soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

[Günther Montag]

Hello friends
at the moment I maintain Tom Sailer's hf package, it is a linux soundcard FSK 
program that can transmit and rx pactor level 1, amtor, gtor, rtty.
I had the idea to add a pactor mailbox feature, like winlink or airmail which 
already exist. It might be interesting for clubs and hams who have a 
soundcard, but can not afford a ptc.
I do not want to invent the wheel again, and i am still not so deep in c. 
I think I am able to start with implement the command set, like usual in a 
mailbox. But I am looking for some tips, in what format to store the mails 
(mbox? maildir? is there an other special format in packet mailboxes?) and 
with which of the  existing programs I can connect my application (tnt?  tnn? 
dpbox? f6fbb?) to forward mails to packet and / or internet. Where can I 
begin to read?
Thanks for your ideas!
hf, last version 0.5, is at www.hfterm.sf.net
-- 
73 de
Günther
dl4mge@darc.de
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Re: soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

[ravioli]

Günther Montag wrote:

>at the moment I maintain Tom Sailer's hf package,
>
Great !

> it is a linux soundcard FSK 
>program that can transmit and rx pactor level 1, amtor, gtor, rtty.
>I had the idea to add a pactor mailbox feature, like winlink or airmail which 
>already exist. It might be interesting for clubs and hams who have a 
>soundcard, but can not afford a ptc.
>I do not want to invent the wheel again, and i am still not so deep in c. 
>I think I am able to start with implement the command set, like usual in a 
>mailbox. But I am looking for some tips, in what format to store the mails 
>(mbox? maildir? is there an other special format in packet mailboxes?) and 
>with which of the  existing programs I can connect my application (tnt?  tnn? 
>dpbox? f6fbb?) 
>
Can I strongly suggest to interface to F6FBB ?
- It is one of the main BBS programs.
- If you can interface to it, all the stuff of storing mails, etc... 
will already be done.
- It seems that a lot of people are using it with Pactor TNC.
- There are, builtin, POP3, NEWS (NNTP) and SMTP servers,
which make F6FBB usable with any mail program : Outlook express, any ...
One can read Packet nulletins with any News reader : Really great.

Some questions :
- I am more and more interested by Pactor but do not
known which kind of RX buying for HF. What do you suggest, please ?
- And how about the interface to the sound card ? (I'm not that good at 
soldering, resistors, etc...)
- Does hfterm creates an AX25 interface like Soundmodem does ? It would 
be so convenient ...

By the way, the web site you mentionned does not work, but this one does :
https://sourceforge.net/projects/hfterm

>to forward mails to packet and / or internet. Where can I 
>begin to read?
>Thanks for your ideas!
>hf, last version 0.5, is at www.hfterm.sf.net
>  
>

Regards

Remi F4ECW
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Re: soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

[ravioli]

Hi Gunther,

The last release is 7.04j (Not sure of the 'j').
You can download it on http://www.f6fbb.org/
There is also some documentation on ths site : 
http://www.f6fbb.org/fbbdoc/doc.htm
To be honest, it is somewhat cryptic.
The point is that this software is ten years old, can do a lot of things,
is very reliable, can be interfaced with tens of TNCs,
can use internet, soundcards, kiss, etc... to send/receive mails.
It can run on very small machines, 486 PCs with DOS, various Linuxes, etc...
It is written in plain C, not C++. Very simple and robust.
Still compatible with the earliest versions.

The params files are really ugly, but once you get accustomed to,
you do not need to change anything.
The files you need to parameter are principally :
forward.sys and port.sys, plus three or four.

Although it is made for amateur use, I've noted that it professionnaly used
in Poland, at least.

It is also technically possible to read/write the mail files, and ask 
fbb to access specific files.
This the approach of a software called 'mailgw', a mail gateway 
providing SMTP and POP3 servers
(Although I prefer the native servers provided by FBB). This approach 
has several advantages :
- You do not need to change anything in FBB code.
- This will work on any platform : DOS, Windows, Linux.
- You just need to have your code write/read these files.
- You can statically check your code, without synchronisation with FBB.
Of course, this architecture idea has to be checked.
See "file forward" as keywords.

Please note as well that FBB is already able to interface to Pactor TNC.
http://www.cqham.ru/rw6at/1998/pactor.htm
Therefore, an elegant solution, giving less work to do, could be based 
on this :
When FBB uses a Pactor modem, we must give in the port.sys file the name
of the serial interface where the TNC is plugged : Typically /dev/cua0 
or more
recently /dev/ttys0.
Search for "/dev/cua0" in the page : 
http://apollon.dokkyomed.ac.jp/fbbdoc/fmtport.htm
Then :
1 - If it possible to replace cua0 by any local "named socket",
2 - If hfterm is able to read and write to this new "named socket" 
exactly like a Pactor TNC,
... then, FBB will interface smoothly to it.
In other words, hfterm would behave exactly like a Pactor TNC, but on a 
'virtual serial port'.
These two points should obviously be checked before any development.

Hope it was not too boring or pedantic :)

Regards.

Rémi F4ECW

PS : Have you seen the compile warnings I sent to the list ? Just for 
your information.
I was a bit afraid of the compile warnings involving :
- nanosleep.
- A free() on a pointer 'void * m' which may have any value.

Günther Montag wrote:
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Re: soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

[Günther Montag]

tnx very much for info!
Will read all about it!
-- 
73 de
Günther
dl4mge@darc.de
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Re: soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

[Wilbert Knol]

It would be nice if the HF application was able to forward to, and 
take delivery from Winlink/WL2K. However, it may pay to check out how 
many WL2K stations still support PACTOR-1. I believe some now only 
accept PT2 and 3 connections.

On the local machine, you could consider forwarding ( from the HF 
application)  to the local SMTP server instead of trying to directly 
store in the user's mailbox.

With regards to HF users: why not present them with an interface 
similar to the UNIX mail program. Doesn't Linuxnode do that? You'd be 
able to borrow the code.

I don't know how hard it is to get local E-mail into a local FBB 
server...but, to me, it makes sense to treat it all as E-mail, 
allowing you to use whatever mail reader you like.

Just some random musings...


Wilbert, ZL2BSJ

Re: soundcard pactor program: mailbox mode planned

[Tomi Manninen]

On Mon, 2004-03-08 at 15:23, Wilbert Knol wrote:

> With regards to HF users: why not present them with an interface 
> similar to the UNIX mail program. Doesn't Linuxnode do that? You'd be 
> able to borrow the code.

LinuxNode doesn't have any such code. Some of the derivatives (AZWnode
etc) do but please remember that they have *serious* security flaws in 
that code. Or so I have been told, I have never looked at them myself...

-- 
Tomi Manninen / OH2BNS / KP20ME04