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============ NOSview [304] !!README.2ND ============ Before doing anything further, please read the file "!!README.1ST" and follow the NOSView installation instructions. ================================ WELCOME TO NOSVIEW RELEASE [304] ================================ by Ian Wade G3NRW NOSview, first introduced in September 1991, is an on-line documentation and runtime package for the KA9Q Network Operating System (NOS). It contains: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *** probably the only complete reference work anywhere that describes all of the commands to be found in the major NOS releases. *** a TSR file viewer that lets you read the NOSview documentation on-line, without breaking out of NOS. *** NOSgas: the "NOS Get-Away Special" -- a complete set of working NOS runtime software. *** a complete set of templates for the NOS control files. *** full details on how to get the book "NOSintro", which describes in detail how TCP/IP works and how to use KA9Q NOS. Ideal for beginners to TCP/IP (and more advanced users will find many gems of helpful information there as well). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOSview [304] contains many new documentation files, and the template NOS control files match the listings in "NOSintro". The PA0GRI version 2.0m of NOS is also included. Extras include .... UUENCODE/UUDECODE file conversion utilities AX.25 Baycom Packet Driver KISS protocol documentation HOSTS <> DOMAIN conversion programs PCElm and ELM Mailers The Clockwork VIEW TSR file viewer ----------------------------------------------------------------- Over the years, many documents have appeared on the networks describing various features of NOS, but much of that material was incomplete. Some of it was inaccurate, and, because it was written and edited by many hands, sometimes very misleading and inconsistent. My small contribution to the genre is NOSview. In NOSview I have attempted to pull together all the available documentation and massage it into a consistent whole. The release is almost 300 pages long, around 20 percent being new material. All of the NOS commands are described in detail, with actual examples showing the exact way that you enter them into the system. There are also many examples of display outputs showing the results of executing the commands. But this is only half the story. The real power of NOSview comes into its own when used with a file-viewing TSR program such as VIEW from Clockwork Software. With VIEW (which is public domain and supplied with NOSview), you can hot-key to a menu to list the files in a particular directory, pick the file of interest and presto! the file is displayed on the screen. You can then scroll up and down the file to read it at leisure. To take full advantage of VIEW, NOSview is provided not as one huge monolithic document, but consists of over 100 separate description files, one for each NOS command. Thus when you are using NOS and want to find out about a particular command, all you do is hot-key to VIEW and read the command description file, without breaking out of NOS. It is this on-line feature of NOSview which makes it an exceptionally useful tool, and because NOSview consists of many small files it is much easier to maintain and much less wasteful of trees. What's more, you can use VIEW to examine any file in the system (ASCII or binary); indeed, it makes the NOS 'more' and 'tail' commands redundant. Yet another feature of NOSview is that it contains a complete set of NOS runtime files and a set of template files (such as autoexec.nos, ftpusers and so forth) which you can use on your system. The files are accompanied by full descriptions of their formats, together with warnings about "gotchas" which can cause a lot of frustration if you are unaware of them. The template files are located in the correct directories for NOS operation. All you have to do is edit them to match your system (in most cases by just modifying callsigns and directory paths), and you have a ready-made environment to try out NOS. In addition, read-only master copies are kept in directory /public/masters, so you have a copy to fall back on if you make any mistakes. ---------------- Acknowledgements ---------------- NOSview is based on the work of many, many people, and in the list below I hope I have included all of those who have written NOS software and documentation in the past. However, if you recognise some of your work but have not been acknowledged here, please don't be offended. It's simply that I did not know you had written it, and if you care to drop me a line I'll be glad to add your name to the credits in the next release. In strict surname order, the work of the following people is acknowledged: Phil Karn, KA9Q | Who said the alphabet doesn't begin with K ? | Oh, well. If you insist ... | .... here are the rest ..... John Ackermann, AG9V Hayden Bate, G8AMD Dave Brooke, G6GZH Mike Chace, G6DHU Tom Clark, W3IWI Mike Dent, G6PHF D R Evans, G4AMJ/NQ0I Gary Ford, N6GF Dan Frank, W9NK Bdale Garbee, N3EUA Fred Goldstein, K1IO Gerard van der Grinten, PA0GRI Allen Gwinn, NK5CKP Charles Hedricks Kelvin Hill, G1EMM Gareth Howell, G6KVK Pavel Jalocha, SP9VRC Brian Kantor, WB6CYT Anders Klemets, SM0RGV Wally