyond the novelty of browsing a few vintage websites such as FrogFinder)

CGHMN (its name [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9STeegpxSb0 borrowing from a Simpsons joke, naturally]) is another one of my "biting off far more than I can possibly chew" projects. Intended to be an intersection point between art, shitpost, rejection of "internet modernity", refuge for the nostalgic and a communal home for projects of a specifically retro computing bent.

CGHMN is currently in '''''[[Signup|Open Beta]]'''''. Users can sign up and join the network along with their devices. While the network is totally solid, we need a large enough userbase to make it interesting for users to contribute! A bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. But hopefully one we can overcome.

An eventual goal is to provide "open" access to an era of the web that has been not so much "lost" as ''obliterated'' by capitalism. A space that can mimic "the vibe" of the late 1990's internet through faithful reconstruction or mimicry of the hardware and software stacks that powered it.

Mechanisms will be implemented to discourage (but not outright prevent) "modern systems" from accessing the network where possible, both for the security of users on the network and to try and further the "vibe" of using period-accurate hardware and software. Using IRC and playing StarCraft on Windows 11 simply isn't as "''fun''" for us!
=== So what's this all about? ===

CGHMN is a collaborative project aimed to create a late 1990's/early 2000's compatible "internet" for retro computing enthusiasts and their machines to connect to each other

=== Okay so how do I connect to it ===

You can sign up '''[[Signup|right now]]!''' to "beta test" the network

=== How fast is it? ===

Total internal network capacity is '''''500Mbps''''' (symmetric). This is mainly due to the limitations of the OVH server being rented. This speed may be raised or lowered depending on future federation with other members.

'''''Your''''' speed will likely depend on factors such as how fast your device can run Wireguard and your internet connection

=== Is this safe to use? I thought connecting old PC's to the internet was a bad idea! ===

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is not accessible by the wider internet and is specifically designed to be a ''hermetically sealed'' network. Users can only connect via the above methods '''and can only communicate with other devices on the network'''. Users that violate the Terms of Service or attempt to abuse the network (or other members) will have their access '''permanently removed'''. With that said the usual rules about not downloading suspicious files and other "internet hygiene" rules still apply. While we don't expect bad actors to be a problem, please ensure that any files contributed to the network are scanned for malware first! [https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload VirusTotal] provides free scanning services for this.

=== How can I help? ===

A lot of folks have offered to donate server hosting which is wonderful. Though not (yet!) required. The two biggest things we need are

'''Donations to buy infrastructure''' (Particularly hard disks!) there's an Amazon Wishlist here that will get updated over time. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1W3S0E9IN7ZB7?ref_=wl_share

'''Volunteers who want to set up services'''. Want to come build a website? Run an old game server? Have some weird retro hardware you want to attach to the network? Please, reach out!

Signup

2025-10-07T20:50:22Z

CursedSilicon:

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is now in '''''OPEN BETA!''''' That means if you're reading this, you've either [https://signup.cghmn.org/ found our signup page], been sent an email, or just stumbled across this page on the Wiki.

Either way, welcome!

So. To get ON Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby referred to as CGHMN for easier reference) you'll need a few things.

# A retro computer/virtual machine or a device that can be ultimately terminated via ethernet. Using other networking standards like 802.11, Token Ring, AUI, BNC or others is totally fine, but you'll need to ultimately bridge them to Ethernet to talk to the device running Wireguard
# A device that can run the Wireguard and (optionally) Gretap protocols. Wireguard is a VPN stack that is used to encrypt traffic and connect your retro devices securely to the network over the internet. Gretap is used for tunneling "non TCP/IP" protocols, like IPX. Useful if you want to play DOOM or run other non-TCP/IP software, '''''but not required!'''''
# To '''have fun!''' Seriously. This project is meant to bring back the joy of the web as it existed in the 90's and 2000's. If you aren't having fun, we need to fix that.

For Step 2 you can use any kind of device that runs '''''Linux/BSD''''' such as a Raspberry Pi or others. Virtual Machines (such as Proxmox) are absolutely supported and encouraged!

For users looking to connect physical machines, you will need a hardware device. We recommend something like the [https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar300m/ GL.iNet Shadow]. This device retails for around $30~ US dollars on retailers such as Amazon and can push 40 megabits of bandwidth to CGHMN over Wireguard. This is more than sufficient for a significant number of retro machines. This device has been deployed by Cursed Silicon and other users and has been successfully tested at-scale hosting 15 simultaneous users at the Seattle Interim Computer Festival retro computing event.

Another option (if you have one) is the Raspberry Pi. Every Pi version through the original Pi 1 to the current Pi 5 [https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi is supported by OpenWRT]. Adding a cheap USB LAN adapter makes this an attractive option if you have a spare "old Ras Pi laying around"

The third option is to run a virtual machine as your CGHMN gateway. We provide support primarily for '''''Proxmox''''' but other virtualization stacks such as VMware, Virtualbox and Hyper-V will work, but may require manual configuration by the user. '''This option is best suited for users wanting to run servers (websites, old game servers etc) as running old OSes in Proxmox comes with a significant graphics performance penalty'''

We recommend running the [https://openwrt.org/ OpenWRT] router distribution regardless of which above option you choose. This supports an enormous array of hardware (including running as a VM) and even comes with a [https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh ready-made script] written by our network architect, Snep. This script can be run on a device running OpenWRT to configure it directly for access to CGHMN.

Once installed in either a VM or on a physical device such as the GL.iNet Shadow, the device can be SSH'd into and the following commands can be run to begin configuration for CGHMN access.

# <code>wget <nowiki>https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh</nowiki></code>
# <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh</code>
# Follow the prompts
# [https://signup.cghmn.org/ Send us your Wireguard] '''Public Key''' on the signup page so we can add you to the network!

Finally if you're particularly proficient with Linux or Networking (or both) you can opt to run your own hardware configured to your specifications. We don't directly provide support for vendors like Microtik, Unifi or others, but during the closed testing we've done in past, users have been able to set these vendor devices up and successfully connect. [https://github.com/CGHMN/config-examples Example configurations are available here] however are untested except by the user who submitted them. Please reach out to the committer for assistance if the configuration scripts do not work.

Once again, to clarify: CGHMN '''''does''''' '''''not specifically require using "real" vintage hardware''''' as doing so can be impractical for a number of reasons. A lot of users (including Cursed Silicon and others) use virtualization, particularly to run [[Services people are running|services on the network]] efficiently or to quickly test out applications and features. '''Connecting a modern computer (EG a Windows 10 or 11 PC) to the network while not disallowed will encounter a lot of issues due to the age of the servers and services it is communicating with and is discouraged'''

Signup

2025-10-07T20:24:08Z

CursedSilicon:

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is now in '''''OPEN BETA!''''' That means if you're reading this, you've either filled out our signup page and gotten sent an email, or stumbled across this page on the Wiki.

Either way, welcome!

So. To get ON Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby referred to as CGHMN for easier reference) you'll need a few things.

# A retro computer/virtual machine or a device that can be ultimately terminated via ethernet. Using other networking standards like 802.11, Token Ring, AUI, BNC or others is totally fine, but you'll need to ultimately bridge them to Ethernet to talk to the device running Wireguard
# A device that can run the Wireguard and (optionally) Gretap protocols. Wireguard is a VPN stack that is used to encrypt traffic and connect your retro devices securely to the network over the internet. Gretap is used for tunneling "non TCP/IP" protocols, like IPX. Useful if you want to play DOOM or run other non-TCP/IP software, '''''but not required!'''''
# To '''have fun!''' Seriously. This project is meant to bring back the joy of the web as it existed in the 90's and 2000's. If you aren't having fun, we need to fix that.

For Step 2 you can use any kind of device that runs '''''Linux/BSD''''' such as a Raspberry Pi or others. Virtual Machines (such as Proxmox) are absolutely supported and encouraged!

For users looking to connect physical machines, you will need a hardware device. We recommend something like the [https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar300m/ GL.iNet Shadow]. This device retails for around $30~ US dollars on retailers such as Amazon and can push 40 megabits of bandwidth to CGHMN over Wireguard. This is more than sufficient for a significant number of retro machines. This device has been deployed by Cursed Silicon and other users and has been successfully tested at-scale hosting 15 simultaneous users at the Seattle Interim Computer Festival retro computing event.

