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ZL3AI > BPQ 04.01.99 01:23l 211 Lines 8537 Bytes #-10156 (0) @ WW
BID : ZL3AI6541
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: BPQ Self-installer
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Sent: 990101/0611Z @:ZL3AC.#80.NZL.OC #:61369 Christchurch FBB5.15c $:ZL3AI6541
From: ZL3AI@ZL3AC.#80.NZL.OC
To : BPQ@WW
Hi Ken VK3KJC and others,
>From: VK3KJC@VK3KAY.#WEV.VIC.AUS.OC
>To : BPQ@WW
>
>
>Quoting:
>> From: ZL3AI@ZL3AC.#80.NZL.OC
>> To : BPQ@WW
>......
>> Well the fact that BPQ stopped being developed some years ago, and that
>> PC/FlexNet and it's various drivers are being enthusiastically
>> developed and enhanced might give you an idea what the rest of the
>> world says.
>
>It could mean that PC/FlexNet has not been fully developed yet, with
>problems such as having to select either the latest or a superseded
>version of the serial drivers depending on your computer system, while BPQ
>has very few, if any, bugs.
I should have more accurately said that the basic heart of the FlexNet
scheme, including the Flexdigi module, is generally fully developed and
running well, and if more development is needed it is very likely to happen.
New drivers have recently been developed to extend the range of hardware
supported, e.g. XSCC, YAM, and no doubt someone somewhere is working on
others.
Serial drivers.....yeah, I experienced that :-( ..... Recent versions
only seem to work well with 16550A UARTs but the older ones handle my
8250 perfectly. Here is a message about this particular problem that
appeared on the FlexNet mailing list:
-----------------------------------
Date: 6/11/98 12:34
From: Flexnet Group
Email: dl4vbp@qsl.net
Subject: [FlexNet] Problems with d
Hello friends,
I want to refer to the mail of Maiko dealing with the problems
of different SER12 driver versions.
The latest driver version uses a quite sophisticated reception
algorithm ('delta-CTS-interrupt') and solved the reception
problems of many that are using the SER12 driver.
Unfortunately it seems that this version causes an equal
amount of problems for other users.
It is impossible to write a driver that covers all different hard-
ware implementations of a UART in today's PC's.
I discussed this topic with Gunter and we'll probably make
a SER12 version that allows to switch between the different
reception algorithms by a commandline option.
In the meantime I would suggest that you try the older
version of SER12 if you encounter problems with the actual
one.
All previous driver versions can be found on our FTP-server.
vy 73 de Patrick, DL4VBP / N0PS
-------------------------------------------------------
FlexNet Group Darmstadt
**** eMail: flexnet@dl0td.afthd.tu-darmstadt.de ****
(Please use only THIS eMail address)
HTML: http://dl0td.afthd.tu-darmstadt.de/~flexnet/
FTP: ftp://dl0td.afthd.tu-darmstadt.de/pub/flexnet/
-------------------------------------------------------
>> PC/FlexNet has drivers for a huge number of things such as sound cards
>> (for 1200 and 9600 baud), BayCom style modems (300, 1200, 2400, 9600
>> baud), PC card TNCs of many types, TNCs, Ethernet, and many more.
>
>Will it support my Kantronics KPC3, a very popular tnc?
If 6PACK EPROMs are available for the KPC3 it will.
If not, and the KPC3 has KISS, then you might like to try KISS using the
FlexNet KISS module. I've seen reports that while the KISS module is
not really designed for use with TNCs, in practice it appears to work to
a quite acceptable degree - I don't believe that it is the perfect
solution though and the FlexNet team frown upon such use. Nevertheless
some people appear feel that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages...
>Will it support my PacComm HandiPacket tnc?
Ditto.
I understand that the 6PACK protocol is readily available, maybe someone
- a ham or a TNC manufacturer - will come up with a 6PACK EPROM?
Attention ham TNC software gurus: a 6PACK EPROM for Kantronics TNCs
is likely to be eagerly snapped up by many hams!
>Will it allow me to run my node without having to register as a sysop?
