Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted

Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted

[David Ranch]

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

Re: Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted

[Miroslav Skoric]

On 05/25/2015 07:51 PM, David Ranch wrote:

>
> 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

Re: Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted

[David Ranch]

Hello Misko,


> 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.


> 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.


> 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

Re: Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted

[Miroslav Skoric]

On 05/28/2015 06:50 AM, David Ranch wrote:

>
>> 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

Re: Linpac 0.21 (AX.25 packet radio application) posted

[David Ranch]

Hello Misko,


> . . . 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