<title>The DXSpider Installation and Administration Manual
<author>Ian Maude, G0VGS, (ianmaude@btinternet.com)
-<date>Version 1.30 January 2001
+<date>Version 1.33 (Revision 1.21) February 2001
<abstract>
A reference for SysOps of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
</abstract>
<sect>Installation (Original version by Iain Phillips, G0RDI)
-<P>
-Last modified: 24 January 2001 by Ian Maude, G0VGS
-
<sect1>Introduction
<P>
-This section describes the installation of DX Spider v1.35 on a
-<htmlurl url="http://www.redhat.com" name="RedHat"> Linux Distribution.
+This section describes the installation of DX Spider v1.46 on a
+<htmlurl url="http://www.redhat.com" name="RedHat"> Linux Distribution.
+Wherever possible I will try to include differences for other distributions.
I do not intend to try and cover the installation of Linux or the setup
of the AX25 utilities. If you need help on this then read Iains original
-HOWTO on the <htmlurl url="http://www.dxcluster.org" name="DXSpider">
-website.
+installation guide that comes with the Spider distribution.
<P>
I am assuming a general knowledge of Linux and its commands. You should
<P>
The crucial ingredient for all of this is
-<htmlurl url="http://www.perl.org" name="Perl 5.004">. Now I know Perl 5.005
-is out and this will almost certainly work with it, but
-<htmlurl url="http://www.redhat.com" name="RedHat 5.1"> comes with 5.004.
-<em>Be Warned</em>, earlier versions of
-<htmlurl url="http://www.redhat.com" name="RedHat"> <bf>do not</bf> come
-with 5.004 as standard, you need to
-<htmlurl url="ftp://upgrade.redhat.com" name="upgrade">
+<htmlurl url="http://www.perl.org" name="Perl">. Earlier versions of
+Spider required perl 5.004, however it is now <it>STRONGLY</it> recommended
+that you use at least version 5.005_03 as this is the version being used
+in the development of Spider.
<P>In addition to the standard Red Hat distribution you will require the
following <htmlurl url="http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html" name="CPAN"> modules: -
<item> MD5-1.7.tar.gz
<item> Data-Dumper-2.10.tar.gz
-<item> FreezeThaw-0.3.tar.gz
-<item> MLDBM-2.00.tar.gz
<item> TimeDate-1.08.tar.gz
<item> IO-1.20.tar.gz
<item> Net-Telnet-3.02.tar.gz
<P>
I will assume that you have already downloaded the latest tarball of
the DXSpider software and are ready to install it. I am assuming version
-1.35 for this section but of course you would use the latest version.
+1.46 for this section but of course you would use the latest version.
<P>
Login as root and create a user to run the cluster under. <bf><it>UNDER
<tscreen><verb>
# cd ~sysop
-# tar xvfz spider-1.35.tar.gz
+# tar xvfz spider-1.46.tar.gz
# ln -s ~sysop/spider /spider
# groupadd -g 251 spider (or another number)
</verb></tscreen>
<tscreen><verb>
$ cluster.pl
-DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.35
+DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.46
Copyright (c) 1998 Dirk Koopman G1TLH
loading prefixes ...
loading band data ...
default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25
</verb></tscreen>
+or, if you wish your users to be able to use SSID's on their callsigns ..
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %s ax25
+</verb></tscreen>
+
<sect1>Allowing telnet connects from users
<P>
DX:3:respawn:/bin/su -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" sysop >/dev/tty7
</verb></tscreen>
+<P>
+This line works fine for RedHat and SuSE distributions. The line required for
+Slackware distributions is slightly different. My thanks to Aurelio, PA3EZL for
+this information.
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+DX:23:respawn:/bin/su - sysop -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" >/dev/tty7
+</verb></tscreen>
+
<P>
This will automatically start DXSpider on tty7 (ALT-F7) on bootup and restart
it should it crash for any reason.
<P>
You can reload the file from the cluster prompt as sysop with load/badwords.