Another option (if you have one) is the Raspberry Pi. Every Pi version through the original Pi 1 to the current Pi 5 [https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi is supported by OpenWRT]. Adding a cheap USB LAN adapter makes this an attractive option if you have a spare "old Ras Pi laying around"

The third option is to run a virtual machine as your CGHMN gateway. We provide support primarily for '''''Proxmox''''' but other virtualization stacks such as VMware, Virtualbox and Hyper-V will work, but may require manual configuration by the user. '''This option is best suited for users wanting to run servers (websites, old game servers etc) as running old OSes in Proxmox comes with a significant graphics performance penalty'''

We recommend running the [https://openwrt.org/ OpenWRT] router distribution regardless of which above option you choose. This supports an enormous array of hardware (including running as a VM) and even comes with a [https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh ready-made script] written by our network architect, Snep. This script can be run on a device running OpenWRT to configure it directly for access to CGHMN.

Once installed in either a VM or on a physical device such as the GL.iNet Shadow, the device can be SSH'd into and the following commands can be run to begin configuration for CGHMN access.

# <code>wget <nowiki>https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh</nowiki></code>
# <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh</code>
# Follow the prompts
# [https://signup.cghmn.org/ Send us your Wireguard] '''Public Key''' on the signup page so we can add you to the network!

Finally if you're particularly proficient with Linux or Networking (or both) you can opt to run your own hardware configured to your specifications. We don't directly provide support for vendors like Microtik, Unifi or others, but during the closed testing we've done in past, users have been able to set these vendor devices up and successfully connect. [https://github.com/CGHMN/config-examples Example configurations are available here] however are untested except by the user who submitted them. Please reach out to the committer for assistance if the configuration scripts do not work.

Once again, to clarify: CGHMN '''''does''''' '''''not specifically require using "real" vintage hardware''''' as doing so can be impractical for a number of reasons. A lot of users (including Cursed Silicon and others) use virtualization, particularly to run [[Services people are running|services on the network]] efficiently or to quickly test out applications and features. '''Connecting a modern computer (EG a Windows 10 or 11 PC) to the network while not disallowed will encounter a lot of issues due to the age of the servers and services it is communicating with and is discouraged'''

Signup

2025-10-07T20:22:26Z

CursedSilicon: Fixing formatting

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is now in '''''OPEN BETA!''''' That means if you're reading this, you've either filled out our signup page and gotten sent an email, or stumbled across this page on the Wiki.

Either way, welcome!

So. To get ON Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby referred to as CGHMN for easier reference) you'll need a few things.

# A retro computer/virtual machine or a device that can be ultimately terminated via ethernet. Using other networking standards like 802.11, Token Ring, AUI, BNC or others is totally fine, but you'll need to ultimately bridge them to Ethernet to talk to the device running Wireguard
# A device that can run the Wireguard and (optionally) Gretap protocols. Wireguard is a VPN stack that is used to encrypt traffic and connect your retro devices securely to the network over the internet. Gretap is used for tunneling "non TCP/IP" protocols, like IPX. Useful if you want to play DOOM or run other non-TCP/IP software, '''''but not required!'''''
# To '''have fun!''' Seriously. This project is meant to bring back the joy of the web as it existed in the 90's and 2000's. If you aren't having fun, we need to fix that.

For Step 2 you can use any kind of device that runs '''''Linux/BSD''''' such as a Raspberry Pi or others. Virtual Machines (such as Proxmox) are absolutely supported and encouraged!

For users looking to connect physical machines, you will need a hardware device. We recommend something like the [https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar300m/ GL.iNet Shadow]. This device retails for around $30~ US dollars on retailers such as Amazon and can push 40 megabits of bandwidth to CGHMN over Wireguard. This is more than sufficient for a significant number of retro machines. This device has been deployed by Cursed Silicon and other users and has been successfully tested at-scale hosting 15 simultaneous users at the Seattle Interim Computer Festival retro computing event.

Another option (if you have one) is the Raspberry Pi. Every Pi version through the original Pi 1 to the current Pi 5 [https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi is supported by OpenWRT]. Adding a cheap USB LAN adapter makes this an attractive option if you have a spare "old Ras Pi laying around"

The third option is to run a virtual machine as your CGHMN gateway. We provide support primarily for '''''Proxmox''''' but other virtualization stacks such as VMware, Virtualbox and Hyper-V will work, but may require manual configuration by the user. '''This option is best suited for users wanting to run servers (websites, old game servers etc) as running old OSes in Proxmox comes with a significant graphics performance penalty'''

We recommend running the [https://openwrt.org/ OpenWRT] router distribution regardless of which above option you choose. This supports an enormous array of hardware (including running as a VM) and even comes with a [https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh ready-made script] written by our network architect, Snep. This script can be run on a device running OpenWRT to configure it directly for access to CGHMN.

Once installed in either a VM or on a physical device such as the GL.iNet Shadow, the device can be SSH'd into and the following commands can be run to begin configuration for CGHMN access.

# <code>wget <nowiki>https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh</nowiki></code>
# <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh</code>
# Follow the prompts!

Finally if you're particularly proficient with Linux or Networking (or both) you can opt to run your own hardware configured to your specifications. We don't directly provide support for vendors like Microtik, Unifi or others, but during the closed testing we've done in past, users have been able to set these vendor devices up and successfully connect. [https://github.com/CGHMN/config-examples Example configurations are available here] however are untested except by the user who submitted them. Please reach out to the committer for assistance if the configuration scripts do not work.

Once again, to clarify: CGHMN '''''does''''' '''''not specifically require using "real" vintage hardware''''' as doing so can be impractical for a number of reasons. A lot of users (including Cursed Silicon and others) use virtualization, particularly to run [[Services people are running|services on the network]] efficiently or to quickly test out applications and features. '''Connecting a modern computer (EG a Windows 10 or 11 PC) to the network while not disallowed will encounter a lot of issues due to the age of the servers and services it is communicating with and is discouraged'''

Signup

2025-10-07T20:21:53Z

CursedSilicon: Tweaked wordings, updated things to be more clear (hopefully)

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is now in '''''OPEN BETA!''''' That means if you're reading this, you've either filled out our signup page and gotten sent an email, or stumbled across this page on the Wiki.

Either way, welcome!

So. To get ON Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby referred to as CGHMN for easier reference) you'll need a few things.

# A retro computer/virtual machine or a device that can be ultimately terminated via ethernet. Using other networking standards like 802.11, Token Ring, AUI, BNC or others is totally fine, but you'll need to ultimately bridge them to Ethernet to talk to the device running Wireguard
# A device that can run the Wireguard and (optionally) Gretap protocols. Wireguard is a VPN stack that is used to encrypt traffic and connect your retro devices securely to the network over the internet. Gretap is used for tunneling "non TCP/IP" protocols, like IPX. Useful if you want to play DOOM or run other non-TCP/IP software, '''''but not required!'''''
# To '''have fun!''' Seriously. This project is meant to bring back the joy of the web as it existed in the 90's and 2000's. If you aren't having fun, we need to fix that.

For Step 2 you can use any kind of device that runs '''''Linux/BSD''''' such as a Raspberry Pi or others. Virtual Machines (such as Proxmox) are absolutely supported and encouraged!

For users looking to connect physical machines, you will need a hardware device. We recommend something like the [https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar300m/ GL.iNet Shadow]. This device retails for around $30~ US dollars on retailers such as Amazon and can push 40 megabits of bandwidth to CGHMN over Wireguard. This is more than sufficient for a significant number of retro machines. This device has been deployed by Cursed Silicon and other users and has been successfully tested at-scale hosting 15 simultaneous users at the Seattle Interim Computer Festival retro computing event.

Another option (if you have one) is the Raspberry Pi. Every Pi version through the original Pi 1 to the current Pi 5 [https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi is supported by OpenWRT]. Adding a cheap USB LAN adapter makes this an attractive option if you have a spare "old Ras Pi laying around"

The third option is to run a virtual machine as your CGHMN gateway. We provide support primarily for '''''Proxmox''''' but other virtualization stacks such as VMware, Virtualbox and Hyper-V will work, but may require manual configuration by the user. '''This option is best suited for users wanting to run servers (websites, old game servers etc) as running old OSes in Proxmox comes with a significant graphics performance penalty'''

We recommend running the [https://openwrt.org/ OpenWRT] router distribution regardless of which above option you choose. This supports an enormous array of hardware (including running as a VM) and even comes with a [https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh ready-made script] written by our network architect, Snep. This script can be run on a device running OpenWRT to configure it directly for access to CGHMN.

