mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
275 lines
11 KiB
XML
275 lines
11 KiB
XML
<sect1 id="NetROM">
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<title>NetROM</title>
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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 and
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the BBS software from John-Paul Roubelat, F6FBB. The DOS G8BPQ Switch
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makes a bbs node and many features, it was expected that the Linux
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ax25-utils would have a similar capability. This was not the case.
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Help came from John Ackerman, N8UR who put a message on the Linux-Ham
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SIG that he had done the BBS node and the info was on his web site!
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When the information was tried it didn't work properly but much was
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learned about the technique. Help from Tomi Manninen, OH2BNS did the
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trick. Nodes for the BBS and the Node and the DX Cluster were made and
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work fine.
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1. Introduction
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It is possible, using just the ax25-util's to generate node listings
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for the Node application and the FBB BBS and the DXNet DX Cluster.
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This is done by changing the configuration files for Netrom and making
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a Netrom entry for each application. At present there is a kernel
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imposed limit of 4 Netrom entries. The new kernels are expected to
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drop this limit.
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Now users look for CRUCES:K5DI-4 and LCBBS:K5DI-3 and LCDX:K5DI-5 on
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the many nodes here in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona and are connected
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like magic. They no longer need to remember anything.
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2. How to Begin
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Obtain and read the AX25-HOWTO:
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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 and Netrom
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system and make certain it is operating properly. When the software
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"CALL" can be used to make either a ax25 or Netrom connection to a
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distant node, the system is ready to change to one using node listings
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like the BPQ Switch.
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3. Some Details of the AX.25 Utilities
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Below is a list of all the applications and files that are needed to
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set up a working ax.25 system. The Applications are all in the
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/usr/sbin/ directory and the Configuration files are in the /etc/ax25/
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directory. Note: Kissattach is used only if you have TNC's in the Kiss
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Mode.
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<20> kissattach Application
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<20> call Application
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<20> ax25d Application
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<20> ax25d.conf Configuration file
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<20> axspawn Application
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<20> axspawn.conf Configuration file
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<20> axports Configuration file
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There are several names that a ax25-util user must invent. Since this
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paper uses the files of k5di, a listing of those names can be made.
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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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It's a good idea to make a list like this on paper before you start to
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change things. It is easy to put the wrong name in a control file.
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Kissattach is an application that connects the kernel to the TNC, sets
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the tcp/ip address up, sets the speed of the connection, and is given
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the serial port to use.
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Axports is a file that defines the name of the ax.25 ports and tells
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kissattach what call-sign, baud-rate and window size to use. Below is
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an example of a 2 TNC system.
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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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AX25D is the application that reads the ax25d.conf Configuration file
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and answers calls made to the system. Below is a sample ax25d.conf
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that has no Netrom defined. In fact all it will do is answer calls to
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k5di-9 and k5di-10. When it answers it starts the node application and
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logs the caller in.
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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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The next step is to get ax25d to answer a call to the alias CRUCES as
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well as the call-sign. This is easy to do and is shown below:
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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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If you have trouble, as root kill ax25d if it is running and then at
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the prompt type ax25d &. As ax25d loads the ax25d.conf file it will
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print out any errors it finds. This print out is very accurate and
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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 connect to
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the k5di node. But Netrom is not transmitting a node listing for
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CRUCES or k5di-4. This is done by changing some Netrom Configuration
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files.
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4. Setting Up Netrom
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Netrom has applications and files that control it's function and to
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achieve the G8BPQ look and function we must use these in ways never
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intended. Below is a list of these components of Netrom:
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<20> nrattach Application
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<20> netromd Application
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<20> nrports Configuration File
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<20> nrbroadcast Configuration File
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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
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you place it in your startup file and the example looks like this:
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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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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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# /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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There is no change to the nrbroadcast file so the remaining changes
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will be made to the ax25d.conf file. In this file you normally put the
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real netrom application called k5di-1, but since a call to k5di-1 or
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#CRUCE gets undesirable results, leave that entry out of ax25d.conf
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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 a call
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to CRUCES. This is shown in the example below:
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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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With these changes netrom node broadcasts will include the node
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K5DI-4:CRUCES and K5DI-1:#CRUCE. By testing it was determined that a
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call from any node to k5di-1 or #CRUCE got a busy, and a call to
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k5di-4 or CRUCES connected to the node on this system.
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5. Setting Up FBB and DXNet:
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The FBB packet BBS and DXNet Linux software are written to answer
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calls to a call-sign defined in the configuration files. In these
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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 software, ax25d
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is not used and these calls should NEVER be found in a ax25d.conf
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file. But the nrports file needs to have the information added and 2
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more nrattach lines are added to the start file. The nrattach lines (4
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each) and the file "nrports" are shown below:
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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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These changes will make the node listings wanted but a call to LCBBS
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will not work yet. Recall that FBB answers a call to k5di-3 but not
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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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#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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A similar change is made to the "dxnet.cfg" file where netrom is
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replaced with netdx. When these changes are made and a few hours have
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passed to let Netrom send node lists, any nearby node will have nodes
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listed to your Netrom for CRUCES and LCBBS and LCDX, and they will all
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work just as they do when using the G8BPQ Switch under DOS.
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To configure the kernel for support of the NetROM protocol please
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enable the following option, NetRom ( AF_NETROM )
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NetRom device names are `nr0', `nr1', etc.
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<para>
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<screen>
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Kernel Compile Options:
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Networking options --->
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[*] Amateur Radio AX.25 Level 2
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[*] Amateur Radio NET/ROM
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</screen>
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</para>
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Most of the work for implementation of these protocols has been done
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by Jonathon Naylor, jsn@cs.nott.ac.uk.
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</sect1>
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