+<sect>Mail
+
+<P>
+DXSpider deals seamlessly with standard AK1A type mail. It supports both
+personal and bulletin mail and the sysop has additional commands to ensure
+that mail gets to where it is meant. DXSpider will send mail almost
+immediately, assuming that the target is on line. However, only one
+mail message is dealt with at any one time. If a mail message is already
+being sent or recieved, then the new message will be queued until it has
+finished.
+
+The cluster mail is automatically deleted after 30 days unless the sysop
+sets the "keep" flag using the <em>msg</em> command.
+
+<sect1>Personal mail
+
+<P>
+Personal mail is sent using the <em>sp</em> command. This is actually the
+default method of sending mail and so a simple <em>s</em> for send will do.
+A full list of the send commands and options is in the <em>command set</em>
+section, so I will not duplicate them here.
+
+<sect1>Bulletin mail
+
+<P>
+Bulletin mail is sent by using the <em>sb</em> command. This is one of the
+most common mistakes users make when sending mail. They send a bulletin
+mail with <em>s</em> or <em>sp</em> instead of <em>sb</em> and of course
+the message never leaves the cluster. This can be rectified by the sysop
+by using the <em>msg</em> command.
+
+<P>Bulletin addresses can be set using the Forward.pl file.
+
+<sect1>Forward.pl
+
+<P>
+DXSpider receives all and any mail sent to it without any alterations needed
+in files. Because personal and bulletin mail are treated differently, there
+is no need for a list of accepted bulletin addresses. It is necessary, however,
+to tell the program which links accept which bulletins. For example, it is
+pointless sending bulletins addresses to "UK" to any links other than UK
+ones. The file that does this is called forward.pl and lives in /spider/msg.
+At default, like other spider files it is named forward.pl.issue. Rename it
+to forward.pl and edit the file to match your requirements.
+The format is below ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+#
+# this is an example message forwarding file for the system
+#
+# The format of each line is as follows
+#
+# type to/from/at pattern action destinations
+# P/B/F T/F/A regex I/F [ call [, call ...] ]
+#
+# type: P - private, B - bulletin (msg), F - file (ak1a bull)
+# to/from/at: T - to field, F - from field, A - home bbs, O - origin
+# pattern: a perl regex on the field requested
+# action: I - ignore, F - forward
+# destinations: a reference to an array containing node callsigns
+#
+# if it is non-private and isn't in here then it won't get forwarded
+#
+# Currently only type B msgs are affected by this code.
+#
+# The list is read from the top down, the first pattern that matches
+# causes the action to be taken.
+#
+# The pattern can be undef or 0 in which case it will always be selected
+# for the action specified
+#
+# If the BBS list is undef or 0 and the action is 'F' (and it matches the
+# pattern) then it will always be forwarded to every node that doesn't have
+# it (I strongly recommend you don't use this unless you REALLY mean it, if
+# you allow a new link with this on EVERY bull will be forwarded immediately
+# on first connection)
+#
+
+package DXMsg;
+
+@forward = (
+'B', 'T', 'LOCAL', 'F', [ qw(GB7MBC) ],
+'B', 'T', 'ALL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'UK', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX) ],
+'B', 'T', 'QSL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'QSLINF', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'DX', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'DXINFO', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'DXNEWS', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'DXQSL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+'B', 'T', 'SYSOP', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX) ],
+'B', 'T', '50MHZ', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
+);
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+Simply insert a bulletin address and state in the brackets where you wish
+that mail to go. For example, you can see here that mail sent to "UK" will
+only be sent to the UK links and not to PA4AB-14.
+
+<P>
+To force the cluster to reread the file use load/forward
+
+
+<sect1>The msg command
+
+<P>
+The <em>msg</em> command is a very powerful and flexible tool for the
+sysop. It allows the sysop to alter to and from fields and make other
+changes to manage the cluster mail.
