mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
291 lines
9.6 KiB
Plaintext
291 lines
9.6 KiB
Plaintext
<!doctype linuxdoc system>
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<article>
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<!-- Title information -->
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<title>Netrom-Node mini-Howto
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<author>Karl Larsen, <tt/ k5di@yahoo.com/
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<date>v1.10, 19 October 1998
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<abstract>
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This document describes how to setup the ax25-utilities package for
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Amateur Radio such that it makes Netrom Nodes for the Node program
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and the BBS software from John-Paul Roubelat, F6FBB. The DOS G8BPQ
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Switch makes a bbs node and many features, it was expected that the
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Linux ax25-utils would have a similar capability. This was not the
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case. Help came from John Ackerman, N8UR who put a message on the
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Linux-Ham SIG that he had done the BBS node and the info was on his
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web site! When the information was tried it didn't work properly but
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much was learned about the technique. Help from Tomi Manninen, OH2BNS
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did the trick. Nodes for the BBS and the Node and the DX Cluster were
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made and work fine.
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</abstract>
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<toc>
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<sect>Introduction
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<p>
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It is possible, using just the ax25-util's to generate node
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listings for the Node application and the FBB BBS and the DXNet DX
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Cluster. This is done by changing the configuration files for Netrom
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and making a Netrom entry for each application. At present there is a
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kernel imposed limit of 4 Netrom entries. The new kernels are
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expected to drop this limit.
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Now users look for CRUCES:K5DI-4 and LCBBS:K5DI-3 and
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LCDX:K5DI-5 on the many nodes here in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona
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and are connected like magic. They no longer need to remember
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anything.
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<sect>How to Begin
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<p>
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Obtain and read the AX25-HOWTO:
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<tt/ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/AX25-HOWTO/
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Using the AX25-HOWTO set up the normal Amateur Radio ax.25
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and Netrom system and make certain it is operating properly. When
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the software "CALL" can be used to make either a ax25 or Netrom
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connection to a distant node, the system is ready to change to one
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using node listings like the BPQ Switch.
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<sect>Some Details of the AX.25 Utilities
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<p>
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Below is a list of all the applications and files that are
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needed to set up a working ax.25 system. The Applications are all in
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the /usr/sbin/ directory and the Configuration files are in the
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/etc/ax25/ directory. Note: Kissattach is used only if you have TNC's
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in the Kiss Mode.
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<itemize>
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<item> kissattach Application
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<item> call Application
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<item> ax25d Application
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<item> ax25d.conf Configuration file
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<item> axspawn Application
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<item> axspawn.conf Configuration file
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<item> axports Configuration file
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</itemize>
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There are several names that a ax25-util user must invent.
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Since this paper uses the files of k5di, a listing of those names can
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be made.
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<tscreen><verb>
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Name Call-sign Alias Other
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ax0 k5di-9 ax25 9600 baud
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ax1 k5di-10 ax25 1200 baud
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Netrom k5di-1 #CRUCE Real Netrom
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netnod k5di-4 CRUCES Node node-list
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netbbs k5di-3 LCBBS BBS node-list
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netdx k5di-5 LCDX DX-Cluster
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</verb></tscreen>
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It's a good idea to make a list like this on paper before you
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start to change things. It is easy to put the wrong name in a control
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file.
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Kissattach is an application that connects the kernel
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to the TNC, sets the tcp/ip address up, sets the speed of the
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connection, and is given the serial port to use.
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Axports is a file that defines the name of the ax.25 ports
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and tells kissattach what call-sign, baud-rate and window size to use.
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Below is an example of a 2 TNC system.
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<tscreen><verb>
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# /etc/ax25/axports
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# Be very careful with the speed setting. This is the speed in
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# bits/second that data passes from the computer to the TNC, and has
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# nothing to do with the radio baud rate!
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#
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# The format of this file is:
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#
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# name call-sign speed paclen window description
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#
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ax0 K5DI-9 9600 255 3 445.1 (9600 bps)
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ax1 K5DI-10 9600 255 1 145.07 (1200 bps)
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</verb></tscreen>
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AX25D is the application that reads the ax25d.conf
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Configuration file and answers calls made to the system. Below is a
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sample ax25d.conf that has no Netrom defined. In fact all it will do
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is answer calls to k5di-9 and k5di-10. When it answers it starts the
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node application and logs the caller in.
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<tscreen><verb>
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# /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
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#
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# AX25D Configuration File.
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#
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# AX.25 ports begin with a '['.
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#
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[k5di-4 VIA ax0]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[k5di-4 VIA ax1]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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#
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</verb></tscreen>
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The next step is to get ax25d to answer a call to the alias
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CRUCES as well as the call-sign. This is easy to do and is shown
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below:
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<tscreen><verb>
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# /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
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#
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# AX25D Configuration File.
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#
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# AX.25 ports begin with a '['.
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#
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[CRUCES VIA ax0]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[k5di-4 VIA ax0]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[CRUCES VIA ax1]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[k5di-4 VIA ax1]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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#
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</verb></tscreen>
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If you have trouble, as root kill ax25d if it is running and
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then at the prompt type ax25d &. As ax25d loads the ax25d.conf file
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it will print out any errors it finds. This print out is very accurate
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and tells you which row in the file is wrong.
