5 Packet Radio

Alan Cox, GW4PTS, iialan@iifeak.swan.ac.uk and Jonathon Naylor, G4KLX, jsn@cs.nott.ac.uk

Software that allows the Linux Kernel to perform AX.25 networking.

ALPHA. Still under development. In a working state.

Linux kernel 1.3.0 or later.

Alan's software provides the programmer with a berkeley socket based interface to the AX.25 protocol. AX.25 sockets can opened for either connected, or connectionless modes of operation. Support to allow tcp/ip over AX.25 is provided. The user applications have been written by Jonathon Naylor G4KLX. Jonathon has recently added NetRom support and provided fixes and other enhancements to the code. The software comes in two parts, a kernel patch, and the user programs. The user programs included are:

axassociate

to associate a particular AX.25 callsign with a userid on your system.

axattach

to convert a serial device into a KISS device.

axl

an AX.25 listener designed to start a PMS when it receives an incoming connection. The PMS is still very new.

axsetcall

to change the callsign of a port.

beacon

generated beacon messages every 30 minutes.

call

A linemode AX.25 connection program. Call allows you to make connections to other AX.25 nodes. It provides file transmit and receive capabilities, and newer versions allow YAPP binary file transfers.

listen

a packet trace tool for radio links.

mheard

a program to display callsign heard on radio ports.

netromd

a daemon program to generate netrom routing broadcasts.

noderest

a program to restore netrom routing information from a file.

nodesave

a program to save netrom routing informtion to a file.

nrparms

a program to configure a netrom interface.

rip98d

an implementation of the rip98 routing protocol.

Brandon Allbery, KF8NH, bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org

Brandon ported JNOS to Linux. His port is currently of the 1.09 (aka 1.08df) release of JNOS. Future versions will probably be based on Doug Crompton's evolution of 1.08df. Brandon suggests that JNOS for Linux is primarily of interest to people with existing DOS-based NOS configurations (especially server/switch configurations) who wish to switch to Linux or to escape the 640K barrier.

The current version is ALPHA.4. Brandon is still tracking down bugs, as well as evolving new features.

Any version of Linux along with ncurses 1.8.1 or 1.8.5 (the latter is preferred). Optionally you will require Linux networking (at least loopback) and slattach (kernels pre-1.1.13 or post-1.1.20 required for this).

If you include the Linux networking code in addition to JNOS, you can link the two by a slip link running over a pty, so that Linux can provide services to your radio users. In this way you can easily add servers without having to build them into JNOS itself. Brandon has supplied the following list of known bugs:

• some servers seem to be causing unexplained exits.
• PPP is reported not to work in ALPHA.4, although it worked in ALPHA.3.
• BBS forwarding when convers is compiled in but not configured causes core dumps.
• the finger server is getting bad filenames.
• the bbs W command is case-munging filenames.

Brian A. Lantz, brian@lantz.com

TNOS is a NOS derivative that is being actively supported and which is avialable for both DOS and Linux. It features enhancements not found in other NOS versions.

The current version is 1.14 and is stable.

Kernel networking slip support if you want to link the normal Linux network facilities with TNOS. A kiss tnc.

Franta Bendl, DJ0ZY, and Bernhard ("Ben") Buettner, DL6RAI, root@dl6rai.muc.de

A PacketCluster like system running on Linux.

Released in March 1995.

Linux Kernel version 1.1.50 or greater with Alan Cox's AX.25 version 025 driver, TCP/IP networking, SysV IPC. Also needs Perl and KISS TNC hardware on serial device.

PacketCluster nodes have been available for about six years. The original software was written by Dick Newell, AK1A, and is running under DOS. clx is a system which clones a PacketCluster node. To the outside user commands and features are mostly identical, remote PacketCluster nodes, which can be networked, don't see the difference between a generic PacketCluster node and clx. So it fits well into an established network of PacketCluster nodes.

clx is not a user application, it is network node software. As such it is not of much use for the individual amateur. SysOPs of PacketCluster nodes with some experience on both PacketCluster and Linux will find this application interesting.

Here are some of the features of CLX:

• It is fully compatible with the internal PCxx protocol and from a users' point of view. It allows multitasking and different priorities for different things.
• The software detects looping DX spots without generating endless messages. clx filters out such duplicate information. We have implemented a concept which allows us to connect the network at multiple points, which would formerly have been called a "Cluster Loop". clx knows of so-called "active" and "passive" links. The outcome is that more DX information is seen by clx.
• An interface to call your external programs (even dialog programs).
• clx uses modern programming concepts like shared memory for common data, lex & yacc to implement command language, shared libraries to keep binaries small (this is still on our wish list), remote procedure calls for inter process communication. It is strictly modularized with its own dedicated process for every major task.
• Comprises the following modules:

  con_ctl

  interfaces AX.25 kernel code and provides a socket for local users.

  rcv_ctl

  manages receive spooling.

  snd_ctl

  manages transmit spooling.

  rm_disp

  receive message dispatcher, forwards messages to other processes.

  usr_req

  user database requests, forks a process for every database task to make it run in the background. The background process later sends the results directly to send_ctl.

  mb_ctl

  mailbox control. The mailbox keeps messages in a file system, header information is stored in the database.

  usr_ctl

  user administration (logins, logouts, logbook).

  usc_mng

  manages external user commands and command extensions.

  iu_com

  inter user communication (talk, conference).

  send_ctl

  transmit spooling, handling priorities.

  icl_com

  inter node communication (processing and generating PCxx messages).

  clx_ctl

  system administration, installing shared memory pages.

  int_com

  manages internal program communications.