+
+Here is a full list of the various options ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+ MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
+ MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
+ MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
+ MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
+ MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
+ MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
+ MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
+ MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
+ MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
+ MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waiting time for this message
+ MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
+ MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
+ MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
+ MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+These commands are simply typed from within the cluster as the sysop user.
+
+<sect1>Message status
+
+<P>
+You can check on a message from within the cluster by using the command
+<em>stat/msg</em>. This will give you additional information on the
+message number including which nodes have received it, which node it
+was received from and when etc. Here is an example of the output of
+the command ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+G0VGS de GB7MBC 28-Jan-2001 1308Z >
+stat/msg 6869
+ From: GB7DJK
+ Msg Time: 26-Jan-2001 1302Z
+ Msgno: 6869
+ Origin: GB7DJK
+ Size: 8012
+ Subject: AMSAT 2line KEPS 01025.AMSAT
+ To: UK
+Got it Nodes: GB7BAA, GB7ADX
+ Private: 0
+Read Confirm: 0
+ Times read: 0
+G0VGS de GB7MBC 28-Jan-2001 1308Z >
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+<sect1>Filtering mail
+
+<P>
+This is described in the section on <em>Other filters</em> so I will not
+duplicate it here.
+
+<sect1>Distribution lists
+
+<P>
+Distribution lists are simply a list of users to send certain types of
+mail to. An example of this is mail you only wish to send to other
+sysops. In /spider/msg there is a directory called <em>distro</em>. You
+put any distibution lists in here. For example, here is a file called
+SYSOP.pl that caters for the UK sysops.
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+qw(GB7TLH GB7DJK GB7DXM GB7CDX GB7BPQ GB7DXN GB7MBC GB7MBC-6 GB7MDX
+ GB7NDX GB7SDX GB7TDX GB7UDX GB7YDX GB7ADX GB7BAA GB7DXA GB7DXH
+ GB7DXK GB7DXI GB7DXS)
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+Any mail sent to "sysop" would only be sent to the callsigns in this list.
+
+<sect1>BBS interface
+
+<P>
+Spider provides a simple BBS interface. No input is required from the sysop
+of the cluster at all. The BBS simply sets the cluster as a BBS and pushes
+any required mail to the cluster. No mail can flow from Spider to the BBS,
+the interface is one-way.
+
+<P>
+Please be careful not to flood the cluster network with unnecessary mail.
+Make sure you only send mail to the clusters that want it by using the
+Forward.pl file very carefully.
+
+<sect>Databases
+
+<P>
+Spider allows the creation of local or remote databases. It supports
+chained databases, allowing several different databases to be scanned
+with one simple command. Importing of databases is limited at present
+to the standard AK1A databases such as OBLAST and the DB0SDX QSL
+database but will expand with time.
+
+<sect1>Creating databases
+
+<P>
+Creating a database could not be more simple. All the commands are
+sent from the cluster prompt as the <em>sysop</em> user.
+
+To create a database you use the command <em>dbcreate</em>. It can
+be used in 3 different ways like so ..
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbcreate <name>
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+To simply create a database locally, you just tell the command the
+name of the database. This does not create the actual database, it
+simply defines it to say that it exists.
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbcreate <name> chain <name> [<name>...]
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+This creates a chained database entry. The first database will be
+scanned, then the second, the third etc...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbcreate <name> remote <name>
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+This creates a remote entry. the first name field is the database
+name at the remote node, then the remote switch, then the actual
+node_call of the remote node, for example...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbcreate buckmaster remote gb7dxc
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+Remote databases cannot be chained, however, the last database in a
+chain can be a remote database.
+
+<sect1>Importing databases
+
+<P>
+The only databases that Spider can currently import are the standard
+AK1A databases such as OBLAST or the DB0SDX qsl and address database.
+This will be added to with time.
+
+To import such a database, first put the file somewhere useful like /tmp
+and then issue the following command ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbimport oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+This will update the existing local oblast database or create it if
+it does not exist.