Once installed in either a VM or on a physical device such as the GL.iNet Shadow, the device can be SSH'd into and the following commands can be run to begin configuration for CGHMN access.

# <code>wget <nowiki>https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh</nowiki></code>
# <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh</code>
# Follow the prompts!

Finally if you're particularly proficient with Linux or Networking (or both) you can opt to run your own hardware configured to your specifications. We don't directly provide support for vendors like Microtik, Unifi or others, but during the closed testing we've done in past, users have been able to set these vendor devices up and successfully connect. [https://github.com/CGHMN/config-examples Example configurations are available here] however are untested except by the user who submitted them. Please reach out to the committer for assistance if the configuration scripts do not work.

Once again, to clarify: CGHMN '''''does''''' '''''not specifically require using "real" vintage hardware''''' as doing so can be impractical for a number of reasons. A lot of users (including Cursed Silicon and others) use virtualization, particularly to run [[Services people are running|services on the network]] efficiently or to quickly test out applications and features. '''Connecting a modern computer (EG a Windows 10 or 11 PC) to the network while not disallowed will encounter a lot of issues due to the age of the servers and services it is communicating with and is discouraged'''

Signup

2025-10-06T21:44:01Z

CursedSilicon: Re-written for Open Beta

[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is now in '''''OPEN BETA!''''' That means if you're reading this, you've either filled out our signup page and gotten sent an email, or stumbled across this page on the Wiki.

Either way, welcome!

So. To get ON Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net (hereby referred to as CGHMN for easier reference) you'll need a few things.

# A retro computer or device that can be terminated via ethernet. Using other networking standards like 802.11, Token Ring, AUI and others is totally fine, but you'll need to bridge them to ethernet!
# A device that can run the Wireguard and (optionally) Gretap protocols. Wireguard is a VPN stack that is used to encrypt traffic and connect your retro devices securely to the network over the internet. Gretap is used for tunneling "non TCP/IP" protocols, like IPX. Useful if you want to play DOOM or run other esoteric software, '''''but not required!'''''
# To have fun! Seriously. This project is meant to bring back the joy of the web as it existed in the 90's and 2000's. If you aren't having fun, we need to fix that

For Part 2 you can use any kind of device that runs '''''Linux/BSD''''' such as a Raspberry Pi or others. Virtual Machines are also absolutely supported!

For hardware, we recommend something like the [https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-ar300m/ GL.iNet Shadow]. This device retails for around $30~ US dollars on retailers such as Amazon and can push 40 megabits of bandwidth to CGHMN over Wireguard. This is more than sufficient for a significant number of retro machines. This device has been deployed by Cursed Silicon and other users and has been successfully tested at-scale hosting 15 simultaneous users at the Seattle Interim Computer Festival event.

Another option (if you have one) is the Raspberry Pi. Every Pi version through the original Pi 1 to the current Pi 5 [https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi are supported]. Adding a cheap USB LAN adapter makes this an attractive option if you have a spare Pi laying around.

The third option is to run a virtual machine as your CGHMN gateway. We support Proxmox, VMware, Virtualbox, Hyper-V and others. Using CGHMN does not necessarily require using vintage ''hardware'' and doing so can be impractical for a number of reasons. A lot of users (including Cursed Silicon and others) use virtualization to run [[Services people are running|services on the network]] efficiently

Finally if you're particularly proficient with Linux or Networking (or both) you can opt to run your own hardware configured to your specifications. We don't directly provide support for vendors like Microtik, Unifi or others, but during the closed testing we've done in past, users have been able to set these vendor devices up and successfully connect.

We recommend running the [https://openwrt.org/ OpenWRT] router distribution regardless of which option you choose. This supports an enormous array of hardware (including running as a VM) and even comes with a [https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh ready-made script] written by our network architect, Snep. This script can be run on a device running OpenWRT to configure it directly for access to CGHMN.

The commands to run the script are as follows.

# Install OpenWRT and SSH into the device
# <code>wget <nowiki>https://cghmn.snep.zip/connect.sh</nowiki></code>
# <code>ash setup-cghmn.sh</code>
# Follow the prompts!

Services people are running

2025-10-05T19:43:38Z

CursedSilicon: We have a Pastebin!

This is a collection of "services" available on CGHMN. It's intended as a bootstrapping point until we get something to help with discovery. Feel free to add your own services!

== Chat ==

=== AIM ===
CGHMN connects to Chivanet's AIM service (running RetroAimServer). To use it, you need to sign up via http://chivanet.org/aim/. Once you have a screenname, you can connect from within the network with a [[AIM Clients|client]].

=== IRC ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Hostname
!Port (non-TLS)
!TLS?
!Notes
|-
|irc.cghmn.retro
|6667
|no
|Bridged onto the regular internet and Discord
|-
|irc.loganius.retro
|6667
|yes, at 6697
|Must register your nick with NickServ before you can start talking. You'll need working email for this.
|}

=== MSN Messenger ===
'''TODO (maybe ask to federate with NINA ala ChivaNet?) - CursedSilicon'''

== Email ==
You can run your own mail server on a .retro domain. If you would prefer not to (or want a backup), there are some open mail services (separate from general "hosting").

=== CGHMN Public Email Service (ala Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail) ===
Webmail: available - Supports Internet Explorer 3 (in theory) as a minimum. IE5 on Win3.11 tested and verified working.

HTTP: http://cghmn-mail.retro

IMAP:: cghmn-mail.retro

POP3: cghmn-mail.retro

(both incoming and outgoing servers use the same address for POP/IMAP/SMTP)

'''NOTE: SSL is ''enabled'' but is not widely tested. Your mileage may vary. If you experience issues, just use insecure/plaintext modes for simplicity'''

How to sign up: message cursedsilicon on IRC/Discord.

== Game servers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!Hostname
!IP
!Game(s)
!OS
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|100.96.9.6
|ClassiCube & Halo PC
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|Must connect by IP for Halo.
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Battle.Net
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Blizzard games up to Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Westwood Online
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Westwood games up to Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
|-
|Serena
|wow.chivanet
|100.96.13.13
|World of Warcraft 3.3.5a (Wrath of the Lich King)
|Linux
|Message Serena for an account
|}
'''NOTE: Some services are "patched" at DNS level. Other games (such as Halo) require connecting to a server via IP. Check the notes!'''

== Websites ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!IP/Hostname
!OS
!Server
!Brief Description
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|Whatever I feel like putting there.
|Supports HTTPS.
|-
|Loganius
|live.loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2 x64
|IIS 6.0
|My livestream VODs.
|<nowiki>Livestreams at [rtsp | mms]://live.loganius.retro/, or </nowiki>http://live.loganius.retro:81/
|-
|Loganius
|askme.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|The AskMe Search Engine
|
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|Linux
|Nginx
|Basically a landing page for new users.
Also has an FTP with lots of useful files
|Also available at http://cghmn.cursedsilicon.net
|-
|ch0ccyra1n
|oohay.retro
|Ubuntu Server
|Nginx
|A CGHMN Service Provider
|Currently down, will be up eventually.
|}
== Hosting ==

=== Theotherhost ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!OS
!Platform
!Admin UI requirements
!Languages
!Databases
!Services
|-
|Linux
|BlueOnyx
|IE 5 (tested on Win 2k)
|Perl 5.8.8, PHP 5.1.5
|MySQL 5.0.95
|FTP/Web/SMTP/IMAP/POP/DNS/Mailing lists
|}
'''How to sign up: message theothertom on IRC.'''

=== CGHMN Proxmox Hosting ===
CGHMN will offer Proxmox based hosting in future. Currently we are limited by hard disk capacity, but small servers can be uploaded and run. Ask CursedSilicon for details.

== Other communications ==

=== theotherforum ===
There is a forum at [http://forum.theothertom.retro '''forum.theothertom.retro''']. This can be used to share projects/sites, as well as for general discussion. Currently, you need an email address to sign up.

=== Pastebin ===
http://wastebin.retro thanks Alyx!

=== TODO: Image host ===
Somewhere for screenshots etc.

