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Supported Protocols

The Nekotopia mesh operates on WireGuard, a modern Layer 3 VPN transporting IPv4 and IPv6. For members requiring legacy protocol support, we provide Layer 2 overlay capability via VXLAN encapsulation.

Native Transport (Layer 3)

Protocol Status Notes
IPv4 ✅ Native Full support, default transport
IPv6 ✅ Native Full support, dual-stack available on request

Layer 2 Overlay (VXLAN)

By establishing a VXLAN tunnel over the WireGuard mesh, members gain a virtual Ethernet segment spanning all participants. This enables transport of any protocol that runs over Ethernet, including legacy and vintage networking stacks.

Protocol Status Use Case Notes
IPX/SPX ✅ Supported Novell NetWare, DOS/Windows 9x gaming Frame type 802.2 or Ethernet II. Ideal for classic multiplayer: DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D, Descent, Warcraft II
AppleTalk Phase II ✅ Supported Classic Macintosh networking EtherTalk encapsulation. Supports file sharing (AFP), printing (PAP), and zone discovery
NetBEUI ✅ Supported Windows for Workgroups, LAN Manager Non-routable, broadcast-based. Works within single VXLAN segment
DECnet Phase IV ✅ Supported VAX/VMS, PDP-11, Ultrix Runs natively over Ethernet. Area routing possible within overlay
LAT ✅ Supported DEC terminal services Latency-sensitive; performance depends on baseline RTT across mesh
NetBIOS over LLC ✅ Supported OS/2, early Windows networking Raw 802.2 LLC frames; distinct from NetBIOS over TCP/IP
Banyan VINES ⚠️ Untested Banyan network services Should work over Ethernet encapsulation; no active members to verify
XNS ⚠️ Untested Xerox Network Systems Predecessor to IPX; theoretically supported

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Member Endpoint                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Vintage Host (IPX/AppleTalk/NetBEUI)                          │
│         │                                                       │
│         ▼                                                       │
│  ┌─────────────┐                                               │
│  │ Bridge/TAP  │ ← Ethernet frames                             │
│  └──────┬──────┘                                               │
│         ▼                                                       │
│  ┌─────────────┐                                               │
│  │   VXLAN     │ ← Encapsulates L2 in UDP                      │
│  └──────┬──────┘                                               │
│         ▼                                                       │
│  ┌─────────────┐                                               │
│  │  WireGuard  │ ← Encrypted IP transport                      │
│  └──────┬──────┘                                               │
│         ▼                                                       │
│     Internet                                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Considerations

MTU

VXLAN adds 50 bytes of overhead. Combined with WireGuard's 60-80 byte overhead, effective payload MTU is approximately 1370 bytes assuming a standard 1500-byte internet path. Nekotopia offers no genuine business services and provides no guarantee of quality; however, retro computer systems rarely approach this limit, though fragmentation may occur with large NetWare packets.

Broadcast Domains

Legacy protocols are chatty. We need to keep bandwidth usage down from both cost and service availability perspectives. IPX SAP advertisements, AppleTalk NBP lookups, and NetBEUI name queries are all broadcast. Each layer-2 segment forms a single broadcast domain so we will hope to keep segments small.

Latency Sensitivity

Some protocols, such as IPX, assume LAN-grade latency. Performance over a WAN will vary and could be problematic at times. The network equity tools we have deployed may work for TCP, but other protocols, especially tunnelled ones, will not be normalised.

Routing

IPX and DECnet support routing across multiple network segments. AppleTalk Phase II supports zone routing. If your service requires multi-segment topologies, contact us to discuss a possible collaboration and solution - this is the sort of thing we want!.

Requesting Access

Layer 2 overlay access is available to members on request and following a due diligence review. You can contact us through the member portal or email us at noc@nekotopia.io with your query. Please provide as much detail as you can in the request including:

  • Protocol(s) required
  • Intended use case
  • Estimated number of remote hosts (your local network)
  • Whether you require a dedicated segment, will create a shared vintage LAN or peers (e.g., a Netware Network) or else join an existing vintage LAN
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