+
+<sect1>Checking available databases
+
+<P>
+Once a database is created, you will want to check that it has been
+added. To do this use the <em>dbavail</em> command. This will
+output the available databases. For example ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbavail
+DB Name Location Chain
+qsl Local
+buck GB7ADX
+hftest GB7DXM
+G0VGS de GB7MBC 3-Feb-2001 1925Z >
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+<sect1>Looking up databases
+
+<P>
+To look for information in a defined database, simply use the <em>dbshow</em>
+command, for example ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbshow buckmaster G0YLM
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+will show the information for the callsign G0YLM from the buckmaster
+database if it exists. To make things more standard for the users
+you can add an entry in the Aliases file so that it looks like a standard
+<em>show</em> command like this ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+'^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+Now you can simply use show/buckmaster or an abreviation.
+
+<sect1>Removing databases
+
+<P>
+To delete an existing database you use the <em>dbremove</em> command.
+For example ...
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+dbremove oblast
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+would remove the oblast database and its associated datafile from the
+system. There are no warnings or recovery possible from this command.
+If you remove a database it ceases to exist and would have to be created
+from scratch if you still required it.
+
<sect>Information, files and useful programs
<sect1>MOTD
always turn out as you think. Care is needed and you need to test the
results once you have set an alias.
-<sect1>Forward.pl
+<sect1>Console.pl
<P>
-DXSpider receives all and any mail sent to it without any alterations needed
-in files. Because personal and bulletin mail are treated differently, there
-is no need for a list of accepted bulletin addresses. It is necessary, however,
-to tell the program which links accept which bulletins. For example, it is
-pointless sending bulletins addresses to "UK" to any links other than UK
-ones. The file that does this is called forward.pl and lives in /spider/msg.
-At default, like other spider files it is named forward.pl.issue. Rename it
-to forward.pl and edit the file to match your requirements.
-The format is below ...
-
-<tscreen><verb>
-#
-# this is an example message forwarding file for the system
-#
-# The format of each line is as follows
-#
-# type to/from/at pattern action destinations
-# P/B/F T/F/A regex I/F [ call [, call ...] ]
-#
-# type: P - private, B - bulletin (msg), F - file (ak1a bull)
-# to/from/at: T - to field, F - from field, A - home bbs, O - origin
-# pattern: a perl regex on the field requested
-# action: I - ignore, F - forward
-# destinations: a reference to an array containing node callsigns
-#
-# if it is non-private and isn't in here then it won't get forwarded
-#
-# Currently only type B msgs are affected by this code.
-#
-# The list is read from the top down, the first pattern that matches
-# causes the action to be taken.
-#
-# The pattern can be undef or 0 in which case it will always be selected
-# for the action specified
-#
-# If the BBS list is undef or 0 and the action is 'F' (and it matches the
-# pattern) then it will always be forwarded to every node that doesn't have
-# it (I strongly recommend you don't use this unless you REALLY mean it, if
-# you allow a new link with this on EVERY bull will be forwarded immediately
-# on first connection)
-#
-
-package DXMsg;
-
-@forward = (
-'B', 'T', 'LOCAL', 'F', [ qw(GB7MBC) ],
-'B', 'T', 'ALL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'UK', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX) ],
-'B', 'T', 'QSL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'QSLINF', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'DX', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'DXINFO', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'DXNEWS', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'DXQSL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-'B', 'T', 'SYSOP', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX) ],
-'B', 'T', '50MHZ', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
-);
-</verb></tscreen>
-
-Simply insert a bulletin address and state in the brackets where you wish
-that mail to go. For example, you can see here that mail sent to "UK" will
-only be sent to the UK links and not to PA4AB-14.
+In later versions of Spider a simple console program is provided for the sysop.
+This has a type ahead buffer with line editing facilities and colour for spots,
+announces etc. To use this program, simply use console.pl instead of client.pl.