=== TODO: webring ===
To help find sites

== Search ==

=== Google Search Appliance ===
Available on '''[http://google.retro google.retro]'''

'''Submit domains for indexing to CursedSilicon. Crawling takes about 15 minutes'''

=== Pandia Search ===
Available on '''''[http://www.chivanet www.chivanet]''''' (no TLD but WWW is required!)

Has both a web and CGHMN version (automatically selected by detecting the domain from which the user visits)

'''Sites can be added via the Pandia UI'''

=== AskMe ===
Available on '''[http://askme.retro askme.retro]'''

'''Must submit pages for indexing'''
[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]

Dell XPS Pro200N

2025-08-05T00:59:57Z

CursedSilicon:

Recent pickup from a University of Washington (UW) auction.

This unit is currently equipped with

- A Pentium Pro 200Mhz(!)

- 128MB of EDO memory (max may be higher? Dell only shipped up to 128MB in this unit)

- Two 120GB SSD's. One on each IDE channel (using Startech SATA to IDE adapters)

- Matrox Millennium II 8MB video card

- 3Com 3C950C-TX 10/100 network card

Currently it is installed with Windows 3.11 and "Stampede Linux" 0.90. Stampede is a Pentium processor optimized Linux distribution that derives from Slackware 7

Due to the distribution being end-of-lifed roughly 25 years ago it's likely to be replaced with a "Pentium Optimized Linux from Scratch" at a later date, pending purchase of a video card that contains an accelerated X server (the Matrox Millennium requires the "MGA" kernel driver and did not exist in 2.0/2.2 kernels according to research)

Images of this device also show several (unknown) expansion cards from what ever it was being used for originally. These have been removed after photographing

[[File:PXL 20250214 033500161.jpg|thumb|alt=XPS Pro 200N (front)|XPS Pro 200N (front)]]
[[File:PXL 20250214 033516741.jpg|thumb|alt=XPS Pro 200N (rear)|PS Pro 200N (rear)]]

Cobalt Qube 2

2025-07-15T11:00:52Z

CursedSilicon:

The Cobalt Qube was the worlds first "Linux Appliance" designed and released by Cobalt Networks (later purchased by Sun Microsystems). Sold from 1998 to 2002 it features a modified Red Hat Linux operating system and a proprietary Web GUI for server management.

The original Qube systems were equipped with MIPS RM5230 (150Mhz, Original Qube) or RM5231 (250Mhz, Qube 2) processors. These CPU's are similar to the RM5000 series in SGI's "Indy" workstations.

Both the Qube 1 and 2 come with 16MB of RAM (2x8MB SIMM's) and an 8GB or 10GB 3.5 inch IDE hard disk as standard.

Gateway also produced re-badged Cobalt Qube 2's which came in black and included a PCI Dial-Up modem. '''I do not have one of these so I cannot document its functionality or specifications'''

The original power supply can (and should) be replaced with a 45W USB-C power adapter. Bridging it requires a USB-C to 12V barrel connector and a Barrel to 3-pin DIN (Male) 5.5x 2.1mm cable

There is also a 40mm internal fan that should be replaced. Installing heatsinks on all internal chips is also recommended to prolong the lifespan of the device.

My Cobalt Qube 2 has been significantly modified since I purchased it from a user on eBay in late 2023. Some of the present modifications include

* RAM is maxed out to 256MB

* The original IDE hard disk has been replaced with 120GB SATA SSD using Startech SATA to IDE adapter. Due to the slow disk controller on the Cobalt Qube 2 (4MB/s at best) an SD card may be a more economical replacement
* The "BIOS" (or system bootstrap ROM) has been replaced with the "CoLo" bootloader. The original Cobalt firmware was hard-coded to launch a Linux kernel from an '''ext2 ''(not ext3 or ext4!)''''' partition on /dev/hda1

CoLo additionally allows connection to the unit via the RS232 serial port for system control after power on. The standard 115200,8,1 configuration will allow connection to the unit. Kernels can be downloaded and executed via TFTP via the CoLo interface

'''At this time the unit is functional, but not presently in operation'''

Old Computers

2025-07-15T11:00:08Z

CursedSilicon:

As the title suggests, and indeed why you're here. '''''I have a lot of old computers'''''

This page serves as an index catalog of them for easy reference.

<big>'''NOTE: This list is non-exhaustive as I'm constantly picking up new weird old tech'''</big>

=== Acer Inc ===
[[Acer EasyStore H340]]

=== Apple Computers Inc ===
[[Powermac G4]] "Mirror Drive Door" (MDD)

[[Powermac G5]] Quad

[[Mac Mini G4]]

[[Xserve G4]]

[[Xserve G5]]
=== Cobalt Networks ===
[[Cobalt Qube]]

[[Cobalt RaQ|Cobalt RaQ4]]

=== Dell Computers ===
[[PowerEdge 2500]]

[[Dell XPS Pro200N|XPS Pro200N]]

[[Dimension XPS D266]]

=== Digital Equipment Corporation ===
[[DEC AlphaServer 2100|DEC AlphaServer 2100 4/275]]

=== Hewlett Packard ===
[[HP MediaSmart EX495]]

=== Silicon Graphics ===
[[SGI Octane]]

[[SGI Visual Workstation 320]]

=== Sun Microsystems ===
[[Netra X1]]

[[Netra T1]]

[[SunFire Enterprise 420R]]

[[Ultra 10 Workstation]]

=== Whitebox/custom builds ===

[[Windows 98 PC|World's Fastest Windows 98 PC]]

[[Disc Ripper|Disc Ripper aka "Napster"]]

=== Miscellaneous (Anything not 'retro') ===
[[Framework 13]]

[[Main Desktop]]

[[Home Server]]

[[Hyve Zeus]]

[[Hyve Cygnus]]

[[Video Capture PC]]

Old Computers

2025-07-15T10:59:16Z

CursedSilicon:

As the title suggests, and indeed why you're here. '''''I have a lot of old computers'''''

This page serves as an index catalog of them for easy reference.

<big>'''NOTE: This list is non-exhaustive as I'm constantly picking up new weird old tech'''</big>

=== Acer Inc ===
[[Acer EasyStore H340]]

=== Apple Computers Inc ===
[[Powermac G4]] "Mirror Drive Door" (MDD)

[[Powermac G5]] Quad

[[Mac Mini G4]]

[[Xserve G4]]

[[Xserve G5]]
=== Cobalt Networks ===
[[Cobalt Qube]]

[[Cobalt RaQ|Cobalt RaQ4]]

=== Dell Computers ===
[[PowerEdge 2500]]

[[OptiPlex GX1]]

[[Dell XPS Pro200N|XPS Pro200N]]

[[Dimension XPS D266]]

=== Digital Equipment Corporation ===
[[DEC AlphaServer 2100|DEC AlphaServer 2100 4/275]]

=== Hewlett Packard ===
[[HP MediaSmart EX495]]

[[HP KAYAK XA 6/400 MT]]

=== Silicon Graphics ===
[[SGI Octane]]

[[SGI Visual Workstation 320]]

=== Sun Microsystems ===
[[Netra X1]]

[[Netra T1]]

[[SunFire Enterprise 420R]]

[[Ultra 10 Workstation]]

=== Whitebox/custom builds ===

[[Windows 98 PC|World's Fastest Windows 98 PC]]

[[Disc Ripper|Disc Ripper aka "Napster"]]

=== Miscellaneous (Anything not 'retro') ===
[[Framework 13]]

[[Main Desktop]]

[[Home Server]]

[[Hyve Zeus]]

[[Hyve Cygnus]]

[[Video Capture PC]]

Mac Mini G4

2025-07-15T10:58:26Z

CursedSilicon:

My iMac G3/350 "BlueBerry" died during the March 2025 Interim Computer Festival

So I bought a G4 1.5Ghz Mac Mini from [https://os9.shop some dude in Virginia] who sells refurbed ones running OS 9.2.2 of all things?

