--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manual for users: #################### # Contacting IGATE # #################### ****************************************************** * Identifying used software at your accessdigipeater * ****************************************************** First you have to know which kind of digipeatersoftware is used at your accessdigipeater. If your accessdigipeater uses RMNC/ or PC/Flexnetsoftware you will get the version printed in the first line. For example: ---------- *** connected to DB0SON RMNC/FlexNet V3.3h * DIGIPEATER SONNEBERG/NEUFANG * BOX DB0SON-15 * JO50OJ * ---------- Here you can see that it is a "Flexnet"-digipeater. This feature isn't included on Xnetdigipeaters. The Sysops mostly include this information in the Connecttext but you can be sure about it by using the command "v". For example: ---------- (X)NET/Linux V1.37 Digipeater Fachhochschule Nürnberg JN59NK. Hilfe mit H. Info mit I. Aktuelles mit NE. Zum Sysop mit ADMIN. =>v (X)NET 1.37 for LINUX 150 Users 200 L4 SAPs for NetROM 1500 L3 NetROM Nodes 2000 L3 Flexnet Destinations 300 L2 SAPs for User AX.25 24 L1 Ports for AX.25 TF-Version 1.88 LINUXBOX 1.35 Compiled:Aug 26 2004 20:10:15 (c) Jimy, DL1GJI ---------- Besides the Flexnet- and Xnetdigipeaters there are also TheNetNodes (TNNs). Cause of open source, the TNN digipeater will not identify itself every time with the connecttext, but you can also try to use the command "v" to check the version. For example: ---------- *** connected to DB0HRO TNN V1.77 (Linux) (A)ktuell vom 22.Oktober 2002 DG8NGN de DB0HRO (13:02)>v HRO:DB0HRO> TheNetNode (Linux), Version 1.77nk007 (Jul 12 2001) ; BETA-TEST SOFTWARE, USE ONLY FOR DEBUG PURPOSES. Copyright by NORD>d igate *** IGATE (0-15) T=67 => ---------- In the normal case the digipeater will display the current runtime to the destination. IGATE will be not accessable if there's no output. But due to our Backupconcept IGATE should be available all the time. Also there may be a broken link between the digipeaters, but thanks to the flexnet autorouter IGATE will be accessable again in a few minutes if there's an alternative route to IGATE. Just try "d igate" again in a few minutes. In our example the number 67 is the runtime. There will be also the current path displayed after a short time: ---------- *** route: DB0SON DB0RHN DB0FOR DB0VOX DB0FHN IGATE => ---------- There you can see the IGATE-Destination and the Internetgateway (DB0FHN) through which your connect will be established if you decide to connect. There should be always displayed the shortest path to IGATE over the next reachable Internetgateway because of the automatic flexnet routing. Now you can connect IGATE with "c igate". If you want to connect IGATE through another path (e.g. because the direct path has often linkfailures) you can manually choose another way. If you want to jump into IGATE over DB0RES instead of DB0FHN in this example, you have to use "c igate db0res" on the digipeater. You can also check the path to DB0RES with "d db0res" before and then connect like this: ---------- =>d db0res *** DB0RES (0-9) T=131 => *** route: DB0SON DB0HBN DB0THA DB0INS DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK DB0FBB DB0IUZ DB0GOS DB0ACC DB0ACC-11 DB0BOH DB0EEO DB0RES =>c igate db0res link setup... *** connected to IGATE This is IGATE. Internetgatewaysystem for the Packet Radio Network. ---------- ******************************************************* * Contacting IGATE from a (TheNetNode) TNN-digipeater * ******************************************************* IGATE is no valid amateur radio callsign, so you can't connect IGATE directly from a TNN-digipeater. You will get "Invalid Call" if you try to connect. This problem is fixed in current relase of TNN (Info: 4.11.2006). So you have to connect