• The following is the only application program which can be run on the console:

  loc_usr

  allows console operator(s) to log in like a normal user.

Future enhance planned are:

• A console monitor to watch ongoing activities
• Speed optimization
• An internal clx protocol
• An additional command shell for experienced users

Mark Wahl, DL4YBG, DL4YBG @ DB0BLO.#.DEU.EU, wahlm@zelator.de

A Hostmode terminal program for TNC's that support the WA8DED hostmode protocol.

Version 0.8 is reportedly stable.

TNC supporting WA8DED hostmode protocol, serial line.

TNT is a full featured hostmode terminal program. Compiling it on Linux is as difficult as untarring the source and typing `make'. It provides both a `dumb' terminal and X11 version. It comes with some comprehensive documentation which describes its features in some detail. Its main features are:

Multiple sessions:

TNT supports multiple packet radio connections on virtual screens that you can switch between. Each session window provides split screen (seperate transmit and receive text) operation with a status line. Commands can be entered in either a command session, or in any terminal session using a command key. Each of the virtual screens can be larger than the physical screen and can be scrolled around.

Data capture, file transfer and logging:

A number of options are available for logging received text to files. You can log transmit, receive or both to a log file. You can overwrite or append received data to existing files. You can use the `autobin' protocol to transmit or receive binary files.

Remote Shell operation:

You can provide a shell to remote users so that they can access other programs on your computer. You can also run a program and direct its input/output to a channel so that users can use it.

Redirection of devices to a channel:

TNT allows you to redirect input/output from a channel to a device, a modem for example.

Umlaut conversion:

TNT provides umlaut conversion if necessary.

Remote mode:

Remote users can issue command themselves if allowed to do so.

Socket mode:

You can configure tnt so that it opens a socket for users to telnet to that allows them operation just as you have from the console. This is useful where your linux machine is on an ethernet and you want other terminal on the net to have use of your radio.

Mike Westerhof's IPIP encapsulation daemon.

Mike Westerhof KA9WSB (original code), then Bdale Garbee N3EUA (port to BSD), then Ron Atkinson N8FOW and John Paul Morrison (port to Linux), then Bdale rolled it all back together again.

A daemon that will allow you to use your linux machine as an IPIP encapsulating gateway.

Ron is running this code himself, and the other version have been run quite successfully.

KISS TNC, any version of Linux supporting RAW sockets.

If you've ever used an internet gateway from your amateur packet radio you have probably been connected by an encapsulation gateway of some descpription. Most run KA9Q's NOS and DOS, but others run Unix and this daemon. It allows you to encapsulate IP within IP, so that you can 'tunnel' IP connections over the Internet. The software allows you to connect a KISS TNC to your linux machine and to have all datagrams received on it carried across the Internet to a similar gateway. Bdale has installation instructions in the package.

Mike Westerhof's AXIP encapsulation daemon.

Mike Westerhof KA9WSB, ported to Linux by Ron Atkinson N8FOW.

A daemon that will allow you to use your linux machine as an AXIP encapsul ating gateway.

Not properly tested, but assumed to work ok.

KISS TNC, any version of Linux supporting RAW sockets.

This daemon is the partner to the IPIP encapsulation daemon. It allows you to encapsulate AX.25 frames in IP to carry them across the Internet. This is useful for linking AX.25 networks in remote areas. Ron has supplied a Makefile for linux, and with it the software compiled without errors on my system running a recent version kernel. Ron has also written some README files which give you the detail necessary to compile the system and the original documentation describes how to configure it.

Fred Baumgartens Convers Server for Linux.

Fred Baumgarten, DC6IQ, <dc6iq@insu1.etec.uni-karlsruhe.de>

This is a version of the convers server that allows multiple users to simultaneously chat with each other in a round-table style conversation. It is compatible with the NOS convers servers, but provides extra facilities such as saving/restoring of Personal Text and Chanel Topics.

In use of a number of popular convers servers, appears very stable.

Linux, GNU make, C compiler.

Complete installation instructions are included in the INSTALL file that is included in the distribution.

axdigi

Craig Small vk2xlz <csmall@acacia.itd.uts.edu.au>

Allows Linux to digipeat across different ax.25 ports

Beta release

Requires Alan Cox AX.25 kernel support

Allows frames to come in one port and out another using normal ax.25 digipeater methods. Changes the digipeater callsign to the correct one for the correct return port.

RSPF - Radio Shortest Path First routing daemon for Linux

Craig Small vk2xlz <csmall@acacia.itd.uts.edu.au>

An implementation of the Radio Shortest path First routing protocol for linux. The daemon supports version 2.2 of the protocol which corrects a lot of bugs and problems that were present in version 2.1.

Alpha test - running. Current version is 0.03

Requires Alan Cox's kernel based AX.25 code.

This program will allow Linux to become an RSPF router. It hopefully addresses some of the quirks of RSPF v2.1, the version in NOS. It will also allow remote/local queries via a tcp session.

generic Z8530 SCC device driver.

Joerg Reuter, <DL1BKE@melaten.ihf.rwth-aachen.de>

A device driver to allow you to use a range of 8530 based SCC cards under Linux.

stable

a modern Linux kernel

The Zilog Z8530 SCC provides Synchronous/Asynchronous, HDLC, NRZI encoding and other capabilities. There are a number of peripheral cards that use the Z850 as the basis of their design. The driver is generic enough to be pushed into service for just about any sort of 8530 card. The README file that comes with the package provides detail on installation and configuration.