It's a maxed out Mac Mini G4 @ 1.5Ghz with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB mSATA SSD on an IDE adapter card

'''After disassembling it to remove its (cheap as hell) SSD the power button detached from the main system board. It needs to be replaced before the unit can reenter service'''

Netra T1

2025-07-15T10:55:21Z

CursedSilicon:

Along with its much larger brother the [[SunFire Enterprise 420R|Sunfire 420R]] the Netra T1 100 is one of the several pieces of Sun equipment in my collection

At this time I don't have much information to post about it. I have not powered any of the Sun equipment on to investigate it deeper

Also the face plate fell off. Though apparently that's common with the brittle plastic
[[File:Netra T1 (front).jpg|none|thumb|Netra T1 (front)]]
[[File:Netra T1 (Rear).jpg|alt=Netra T1 (Rear)|none|thumb|Netra T1 (Rear)]]

Services people are running

2025-07-13T02:32:00Z

CursedSilicon:

This is a collection of "services" available on CGHMN. It's intended as a bootstrapping point until we get something to help with discovery. Feel free to add your own services!

== Chat ==

=== AIM ===
CGHMN connects to Chivanet's AIM service (running RetroAimServer). To use it, you need to sign up via http://chivanet.org/aim/. Once you have a screenname, you can connect from within the network.

=== IRC ===
Available on irc.cghmn.retro (no TLS), and bridged onto the regular internet and Discord.

=== MSN Messenger ===
'''TODO (maybe ask to federate with NINA ala ChivaNet?) - CursedSilicon'''

== Email ==
You can run your own mail server on a .retro domain. If you would prefer not to (or want a backup), there are some open mail services (separate from general "hosting").

=== CGHMN Public Email Service (ala Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail) ===
Webmail: available - Supports Internet Explorer 3 (in theory) as a minimum. IE5 on Win3.11 tested and verified working.

HTTP: http://cghmn-mail.retro

IMAP:: cghmn-mail.retro

POP3: cghmn-mail.retro

(both incoming and outgoing servers use the same address for POP/IMAP/SMTP)

'''NOTE: SSL is ''enabled'' but is not widely tested. Your mileage may vary. If you experience issues, just use insecure/plaintext modes for simplicity'''

How to sign up: message cursedsilicon on IRC/Discord.

== Game servers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!Hostname
!IP
!Game(s)
!OS
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|100.96.9.1
|ClassiCube & Halo PC
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|Must connect by IP for Halo.
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Battle.Net
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Blizzard games up to Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Westwood Online
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Westwood games up to Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
|}
'''NOTE: Some services are "patched" at DNS level. Other games (such as Halo) require connecting to a server via IP. Check the notes!'''

== Websites ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!IP/Hostname
!OS
!Server
!Brief Description
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|Whatever I feel like putting there.
|Supports HTTPS.
|-
|Loganius
|live.loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2 x64
|IIS 6.0
|My livestream VODs.
|<nowiki>Livestreams at [rtsp | mms]://live.loganius.retro/, or http://live.loganius.retro:81/</nowiki>
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|Linux
|Nginx
|Basically a landing page for new users.
Also has an FTP with lots of useful files
|Also available at http://cghmn.cursedsilicon.net
|}
== Hosting ==

=== Theotherhost ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!OS
!Platform
!Admin UI requirements
!Languages
!Databases
!Services
|-
|Linux
|BlueOnyx
|IE 5 (tested on Win 2k)
|Perl 5.8.8, PHP 5.1.5
|MySQL 5.0.95
|FTP/Web/SMTP/IMAP/POP/DNS/Mailing lists
|}
'''How to sign up: message theothertom on IRC.'''

=== CGHMN ===
CGHMN will offer Proxmox based hosting in future. Currently we are limited by hard disk capacity, but small servers can be uploaded and run. Ask CursedSilicon for details.

== Other communications ==

=== theotherforum ===
There is a forum at forum.theothertom.retro. This can be used to share projects/sites, as well as for general discussion. Currently, you need an email address to sign up.

=== TODO: A pastebin ===
Would be good for sharing logs etc.

=== TODO: Image host ===
Somewhere for screenshots etc.

=== TODO: webring ===
To help find sites

== Search ==

=== Oohay ===
Available on '''oohay.retro'''

'''Must submit pages for indexing'''

=== Google Search Appliance ===
Available on '''google.retro'''

'''Submit domains for indexing to CursedSilicon. Crawling takes about 15 minutes'''

=== Pandia Search ===
Available on '''''www.chivanet''''' (no TLD but WWW is required!)

Has both a web and CGHMN version

'''Sites can be added via the Pandia UI'''

Services people are running

2025-07-13T01:35:25Z

CursedSilicon:

This is a collection of "services" available on CGHMN. It's intended as a bootstrapping point until we get something to help with discovery. Feel free to add your own services!

== Chat ==

=== AIM ===
CGHMN connects to Chivanet's AIM service (running RetroAimServer). To use it, you need to sign up via http://chivanet.org/aim/. Once you have a screenname, you can connect from within the network.

=== IRC ===
Available on irc.cghmn.retro (no TLS), and bridged onto the regular internet and Discord.

=== MSN Messenger ===
'''TODO (maybe ask to federate with NINA ala ChivaNet?) - CursedSilicon'''

== Email ==
You can run your own mail server on a .retro domain. If you would prefer not to (or want a backup), there are some open mail services (separate from general "hosting").

=== CGHMN Public Email Service (ala Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail) ===
Webmail: available - Supports Internet Explorer 3 (in theory) as a minimum. IE5 on Win3.11 tested and verified working.

HTTP: http://cghmn-mail.retro

IMAP:: cghmn-mail.retro

POP3: cghmn-mail.retro

(both incoming and outgoing servers use the same address for POP/IMAP/SMTP)

'''NOTE: SSL is ''enabled'' but is not widely tested. Your mileage may vary. If you experience issues, just use insecure/plaintext modes for simplicity'''

How to sign up: message cursedsilicon on IRC/Discord.

== Game servers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!Hostname
!IP
!Game(s)
!OS
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|100.96.9.1
|ClassiCube & Halo PC
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|Must connect by IP for Halo.
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Battle.Net
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Blizzard games up to Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Westwood Online
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Westwood games up to Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
|}
'''NOTE: Some services are "patched" at DNS level. Other games (such as Halo) require connecting to a server via IP. Check the notes!'''

== Websites ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!IP/Hostname
!OS
!Server
!Brief Description
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|Whatever I feel like putting there.
|Supports HTTPS.
|-
|Loganius
|live.loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2 x64
|IIS 6.0
|My livestream VODs.
|<nowiki>Livestreams at [rtsp | mms]://live.loganius.retro/, or http://live.loganius.retro:81/</nowiki>
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|Linux
|Nginx
|Basically a landing page for new users.
Also has an FTP with lots of useful files
|Also available at http://cghmn.cursedsilicon.net
|}
== Hosting ==

=== Theotherhost ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!OS
!Platform
!Admin UI requirements
!Languages
!Databases
!Services
|-
|Linux
|BlueOnyx
|IE 5 (tested on Win 2k)
|Perl 5.8.8, PHP 5.1.5
|MySQL 5.0.95
|FTP/Web/SMTP/IMAP/POP/DNS/Mailing lists
|}
'''How to sign up: message theothertom on IRC.'''

=== CGHMN ===
CGHMN will offer Proxmox based hosting in future. Currently we are limited by hard disk capacity, but small servers can be uploaded and run. Ask CursedSilicon for details.

== Other communications ==

=== theotherforum ===
There is a forum at forum.theothertom.retro. This can be used to share projects/sites, as well as for general discussion. Currently, you need an email address to sign up.

=== TODO: A pastebin ===
Would be good for sharing logs etc.

=== TODO: Image host ===
Somewhere for screenshots etc.

=== TODO: webring ===
To help find sites

== Search ==

=== Oohay ===
Available on '''oohay.retro'''

'''Must submit pages for indexing'''

=== Google Search Appliance ===
Available on '''google.retro'''

'''Submit domains for indexing to CursedSilicon. Crawling takes about 15 minutes'''

=== Pandia Search ===
Available on '''''www.chivanet''''' (no TLD but WWW is required!)

Has both a web and CGHMN version

'''Message Serena to have your website indexed'''

Services people are running

2025-07-13T01:33:46Z

CursedSilicon:

This is a collection of "services" available on CGHMN. It's intended as a bootstrapping point until we get something to help with discovery. Feel free to add your own services!

== Chat ==

=== AIM ===
CGHMN connects to Chivanet's AIM service (running RetroAimServer). To use it, you need to sign up via http://chivanet.org/aim/. Once you have a screenname, you can connect from within the network.

