Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted
Hello Everyone,
This is just a heads up that I have posted Linpac 0.21: https://sourceforge.net/projects/linpac/
What is Linpac?
LinPac is an Ncurses based AX.25 packet radio terminal for use with Linux's native AX.25 stack. It mimics many of the feature packed HOST-MODE programs that used to exist for Dos (PkGold, etc) but with any TNC running in KISS mode. It allows wide configuration and easy addition of new functions and special functions needed by the user. It's intended for keyboard-to-keyboard use but also supports receiving basic PBBS messages, local Converse-link chat rooms, basic node commands like mheard and making outgoing connections, etc.
The aim was to minimize the amount of 'hard coded' functions and create a complete set of applications that can be easily expanded and/or completely reconfigured via a simple macro language. There is also a developing GUI version (1.x branch) that provides either a Java Swing GUI or the familiar Ncurses UI.
Changes since 0.20:
--
Memory cleanups
Fixed Debian based ncurses package dependency
Added a cron-able script that can send email and SMS notifications when you get a new Linpac message Added a script to start linpac via screen for being able to detach and re-attach to the session from anywhere Added some Ncurses fixes for spurious "x"'s showed up instead of vertical lines
Added lots of things to the linpac-todo.txt (we'd love to get more C developers to help out if you have some time) --
There aren't any binaries posted at the moment but I can email Centos6 RPMs and Raspian(wheezy) .debs if requested. Everyone else will need to read the README file included in the sources on how to install the required dependencies and build the package yourself. It's not hard and is quite fast. Once installed, Linpac will NOT work without a properly configured Linux AX.25 stack. There are many resources out on the Internet on how to do this and I can help out as well if requested.
--David
KI6ZHD
Quoted 10 lines · David Ranch
LinPac is an Ncurses based AX.25 packet radio terminal for use with Linux's native AX.25 stack. It mimics many of the feature packed HOST-MODE programs that used to exist for Dos (PkGold, etc) but with any TNC running in KISS mode. It allows wide configuration and easy addition of new functions and special functions needed by the user. It's intended for keyboard-to-keyboard use but also supports receiving basic PBBS messages, local Converse-link chat rooms, basic node commands like mheard and making outgoing connections, etc.
Hi David & others,
It makes me wonder if LinPac has (or maybe will have) a feature that allows it running as a 'client' application in the same box where a packet server (such as xfbbd) is already running 'on top' of the AX.25 stack.
For example, if I recall properly, there was a WinPac end-user software for Win$$$ that was able to use WinBPQ (BPQ32) as an intermediate level for accessing WinFBB running in the same box. If I am not wrong, BPQ32 allowed more than one application to run on it in parallel, but I do not know if the same approach would be feasible with the native AX.25 stack. In fact, what I want to do is to mimic real client-to-server communication as if a real packet network is present. Any idea?
Misko
Hello Misko,
Quoted 4 lines
It makes me wonder if LinPac has (or maybe will have) a feature that allows it running as a 'client' application in the same box where a packet server (such as xfbbd) is already running 'on top' of the AX.25 stack.
Yes, this is how it works today. Both LinPac and FBB are just applications that interface with the Linux AX.25 stack. Just like Firefox and Thunderbird are applications that use TCP/IP.
Quoted 4 lines
For example, if I recall properly, there was a WinPac end-user software for Win$$$ that was able to use WinBPQ (BPQ32) as an intermediate level for accessing WinFBB running in the same box. If I am not wrong, BPQ32 allowed more than one application to run on it in parallel,
I don't know BPQ very well but as I understand it, the BPQ application implements it's own AX.25 stack. Other applications can interface with with BPQ using TCP connections but you can also configure it's AX.25 stack to communicate to Linux's AX.25 stack. There are other mechanisms in there too I think.
Quoted 2 lines
In fact, what I want to do is to mimic real client-to-server communication as if a real packet network is present. Any idea?
Well, I'm still not quiet following you here but it's worth mentioning that the Linpac 1.x proto code is designed to be a client/server design.
It's server communicates to the Linux AX.25 stack and can fully
operate with remote users. For local users, the Linpac clients (Ncurses or Java) connects to the Linpac backend via a TCP connection. This code isn't completely functional at the moment.
Alternatively, I personally run the current Linpac application in a Screen session. When I'm remote but want to control a packet connection, etc, I SSH into my system and remotely take over the Screen session. When I'm done, I just detach it.
--David
KI6ZHD
Quoted 11 lines · David Ranch
Quoted 3 lines
In fact, what I want to do is to mimic real client-to-server communication as if a real packet network is present. Any idea?
Well, I'm still not quiet following you here but it's worth mentioning that the Linpac 1.x proto code is designed to be a client/server design.
It's server communicates to the Linux AX.25 stack and can fully
operate with remote users. For local users, the Linpac clients (Ncurses or Java) connects to the Linpac backend via a TCP connection. This code isn't completely functional at the moment.
Hi David,
Maybe I was not clear about what I wanted to have: I meant, let us suppose that there is an operational Linux AX.25 stack + a node software (such as FPAC or Uronode, etc.) + FBB bbs on a computer. Now I wonder if it would be possible to add Linpac to that machine so that Linpac could access FBB mails in a way as if uses another computer and ham radio to access the bbs computer by air? Or in the other words: Could Linpac be installed to access a simulated packet network (a node + fbb) in the same computer, so to handle mails within the fbb?
I suppose that something like that might be achieved by some tcpip operation (such as telnet localhost, or something similar), but I'd like to rather see it by axip or axudp connection that better mimics real ham radio traffic. (If you ask me for reasons why I asked for that, well I am just not satisfied with FBB's client applications xfbbC and similar solutions.)
Misko
Hello Misko,
Quoted 3 lines
. . . Or in the other words: Could Linpac be
installed to access a simulated packet network (a node + fbb) in the same computer, so to handle mails within the fbb?
So you're saying you'd like to use Linpac's Mail Reader as seen here:
http://a.fsdn.com/con/app/proj/linpac/screenshots/linpac-message-index1.png/182/137
to be your preferred message reader for the messages in your FBB BBS?
Yes. Linpac when built with ax25mailutils, has the ability to read, delete, and write messages for a remote "home" BBS for offline reading.
Once instructed, Linpac will log into that remote BBS and
sendout/read-in/delete this newest batch of messages. You can read up a bit about this here (Section 8.3) but the docs are a bit thin and the :mail interface is pretty simplistic today:
http://sourceforge.net/p/linpac/linpac/ci/master/tree/doc/manual.html?format=raw
There are also some known bugs too that I need to address as well.
http://sourceforge.net/p/linpac/linpac/ci/master/tree/linpac-todo.txt
If you or anyone else would be willing to help out with any of these prioritized bugs, enhancement requests, etc, that would be greatly appreciated!
Now to your final point, could Linpac do this communication to the remote FBB BBS over an axip / axudp link? Yes, per the above URL, Linpac fundamentally uses Linux's AX.25 stack. As such, if you have a working AXIP/AXUDP link configured and defined in /etc/ax25/axports, Linpac should be able to leverage it.
--David
KI6ZHD