to the next Xnet- or Flexnetdigipeater and try it like described above. The routing table of a TNN-digipeater can be displayed with the command "n". ########################################## # Functions of the Internetgateway IGATE # ########################################## IGATE itself is running Xnet Software. So you can use the normal Xnetcommands. You can get an overview with command "help". The available Flexnetdigipeaters (routing table) can be displayed with command "d". You can display all german digipeaters with the command "d db0" for example. You can connect a destination with "c ". Here you can also check the path with "d ". For example: ---------- =>d db0spc *** DB0SPC (0-10) T=53 => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF-13 DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK DB0HUN DB0GIS DB0FT DB0ZDF DB0SPC ---------- Here you can see the Gateway which reported your desired destination with the best linktime. If you decide to connect, your connectrequest will take this path. There's a method to trace the path in the flexnetprotocol. You can check the RTT's between the nodes and maybe see where it fails: ----------- =>d db0spc > *** DB0SPC (0-10) T=53 => *** route: IGATE (3) DB0ERF DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF (7) DB0BRO-1 DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 (4) DB0HSK DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK (1) DB0HUN DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK DB0HUN (1) DB0GIS DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK DB0HUN DB0GIS (1) DB0FT DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK DB0HUN DB0GIS DB0FT (3) DB0ZDF DB0SPC => *** route: IGATE DB0ERF DB0BRO-1 DB0HSK DB0HUN DB0GIS DB0FT DB0ZDF (6) DB0SPC ---------- If you want to reach your destination over a special gateway, you have to connect it simply our you can use a L2-Connect to the destination with: c The gateways can be listed with the command "l": =>l Link to dst Q/T rtt tx connect tx rx txq/rxq rr+% bit/s 1:DB0HST 3 F 1 0/0 0 22h 30m 844K 100K 99/99 0.0 93 1:DB0AGI-14 22 F 1 0/0 0 14h 13m 664K 265K 99/100 0.0 145 2:DB0PRT 7 F 6 1/11 0 22h 29m 1.2M 624K 99/99 0.0 183 2:DB0DIM 1 F 2 2/2 0 22h 30m 907K 104K 99/99 1.4 99 2:DB0CL-15 1 F 1 0/0 0 15h 36m 568K 72K 99/100 0.2 91 1:DB0FHN 78 F 1 0/0 0 22h 30m 1.1M 730K 99/100 0.0 189 1:DB0ZKA-6 146 F 1 1/0 0 6h 51m 303K 182K 99/99 0.1 157 1:DB0TUD 107 F 1 0/1 0 15h 45m 817K 1.9M 99/99 0.0 384 1:DB0ERF-13 111 F 1 1/1 0 8h 44m 431K 245K 99/98 0.5 172 2:DB0RES 88 F 2 1/2 0 22h 28m 1.0M 590K 99/99 0.0 166 3:DB0SCS 529 F 500 0/1000 0 22h 30m 637K 590K 99/100 0.0 121 4:DB0SCS 1=F 1 0/0 0 22h 30m 102K 103K 100/100 0.0 20 1:LX0IST 32 F 1 0/0 0 6h 24m 274K 124K 99/97 1.0 138 2:ON0RET-10 35 F 1 0/0 2 15h 06m 745K 353K 100/100 0.0 161 Hier you can see the available gateways which you can connect. The column "dst" will show the number of announced digipeaters from the IGATE's link- partner. If a destination will be announced through more gateways to IGATE (because they are interlinked by RF), IGATE will accept the destination only over the gateway which announced the destination with the best linktime. If you connect one available gateway, you can check the net and the linktimes of the gateway's view. You can get the linktimes with the command "d" then. For example your accessdigipeater is DB0ABC, you can check the RF link to DB0ABC from every gateway with command "d db0abc". You will see if there's a RF route and also the corresponding linktime. Besides the RF-based interlinked subnets, there are also some real subnets without any links over RF to the rest of the net (maybe they use also some other kind of routing mechanisms like Netrom). There's also the so called "wormholenet" with its links through the whole world. You can get the destinations over