=== IRC ===
Available on irc.cghmn.retro (no TLS), and bridged onto the regular internet and Discord.

=== MSN Messenger ===
'''TODO (maybe ask to federate with NINA ala ChivaNet?) - CursedSilicon'''

== Email ==
You can run your own mail server on a .retro domain. If you would prefer not to (or want a backup), there are some open mail services (separate from general "hosting").

=== CGHMN Public Email Service (ala Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail) ===
Webmail: available - Supports Internet Explorer 3 (in theory) as a minimum. IE5 on Win3.11 tested and verified working.

HTTP: http://cghmn-mail.retro

IMAP:: cghmn-mail.retro

POP3: cghmn-mail.retro

(both incoming and outgoing servers use the same address for POP/IMAP/SMTP)

'''NOTE: SSL is ''enabled'' but is not widely tested. Your mileage may vary. If you experience issues, just use insecure/plaintext modes for simplicity'''

How to sign up: message cursedsilicon on IRC/Discord.

== Game servers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!Hostname
!IP
!Game(s)
!OS
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|100.96.9.1
|ClassiCube & Halo PC
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|Must connect by IP for Halo.
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Battle.Net
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Blizzard games up to Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Westwood Online
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Westwood games up to Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
|}
'''NOTE: Some services are "patched" at DNS level. Other games (such as Halo) require connecting to a server via IP. Check the notes!'''

== Websites ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!IP/Hostname
!OS
!Server
!Brief Description
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|Whatever I feel like putting there.
|Supports HTTPS.
|-
|Loganius
|live.loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2 x64
|IIS 6.0
|My livestream VODs.
|<nowiki>Livestreams at [rtsp | mms]://live.loganius.retro/, or http://live.loganius.retro:81/</nowiki>
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|Linux
|Nginx
|Basically a landing page for new users.
Also has an FTP with lots of useful files
|Also available at http://cghmn.cursedsilicon.net
|}
== Hosting ==

=== Theotherhost ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!OS
!Platform
!Admin UI requirements
!Languages
!Databases
!Services
|-
|Linux
|BlueOnyx
|IE 5 (tested on Win 2k)
|Perl 5.8.8, PHP 5.1.5
|MySQL 5.0.95
|FTP/Web/SMTP/IMAP/POP/DNS/Mailing lists
|}
'''How to sign up: message theothertom on IRC.'''

=== CGHMN ===
CGHMN will offer Proxmox based hosting in future. Currently we are limited by hard disk capacity, but small servers can be uploaded and run. Ask CursedSilicon for details.

== Other communications ==

=== theotherforum ===
There is a forum at forum.theothertom.retro. This can be used to share projects/sites, as well as for general discussion. Currently, you need an email address to sign up.

=== TODO: A pastebin ===
Would be good for sharing logs etc.

=== TODO: Image host ===
Somewhere for screenshots etc.

=== TODO: webring ===
To help find sites

== Search ==

=== Oohay ===
Available on '''oohay.retro'''

'''Must submit pages for indexing'''

=== Google Search Appliance ===
Available on '''google.retro'''

'''Submit domains for indexing to CursedSilicon. Crawling takes about 15 minutes'''

CGHMN-IP-Allocations

2025-07-03T00:38:43Z

CursedSilicon:

=== IP Address Allocations in the CGHMN Network ===
This page documents any IP addresses that are allocated statically to routers, subnets and members.

=== Networks on the CGHMN side ===
This is a list of all networks active on the CGHMN server side.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Network Name
!VLAN
!Subnet
!Router IP
!Notes
|-
|Core Services
|4
|172.23.4.0/22
|172.23.4.1
| -
|-
|Servers
|8
|172.23.8.0/22
|172.23.8.1
| -
|-
|Global LAN
|256
| -
| -
|No IP traffic, no assigned IP addresses
|-
|Wireguard Members Tunnel
| -
|100.89.128.0/22
|100.89.128.0
|The .0 for the router is not a typo, on P2P links the network address can also be used for a host
|-
|Servers at /dev/hack
| -
|172.23.3/22
|172.23.0.1
|May add more servers/services physically located at /dev/hack so might as well give them an IP range
|}

=== Members' Networks ===
This list contains the subnets that are assigned to member routers on the network. Members receive one <code>/24</code> network from the <code>100.96.0.0/13</code> block, in first-come-first-serve sequential order per default.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Member Name
!Peer Endpoint/Via
!Tunnel IP
!Routed Subnet(s)
!Notes
|-
|CursedSilicon
|/dev/hack (usually)
|100.89.128.1
|100.96.1.0/24
| -
|-
|Talija
| DIY
|100.89.128.2
|100.96.2.0/24
| -
|-
|Snep
|OPNsense box and PPPoE server
|100.89.128.3
|100.96.3.0/24
| -
|-
|Snep
|PC VPN tunnel
|100.89.128.4
| -
| -
|-
|Hadn69
| DIY
|100.89.128.5
|100.96.5.0/24
| -
|-
|Lily
| Dell PowerEdge R620
|100.89.128.6
|100.96.6.0/24
| -
|-
|Theothertom
| Unknown
|100.89.128.7
|100.96.7.0/24
| -
|-
|Lily
| Raspberry Pi
|100.89.128.8
|100.96.8.0/24
| -
|-
|Loganius
| PPTP Bridge on Debian VM
|100.89.128.9
|100.96.9.0/24
| Using Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 under Windows Server 2003.
|-
|GothPanda
| OpenWRT
|100.89.128.10
|100.96.10.0/24
| TP-Link Archer C59 v2
|-
|ch0ccyra1n
| Unknown
|100.89.128.11
|100.96.11.0/24
| -
|-
|Chromaryu
|Unknown
|100.89.128.12
|100.96.12.0/24
| -
|-
|Serena
|Unknown
|100.89.128.13
|100.96.13.0/24
|Chivanet
|-
|CursedSilicon
|OpenWRT VM
|100.89.128.14
|100.96.14.0/24
|At home
|-
|Mel
|OpenWRT VM
|100.89.128.15
|100.96.15.0/24
|"Glinet Nugget"
|-
|Spz2024
|OpenWRT VM
|100.89.128.16
|100.96.16.0/24
| OpenWRT in QEMU on Windows host
|-
|Spaztron64
|Unknown
|100.89.128.17
|100.96.17.0/24
| -
|-
|Harry
|Unknown
|100.89.128.18
|100.96.18.0/24
| -
|-
|Mel
|OpenWRT VM
|100.89.128.19
|100.96.19.0/24
|OpenWRT VM
|-
|Spaztron64
|Unknown
|100.89.128.20
|100.96.20.0/24
| -
|-
|TsuboDii
|Unknown
|100.89.128.21
|100.96.21.0/24
| -
|}

=== Member-Delegated (Sub-) Domains ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Member Name
!Domain
!Nameserver
!Nameserver IP
!Notes
|-
|Serena
|chivanet
|pandora.chivanet
|100.96.13.7
| -
|-
|Nicuuut
|goat
|sanemi.nicuuut.goat
|172.23.0.53
| -
|-
|Talija
|coyote.retro
|a.ns.coyote.retro
|100.96.2.53
| -
|-
|''Snep''
|''snep.retro''
|''ns1.snep.retro''
|''172.23.8.11''
| Currently offline
|-
|Lily
|lily.retro
|ns1.lily.retro
|100.96.6.250
| -
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|hugh.loganius.retro
|100.96.9.100
| -
|-
|theothertom
|theothertom.retro
|north-foreland.theothertom.retro
|100.96.7.12
| -
|-
|Spaztron64
|arcesia.retro
|ns.arcesia.retro
|100.96.17.105
| -
|-
|ch0ccyra1n
|oohay.retro
|ns1.oohay.retro
|100.96.11.197
| -
|-
|Harry
|404.retro
|ns.404.retro
|100.96.18.254
| -
|}

=== Member Servers hosted on the CGHMN side ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Member Name
!VM/CT ID
!Server Name
!Server IP
!Notes
|-
|Snep
|10811
|srv01.snep.retro
|172.23.8.11
| -
|-
|Talija
|118
|junko.coyote.retro
|172.23.3.173
|Network diagnostics
|-
|Loganius
|123
|kira.loganius.retro
|172.23.0.52
|WMS Server
|-
|''Cursed''
|''-''
|''-''
|''172.23.0.69''
|''Future CGHMN Mail Server''
|-
|Nicuuut
|124
|sanemi.nicuuut.goat
|172.23.0.53
| -
|-
|Nicuuut
|103
|mitsuri.nicuuut.goat
|172.23.0.54
| -
|}
[[Category:Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net]]

Services people are running

2025-07-01T01:18:39Z

CursedSilicon:

This is a collection of "services" available on CGHMN. It's intended as a bootstrapping point until we get something to help with discovery. Feel free to add your own services!