Linstruth, WA6JPR Peter Meiring, G0BSX Russell Nelson Johan Reinalda, WG7J/PA3DIS Bill Simpson Mike Stockett, WA7DYX Paul Taylor, G1PLT Dave Trulli, NN2Z Stanley Wilson, AK0B ----------- Conventions ----------- To obtain overall consistency throughout NOSview, a number of conventions have been adopted. Callsigns --------- All radio callsigns in the examples are (intended to be) fictitious. Calls in the NS9xxx series are for NOS stations, and in the AX9xxx series for vanilla AX.25 stations. NET/ROM aliases start with a # (e.g. "#BOB"), and real NET/ROM stations (as distinct from NOS stations running NET/ROM) have NR9xxx callsigns. Also, to distinguish between IP hostnames and AX.25 callsigns, the hostnames are shown in lower case (e.g. "ns9abc"), whereas AX.25 callsigns are in upper case (e.g. "NS9ABC-5"). Hopefully this will remove much of the confusion which exists in other documentation. (And should you actually hold a callsign mentioned in NOSview, feel proud that your call will now be known around the world!). Parameter Names --------------- Because the NOS packages contain software modules originating from several different sources, the documentation which describes them inevitably contains a number of inconsistencies. For example, the words "label" and "interface" apparently describe different objects, whereas in actuality they are the same thing. On the other hand, the word "address" can have different meanings, depending on the command. In NOSview, the names of these parameters have been rationalised to produce a consistent command set. The parameters which often cause confusion are to do with names, addresses and interfaces. These are now defined as follows: <callsign> an AX.25 MYCALL callsign (e.g. "NS9AAA-5") <hostname> a host name in DOMAIN.TXT (e.g. "ns9aaa" or "ns9aaa.ampr.org.") <ipaddress> an Internet address (e.g. "44.128.5.2") <host> <hostname> or <ipaddress> <username> a user at a computer (e.g. "ian") <interface> a device interface name (e.g. "tnc0") <ioaddress> a device I/O base address (e.g. "0x3f8") <vector> an IRQ level (e.g. "4") The word "hostid" is not used at all, to avoid confusion with the Unix command of the same name. Interface Names --------------- You can choose any name for a device interface. In NOSview, the following names are used: "tnc0" for a TNC KISS interface. (this replaces the names "ax0" and "pk0" found in other documents). "sl0" for a SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) interface. "en0" for an Ethernet interface. "pp0" for a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) interface. Directory Paths --------------- You can install NOS in any directory on any disk drive. NOSview suggests the use of the DOS 'SUBST' command to define the root of the NOS system, and all NOS directory and file path names are then shown relative to that root. NOSview documentation suggests drive N: as the NOS root, and thus refers to NOS directories and files in the following manner: n:/spool/mail n:/ftpusers and so forth. Note that NOS commands use the FORWARD slash (/) to separate directory levels. Only those commands which are directly interpreted by DOS use the backslash (\). ------------------ Technical vs Legal ------------------ NOSview describes what is technically possible within NOS. Some of its features, however, may not be covered by the terms of your licence (for example, third-party message handling). It is clearly your responsibility to operate within the law of your country. ------------------- Release Information ------------------- Full details of the current release of NOSview are included in the file "!RELEASE.304. ------------------ How to get NOSview ------------------ By now, NOSview should be available on the major bulletin boards throughout the world, and also via Internet on "ucsd.edu" in directory "hamradio/packet/tcpip/docs". Look for two files: NOSVIEW.ZIP (which contains a very brief intro to NOSview) NOSVW304.ZIP (which contains the complete NOSview package) NOSVW304.ZIP is quite large (around 700 KB), so you may prefer instead to get your copy by mailing a DOS-formatted diskette (any size EXCEPT 360 KB) and return mailer to: Ian Wade, G3NRW 7 Daubeney Close Harlington DUNSTABLE Bedfordshire LU5 6NF United Kingdom Please enclose return postage as follows: United Kingdom: UK postage stamps Rest of Europe: 3 IRCs The Americas, Africa: 7 IRCs Rest of the World: 9 IRCs (Any unused IRCs will of course be returned). There is no charge for NOSview, so please do NOT enclose any form of payment. NOSview is provided on an "as is" basis, and is believed to contain working, virus-free software. However, no responsibility can be taken for any erroneous operation or malfunction that may occur as a result of using it. ---------------------- "NOSintro" -- the book ---------------------- As a final comment, NOSview is an advanced reference document intended primarily for people who have already got NOS up and running. Beginners will probably find it heavy going, but may be interested to know that my new book on NOS for beginners ("NOSintro") is now available. Full information on "NOSintro" is included in file !INTRO. 73 and good luck with TCP/IP and NOS. Ian Wade AMPRnet g3nrw.ampr.org [44.131.5.2] AX.25 G3NRW @ GB7BIL Internet g3nrw @ dircon.co.uk January 1993