a special gateway, you can use the command "d < 'gateway'" at IGATE. For example: ---------- =>d < db0prt DB0OFG 0-0 7 DB0OFI 0-12 71 DB0PRT 0-15 5 DB0RTP 0-0 12 DB0SAU 0-12 7 DB0XSR 0-0 30 ---------- You can get an overview over the gateways with the command "gate" at IGATE. There's also an attempt of a guide through the packet radio world with command "net". abrufbar. ################################# # Using IGATE with a L2-Connect # ################################# The flexnetprotocol permits "VIA-Connects". For example an user can use the command "c db0abc db0xyz" which will try to establish a connection to DB0ABC using DB0XYZ as a L2-hop. So the user will not need to connect IGATE each time to get to the desired destination, moreover it's possible to get the connect using just one command. With IGATE a VIA-Connect is very interesting because you can jump from one subnet to the other subnet directly via IGATE. For example: ---------- =>d db0eeo *** DB0EEO (0-15) T=240 => *** route: DB0FHN DB0VOX DB0ZB DB0HOF DB0SON DB0HBN DB0THA DB0INS DB0ERF DB0BRO- 1 DB0HSK DB0FBB DB0IUZ DB0GOS DB0ACC DB0ACC-11 DB0BOH DB0EEO =>c db0eeo igate link setup (6)... *** connected to DB0EEO ---------- Here you can see, that I didn't connect IGATE to get to DB0EEO. I just used the command "c db0eeo igate". The connect has been established not through the long path shown above, it used this path: *** route: DB0FHN IGATE DB0RES DB0EEO (selfmade). IGATE is not everytime the shortest way ! An example: At DB0VOX: ---------- >d db0rhn *** DB0RHN (0-15) T=58 => *** route: DB0VOX DB0ZB DB0HOF DB0SON DB0RHN ---------- At IGATE: ---------- =>d db0rhn *** DB0RHN (0-15) T=75 => *** route: IGATE DB0FHN DB0VOX DB0ZB DB0HOF DB0SON DB0RHN --------- My Connectrequest "c db0rhn igate" would take this way: *** route: DB0VOX DB0FHN IGATE DB0FHN DB0VOX DB0ZB DB0HOF DB0SON DB0RHN The route would use the links DB0FHN <-> DB0VOX and DB0FHN <-> IGATE twice, which will cause more traffic on the interlinks. Also it would take much more time than a direct connection. So please check the routes before using IGATE. ########################################### # Recommended usage of IGATE for the user # ########################################### Besides the fast connect to the destinations I will show some applications which will make much more fun with a fast and broadband connect. Users, which want to try TCP/IP over AX25 can use IGATE for their tests. There will be no timeouts anymore (which will cause unnecessary multiple retransmissions) during TCP/IP connections. Another time-critical application is Flextalk (an application from the PC/Flexnet package for users). Flextalk is a Voice-over-AX25-application and can be used for user-to-user or user-to-repeater (e.g. DB0VOX-13) communication. It's a 2k4-Voice-codec with good results. But there should be a fast AX25-connection to let Flextalk be fun. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manual for Sysops (Digipeatersysops): IGATE is developed to be used from users and sysops also. You can do everything through IGATE, but we recommend not to use IGATE with time-uncritical applications like BBS-S&F. You can use it of course if you will not find a route on RF to your BBS-partner anymore (our the RF-link is simply to bad). Maybe IGATE and its features will be noted by software developers. For example a mailbox system can switch the route (to: via IGATE) after a linkfailure to the partnermailbox is detected. If you are interessted to take part with the IGATE as an gateway, you should connect me, if: - you have interlinks of RF in your subnet (no digipeater with pure Inet) - the digipeater is served by internet directly (not on the useraccess) Execptions are also possible (for example interesting subnets like SuperVozelj, ItaNet and so on). Last change: 2004-12-29