== Chat ==

=== AIM ===
CGHMN connects to Chivanet's AIM service (running RetroAimServer). To use it, you need to sign up via http://chivanet.org/aim/. Once you have a screenname, you can connect from within the network.

=== IRC ===
Available on irc.cghmn.retro (no TLS), and bridged onto the regular internet and Discord.

=== MSN Messenger ===
'''TODO (maybe ask to federate with NINA ala ChivaNet?) - CursedSilicon'''

== Email ==
You can run your own mail server on a .retro domain. If you would prefer not to (or want a backup), there are some open mail services (separate from general "hosting").

=== CGHMN Public Email Service (ala Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail) ===
Webmail: available - Supports Internet Explorer 3 (in theory) as a minimum. IE5 on Win3.11 tested and verified working.

HTTP: http://cghmn-mail.retro

IMAP:: cghmn-mail.retro

POP3: cghmn-mail.retro

(both incoming and outgoing servers use the same address for POP/IMAP/SMTP)

'''NOTE: Both should connect as "insecure/plaintext" modes. I'm too lazy to set up SSL encryption yet'''

How to sign up: @cursedsilicon on IRC/Discord.

== Game servers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!Hostname
!IP
!Game(s)
!OS
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|100.96.9.1
|ClassiCube & Halo PC
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|Must connect by IP for Halo.
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Battle.Net
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Blizzard games up to Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Westwood Online
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Westwood games up to Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
|}
'''NOTE: Some services are "patched" at DNS level. Other games (such as Halo) require connecting to a server via IP. Check the notes!'''

== Websites ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!IP/Hostname
!OS
!Server
!Brief Description
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|Whatever I feel like putting there.
|Supports HTTPS.
|-
|Loganius
|live.loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2 x64
|IIS 6.0
|My livestream VODs.
|<nowiki>Livestreams at [rtsp | mms]://live.loganius.retro/, or http://live.loganius.retro:81/</nowiki>
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|Linux
|Nginx
|Basically a landing page for new users.
Also has an FTP with lots of useful files
|Also available at http://cghmn.cursedsilicon.net
|}
== Hosting ==

=== Theotherhost ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!OS
!Platform
!Admin UI requirements
!Languages
!Databases
!Services
|-
|Linux
|BlueOnyx
|IE 5 (tested on Win 2k)
|Perl 5.8.8, PHP 5.1.5
|MySQL 5.0.95
|FTP/Web/SMTP/IMAP/POP/DNS/Mailing lists
|}
'''How to sign up: message theothertom on IRC.'''

=== CGHMN ===
CGHMN will offer Proxmox based hosting in future. Currently we are limited by hard disk capacity, but small servers can be uploaded and run. Ask CursedSilicon for details.

== Other communications ==

=== theotherforum ===
There is a forum at forum.theothertom.retro. This can be used to share projects/sites, as well as for general discussion. Currently, you need an email address to sign up.

=== TODO: A pastebin ===
Would be good for sharing logs etc.

=== TODO: Image host ===
Somewhere for screenshots etc.

=== TODO: webring ===
To help find sites

== Search ==

=== Oohay ===
Available on '''oohay.retro'''

'''Must submit pages for indexing'''

=== Google Search Appliance ===
Available on '''google.retro'''

'''Submit domains for indexing to CursedSilicon. Crawling takes about 15 minutes'''

AIM Clients

2025-06-28T04:11:47Z

CursedSilicon:

This is just a scratch page for me to send the Retro AIM Server project on supported 3rd party AIM clients I've tested

Windows testing is done on a Windows XP (32-bit) virtual machine with all updates applied

Mac testing is done on OS X 10.6.8 via Proxmox

Linux testing is done on Ubuntu 5.04 (32-bit) via Proxmox but may be augmented in future with different distros

'''All testing was performed on [[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|CGHMN]] to simplify packet captures. IP addresses do not reflect the ones used by regular RAS clients but CGHMN is connected to ChivaNet/RAS'''

This test isn't likely to be 100% coverage because I'm not going to test *every build* of every client. But should give users a general direction for further testing

Submissions are also welcome. Please feel free to email me or send me a message on Mastodon

== TESTED WORKING ==

=== Windows ===
Regular AIM. Pretty much all of these up to 6.1 (at time of writing) are tested and working. 6.1 should work on everything from Windows 9x/NT 4.0 through to Windows 11

AIM 1.5 also works on Windows 3.11 with Win32s

=== Mac ===
Adium X 1.0.6 (x86) works! (PPC untested but presumed working)

Adium 1.3.10 (x86) works! (PPC untested but presumed working)

iChat 3.1.9 on OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) PPC works!

iChat 5.0.3 on OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) x86 works!

iChat on OS X Leopard (PPC or x86 unspecified) works!

AIM 4.7 for OS 9 (PPC) works!

=== Linux ===
GAIM 1.1.4 (Ubuntu 5.04) works. Though users will show as offline to other client(s) for several minutes. [https://github.com/mk6i/retro-aim-server/issues/123#issuecomment-2933138905 Bug filed]

TiK 0.90 (Ubuntu 5.04) works! Though needs to be run as root for some reason?

== TESTED '''NOT''' WORKING ==

=== Windows ===
Miranda 0.10.80 - Queries '''slogin.oscar.aol.com''' (fixed) but fails to connect. No errors printed by the client. Client also corrupts its database file if exited and relaunched - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== Mac ===
Adium 1.4.5 - Queries '''api.screenname.aol.com''' (fixed) and attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AIM 2.1.302 - Queries '''clienturls.aol.com AND aoldiag.aol.com''' (fixed). Attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AIM 2.2.439 - Queries '''kdc.uas.aol.com''' (fixed) Attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== Linux ===
Ayttm 0.4.6-26 - Fails to connect to '''toc.oscar.aol.com''' (fixed) then returns 400 bad request from Nginx(?) - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Centreicq 4.13.0 - I have no goddamn idea how to use this client. But it seems to do...something? then eventually just shows '''[aim] disconnected''' - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Kopete 0.10 - Attempts to connect but never completes. No errors reported from client - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

naim 0.11.7.2 - '''Seems to connect to its own TOC server toc.n.ml.org (???)''' (fixed) but fails to connect. Client logging enabled but did not produce any log files - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== AmigaOS/MorphOS ===
nAIM 0.11.8.3.1 for AmigaOS - Also connects to its own TOC server '''(toc.n.ml.org)''' (DNS patched already previously for testing) but fails to connect similar to Linux client. Client did not produce any log files. [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AmiAIM 0.11 for AmigaOS. Fails to connect, invalid username/password error. [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

== UNTESTED ==

Adium X 0.89.1 - Fails to launch on OS X 10.6.8 (x86)

iChat v??? on OS X 10.7 (Lion) was the final client revision is currently untested as I cannot get it to successfully boot under Proxmox

Finch - Seems to be a plugin for Pidgin(?) to enable text mode chat instead of using a GUI?

Instantbird - Originally a Pidgin plugin. Later became its own stand-alone client. Development halted in 2013(?) with download servers unavailable. Downloaded final v1.5 via 3rd party FTP server but was unable to launch due to missing dependencies on Ubuntu 5.04

Jitsi - Cannot find old versions. Application seems to be more geared toward SIP and video conferencing?

Messages - Beta version was released for OS X '''''10.7''''' which I can't run under Proxmox currently

Quiet Internet Pager - Seems like possible malware? Judging by the quality of its Wikipedia page. Final version also was for PDA's instead of Windows(???)