Ideally I think they want to limit the number of full blown FlexNet
nodes in Europe from the point of view of preventing the list of
destinations approaching infinity, as well as having precious time
wasted responding to trivial queries from non-serious node sysops. Here
in New Zealand there are very few FlexNet nodes yet, but the number is
growing as people get to understand how a simple software change can
improve the performance of an existing channel by using adaptive
parameters and a different approach to networking. On the other hand,
it may not be really necessary to run a full FlexNet node in all cases
where BPQ would have been the only option, as this extract from
FLEXNET.DOC shows:
"- New in version 3.3e: An integrated multi channel digipeater. The call
sign is entered with "FSET" (see below). The output channel is built
from the digi SSID by adding the desired channel number. Now it is
possible to build cross channel gateways without the need for the full
featured FLEXDIGI node."
The use of this feature does not require the FLEXDIGI module with the
registration.
>> I was intrigued to see an Install program for BPQ and it reminded me of
>> repeated requests from a friend for a FlexNet Install program (I have
>> written Install programs for T4 and JNOS) but my reply was always that
>> I couldn't see the need for it as it is so easy to get FlexNet running.
>> But perhaps such a program might help many to upgrade - so I began
>> developing such a program yesterday. Beta testers welcome :-)
>
>I presume that when you say "it is so easy to get FlexNet running" you are
>not referring to the node component which, I believe, is required to
>replace some of the functions of BPQ.
Correct. The general (i.e. without the FLEXDIGI module) FlexNet setup
is not complex, but the FLEXDIGI setting up can be somewhat daunting
when you are setting it up alone and without any idea of what a FlexNet
network is like or how it works in practice. However, it would appear
that most of the functions of BPQ on a multi-port system can easily and
simply be implemented by a non-FLEXDIGI use of FlexNet (i.e. just the
basic files) giving cross-channel gateway capabilities without having to
come to grips with FLEXDIGI and it's concepts and cryptic commands.
>The following quote from the FlexNet web pages would suggest that
>replacing BPQ with FlexNet is not as easy as first suggested - so
>difficult, in fact, that they do not made it available for general use.
>Perhaps those suggesting that BPQ is obsolete are not using all of its
>capabilities.
>
>Quoting from the FlexNet web pages:
>> Presently, the whole distribution is split in two parts. While most of
>> the stuff is easy to install and to set up, the FlexNet Node-Module is
>> rather complex and we consider it as not being of general interest.
>> Basically, we want to protect ourselves from getting mails like this:
>> ....
To be more exact, I think it is more a case that the _network_scheme_
(netrom) has been superceded by something better (FlexNet). BPQ remains
ideal and not obsolete if you absolutely MUST use netrom protocols on a
PC, but since the introduction of PC/FlexNet there is now a more excellent
way to construct RF networks.
>From what the FlexNet Group have said, they don't want to spend the rest
of their lives answering non-important questions, and they don't want
FlexNet network destination lists to become excessively long with every
man and his dog running nodes that don't go anywhere or serve a useful
purpose. To set up FLEXDIGI from scratch does require plenty of time to
read docs, make notes, experiment, scratch anatomy, try again, etc, but
then this only applies to the setting up of a full scale node and does
not apply to the setting up of "basic" FlexNet (which is simple). Again,
I really don't think it is vitally necessary to use FLEXDIGI when
replacing BPQ, just the basic simple FlexNet configuration is likely to
be adequate to provide the usual (hey, better!) connectivity, and also a
cross channel gateway.
>Cheers - Ken, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
I hope Australia isn't suffering the 2nd year of severe drought like we
are here in NZ....
73, David.
P.S. more info on FlexNet is available from:
FlexNet homepage:
http://dl0td.afthd.tu-darmstadt.de/~flexnet/index.html
FlexNet ftp-site:
ftp://ftp.afthd.tu-darmstadt.de/pub/flexnet/
Address to the FlexNet group:
flexnet@afthd.tu-darmstadt.de
English FlexNet-page
http://www.citeweb.net/f5pje/flexnet.html
Introduction to FlexNet:
http://www.neosoft.com/~hezorn/
FlexNet articles from P.E.S.T:
http://mail.texoma.net/~n5pvl/flexdir.htm
T4 1.5à24
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