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A connect from any adjacent node to k5di-4 or CRUCES will
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connect to the k5di node. But Netrom is not transmitting a node
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listing for CRUCES or k5di-4. This is done by changing some Netrom
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Configuration files.
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<sect>Setting Up Netrom
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<p>
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Netrom has applications and files that control it's function
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and to achieve the G8BPQ look and function we must use these in ways
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never intended. Below is a list of these components of Netrom:
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<itemize>
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<item>nrattach Application
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<item>netromd Application
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<item>nrports Configuration File
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<item>nrbroadcast Configuration File
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</itemize>
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Nrattach is the application that works with the kernel and
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establishes the ports and tcp-ip used by Netrom. To use nrattach you
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place it in your startup file and the example looks like this:
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<tscreen><verb>
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/usr/sbin/nrattach -i 44.30.2.5 netrom
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/usr/sbin/nrattach -i 44.30.2.5 netnod
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</verb></tscreen>
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Nrattach gets some of it's information from a configuration file
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called nrports. This file is shown below:
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<tscreen><verb>
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# /etc/ax25/nrports
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#
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# The format of this file is:
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#
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# name call-sign alias paclen description
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#
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netrom K5DI-1 #CRUCE 235 Switch
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netnod K5DI-4 CRUCES 235 Real Node
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</verb></tscreen>
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There is no change to the nrbroadcast file so the remaining
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changes will be made to the ax25d.conf file. In this file you
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normally put the real netrom application called k5di-1, but since a
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call to k5di-1 or #CRUCE gets undesirable results, leave that entry
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out of ax25d.conf and a user will get just a "busy" when calling.
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Instead put in the netnod and that will allow ax25d to answer
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a call to CRUCES. This is shown in the example below:
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<tscreen><verb>
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# /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
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#
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# AX25D Configuration File.
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#
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# AX.25 ports begin with a '['.
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#
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[CRUCES VIA ax0]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[k5di-4 VIA ax0]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[CRUCES VIA ax1]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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[k5di-4 VIA ax1]
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default * * * * * 0 - root /usr/sbin/node node
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#
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# NET/ROM ports begin with a '<'.
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#
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<netnod>
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default * * * * * * - root /usr/sbin/node node
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#
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</verb></tscreen>
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With these changes netrom node broadcasts will include the
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node K5DI-4:CRUCES and K5DI-1:#CRUCE. By testing it was determined
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that a call from any node to k5di-1 or #CRUCE got a busy, and a call
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to k5di-4 or CRUCES connected to the node on this system.
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<sect>Setting Up FBB and DXNet:
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<p>
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The FBB packet BBS and DXNet Linux software are written to
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answer calls to a call-sign defined in the configuration files. In
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these examples the FBB call-sign is k5di-3 and the DXNet is k5di-5.
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Since calls to k5di-3 and k5di-5 are answered by other
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software, ax25d is not used and these calls should NEVER be found in
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a ax25d.conf file. But the nrports file needs to have the information
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added and 2 more nrattach lines are added to the start file. The
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nrattach lines (4 each) and the file "nrports" are shown below:
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<tscreen><verb>
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/usr/sbin/nrattach -i 44.30.2.5 netrom
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/usr/sbin/nrattach -i 44.30.2.5 netbbs
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/usr/sbin/nrattach -i 44.30.2.5 netnod
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/usr/sbin/nrattach -i 44.30.2.5 netdx
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# /etc/ax25/nrports
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#
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# The format of this file is:
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#
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# name call-sign alias paclen description
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#
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netrom K5DI-1 #CRUCE 235 Switch
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netnod K5DI-4 CRUCES 235 Real Node
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netbbs K5DI-3 LCBBS 235 FBB BBS
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netdx K5DI-5 LCDX 235 DXNet DX Cluster
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</verb></tscreen>
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These changes will make the node listings wanted but a call
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to LCBBS will not work yet. Recall that FBB answers a call to k5di-3
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but not the alias. To achieve this a change to the
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/usr/local/fbb/system/port.sys file is required. Before these changes
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port.sys had a listing for the name "netrom". With these changes
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replace "netrom" with "netbbs". That section of port.sys is shown
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below:
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<tscreen><verb>
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#TNC NbCh Com MultCh Pacln Maxfr NbFwd MxBloc M/P-Fwd Mode Freq
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0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00/01 ---- File-fwd.
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1 8 1 ax0 250 4 1 10 30/60 XUWY UHF port
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2 2 1 ax1 250 4 1 10 00/60 XUWY VHF port
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3 6 1 netbbs 250 4 4 10 30/60 XUWY BPQ look
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4 8 2 0 250 5 4 1000 5/15 TUWY Telnet
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#
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</verb></tscreen>
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A similar change is made to the "dxnet.cfg" file where netrom
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is replaced with netdx. When these changes are made and a few hours
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have passed to let Netrom send node lists, any nearby node will have
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nodes listed to your Netrom for CRUCES and LCBBS and LCDX, and they
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will all work just as they do when using the G8BPQ Switch under DOS.
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</article>
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