TNT - Probably works? Last updated in 2006 and claims to support the "TOC2 protocol" (OSCAR?). But it's an '''''Emacs''''' client. I don't know how to use Emacs, let alone add AIM to it

VSide. Looks like a weird...SecondLife knockoff? Development halted in 2018 but it was never a messaging client. Just had AIM support attached to it

AIM Clients

2025-06-27T22:43:42Z

CursedSilicon:

This is just a scratch page for me to send the Retro AIM Server project on supported 3rd party AIM clients I've tested

Windows testing is done on a Windows XP (32-bit) virtual machine with all updates applied

Mac testing is done on OS X 10.6.8 via Proxmox

Linux testing is done on Ubuntu 5.04 (32-bit) via Proxmox but may be augmented in future with different distros

'''All testing was performed on [[Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net|CGHMN]] to simplify packet captures. IP addresses do not reflect the ones used by regular RAS clients but CGHMN is connected to ChivaNet/RAS'''

This test isn't likely to be 100% coverage because I'm not going to test *every build* of every client. But should give users a general direction for further testing

Submissions are also welcome. Please feel free to email me or send me a message on Mastodon

== TESTED WORKING ==

=== Windows ===
Regular AIM. Pretty much all of these up to 6.1 (at time of writing) are tested and working. 6.1 should work on everything from Windows 9x/NT 4.0 through to Windows 11

AIM 1.5 also works on Windows 3.11 with Win32s. AIM 1.7 refuses to install (requires Win95) but may also work under 3.11 with some tweaking (untested)

=== Mac ===
Adium X 1.0.6 (x86) works! (PPC untested but presumed working)

Adium 1.3.10 (x86) works! (PPC untested but presumed working)

iChat 3.1.9 on OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) PPC works!

iChat 5.0.3 on OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) x86 works!

iChat on OS X Leopard (PPC or x86 unspecified) works!

AIM 4.7 for OS 9 (PPC) works!

=== Linux ===
GAIM 1.1.4 (Ubuntu 5.04) works. Though users will show as offline to other client(s) for several minutes. [https://github.com/mk6i/retro-aim-server/issues/123#issuecomment-2933138905 Bug filed]

TiK 0.90 (Ubuntu 5.04) works! Though needs to be run as root for some reason?

== TESTED '''NOT''' WORKING ==

=== Windows ===
Miranda 0.10.80 - Queries '''slogin.oscar.aol.com''' (fixed) but fails to connect. No errors printed by the client. Client also corrupts its database file if exited and relaunched - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== Mac ===
Adium 1.4.5 - Queries '''api.screenname.aol.com''' (fixed) and attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AIM 2.1.302 - Queries '''clienturls.aol.com AND aoldiag.aol.com''' (fixed). Attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AIM 2.2.439 - Queries '''kdc.uas.aol.com''' (fixed) Attempts to connect over HTTPS. Fails due to no SSL support currently - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== Linux ===
Ayttm 0.4.6-26 - Fails to connect to '''toc.oscar.aol.com''' (fixed) then returns 400 bad request from Nginx(?) - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Centreicq 4.13.0 - I have no goddamn idea how to use this client. But it seems to do...something? then eventually just shows '''[aim] disconnected''' - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

Kopete 0.10 - Attempts to connect but never completes. No errors reported from client - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

naim 0.11.7.2 - '''Seems to connect to its own TOC server toc.n.ml.org (???)''' (fixed) but fails to connect. Client logging enabled but did not produce any log files - [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

=== AmigaOS/MorphOS ===
nAIM 0.11.8.3.1 for AmigaOS - Also connects to its own TOC server '''(toc.n.ml.org)''' (DNS patched already previously for testing) but fails to connect similar to Linux client. Client did not produce any log files. [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

AmiAIM 0.11 for AmigaOS. Fails to connect, invalid username/password error. [https://cursedsilicon.net/aim-packet-dumps/ Packet dump available here]

== UNTESTED ==

Adium X 0.89.1 - Fails to launch on OS X 10.6.8 (x86)

iChat v??? on OS X 10.7 (Lion) was the final client revision is currently untested as I cannot get it to successfully boot under Proxmox

Finch - Seems to be a plugin for Pidgin(?) to enable text mode chat instead of using a GUI?

Instantbird - Originally a Pidgin plugin. Later became its own stand-alone client. Development halted in 2013(?) with download servers unavailable. Downloaded final v1.5 via 3rd party FTP server but was unable to launch due to missing dependencies on Ubuntu 5.04

Jitsi - Cannot find old versions. Application seems to be more geared toward SIP and video conferencing?

Messages - Beta version was released for OS X '''''10.7''''' which I can't run under Proxmox currently

Quiet Internet Pager - Seems like possible malware? Judging by the quality of its Wikipedia page. Final version also was for PDA's instead of Windows(???)

TNT - Probably works? Last updated in 2006 and claims to support the "TOC2 protocol" (OSCAR?). But it's an '''''Emacs''''' client. I don't know how to use Emacs, let alone add AIM to it

VSide. Looks like a weird...SecondLife knockoff? Development halted in 2018 but it was never a messaging client. Just had AIM support attached to it

Services people are running

2025-06-25T22:04:12Z

CursedSilicon:

This is a collection of "services" available on CGHMN. It's intended as a bootstrapping point until we get something to help with discovery. Feel free to add your own services!

== Chat ==

=== AIM ===
CGHMN connects to Chivanet's AIM service (running RetroAimServer). To use it, you need to sign up via http://chivanet.org/aim/. Once you have a screenname, you can connect from within the network.

=== IRC ===
Available on irc.cghmn.retro (no TLS), and bridged onto the regular internet and Discord.

=== MSN Messenger ===
'''TODO (maybe ask to federate with NINA ala ChivaNet?) - CursedSilicon'''

== Email ==
You can run your own mail server on a .retro domain. If you would prefer not to (or want a backup), there are some open mail services (separate from general "hosting").

=== CGHMN Public Email Service (ala Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail) ===
Webmail: available - Supports Internet Explorer 3 (in theory) as a minimum. IE5 on Win3.11 tested and verified working.

HTTP: http://cghmn-mail.retro

IMAP:: cghmn-mail.retro

POP3: cghmn-mail.retro

(both incoming and outgoing servers use the same address for POP/IMAP/SMTP)

'''NOTE: Both should connect as "insecure/plaintext" modes. I'm too lazy to set up SSL encryption yet'''

How to sign up: @cursedsilicon on IRC/Discord.

== Game servers ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!Hostname
!IP
!Game(s)
!OS
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|100.96.9.1
|ClassiCube & Halo PC
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|Must connect by IP for Halo.
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Battle.Net
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Blizzard games up to Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|172.23.0.20
|Westwood Online
|Linux
|Just works! Plays Westwood games up to Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
|}
'''NOTE: Some services are "patched" at DNS level. Other games (such as Halo) require connecting to a server via IP. Check the notes!'''

== Websites ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!User
!IP/Hostname
!OS
!Server
!Brief Description
!Notes
|-
|Loganius
|loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2
|IIS 6.0
|Whatever I feel like putting there.
|Supports HTTPS.
|-
|Loganius
|live.loganius.retro
|Windows Server 2003 R2 x64
|IIS 6.0
|My livestream VODs.
|<nowiki>Livestreams at [rtsp | mms]://live.loganius.retro/, or http://live.loganius.retro:81/</nowiki>
|-
|CursedSilicon
|cursedsilicon.retro
|Linux
|Nginx
|Basically a landing page for new users.
Also has an FTP with lots of useful files
|Also available at http://cghmn.cursedsilicon.net
|}
== Hosting ==

=== Theotherhost ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!OS
!Platform
!Admin UI requirements
!Languages
!Databases
!Services
|-
|Linux
|BlueOnyx
|IE 5 (tested on Win 2k)
|Perl 5.8.8, PHP 5.1.5
|MySQL 5.0.95
|FTP/Web/SMTP/IMAP/POP/DNS/Mailing lists
|}
'''How to sign up: message theothertom on IRC.'''

=== CGHMN ===
CGHMN will offer Proxmox based hosting in future. Currently we are limited by hard disk capacity, but small servers can be uploaded and run. Ask CursedSilicon for details.

== Other communications ==

=== theotherforum ===
There is a forum at forum.theothertom.retro. This can be used to share projects/sites, as well as for general discussion. Currently, you need an email address to sign up.

=== TODO: A pastebin ===
Would be good for sharing logs etc.

=== TODO: Image host ===
Somewhere for screenshots etc.

=== TODO: webring ===
To help find sites

== Search ==

=== Oohay ===
Available on oohay.retro.

'''Indexing approach: Must submit pages for indexing'''