<P>
-To force the cluster to reread the file use load/forward
+To edit the colours, copy /spider/perl/Console.pl to /spider/local and edit the
+file with your favourite editor.
-<sect1>Distribution lists
+<sect1>Updating kepler data
<P>
-Distribution lists are simply a list of users to send certain types of
-mail to. An example of this is mail you only wish to send to other
-sysops. In /spider/msg there is a directory called <em>distro</em>. You
-put any distibution lists in here. For example, here is a file called
-SYSOP.pl that caters for the UK sysops.
+Spider has a powerful and flexible show/satellite command. In order for
+this to be accurate, the kepler data has to be updated regularly. In
+general, this data is available as an email or via cluster mail.
+Updating it is simple. First you need to export the mail message as a
+file. You do this with the <em>export</em> command from the cluster prompt
+as the sysop. For example ...
<tscreen><verb>
-qw(GB7TLH GB7DJK GB7DXM GB7CDX GB7BPQ GB7DXN GB7MBC GB7MBC-6 GB7MDX
- GB7NDX GB7SDX GB7TDX GB7UDX GB7YDX GB7ADX GB7BAA GB7DXA GB7DXH
- GB7DXK GB7DXI GB7DXS)
+export 5467 /spider/perl/keps.in
</verb></tscreen>
-Any mail sent to "sysop" would only be sent to the callsigns in this list.
-
-<sect1>Console.pl
+would export message number 5467 as a file called keps.in in the
+/spider/perl directory.
-<P>
-In later versions of Spider a simple console program is provided for the sysop.
-This has a type ahead buffer with line editing facilities and colour for spots,
-announces etc. To use this program, simply use console.pl instead of client.pl.
+Now login to a VT as sysop and cd /spider/perl. There is a command in
+the perl directory called <em>convkeps.pl</em>. All we need to do now is
+convert the file like so ...
-<P>
-To edit the colours, copy /spider/perl/Console.pl to /spider/local and edit the
-file with your favourite editor.
+<tscreen><verb>
+./convkeps.pl keps.in
+</verb></tscreen>
-<sect1>BBS interface
+Now go back to the cluster and issue the command ...
-<P>
-Spider provides a simple BBS interface. No input is required from the sysop
-of the cluster at all. The BBS simply sets the cluster as a BBS and pushes
-any required mail to the cluster. No mail can flow from Spider to the BBS,
-the interface is one-way.
+<tscreen><verb>
+load/keps
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+That is it! the kepler data has been updated.
+
+<sect1>The QRZ callbook
<P>
-Please be careful not to flood the cluster network with unnecessary mail.
-Make sure you only send mail to the clusters that want it by using the
-Forward.pl file very carefully.
+The command <em>sh/qrz</em> will only work once you have followed a few
+simple steps. First you need to get a user ID and password from qrz.com.
+Simply go to the site and create one. Secondly you need to copy the file
+/spider/perl/Internet.pm to /spider/local and alter it to match your user
+ID and password. You also at this point need to set $allow=1 to complete
+the setup. Many thanks to Fred Lloyd, the proprieter of
+<htmlurl url="http://www.qrz.com" name="qrz.com"> for allowing this access.
<sect>CVS
What happens next depends on whether you have an existing installation that
you want to update with the latest and greatest or whether you just want
to see what is there and/or run it on a new machine for testing.
-Either way you will want to change directory to a new place, if you want to
-update an existing installation then I suggest /tmp, otherwise choose a
-suitable place according to the normal installation instructions.
+
+If you are installing Spider from CVS then change directory to /home/sysop
+
+If you are wanting to update Spider then cd to /tmp
<P>
The next step will create a brand new 'spider' directory in your current
Remember to recompile the C client (cd /spider/src; make)
<P>
-At this point the files have been upgraded. You can (usually) restrt the cluster
+At this point the files have been upgraded. You can (usually) restart the cluster
in your own time. However, if you attempt to use any new commands or features
expect it to be fatal! At least your cluster will have been restarted then so it
will be too late to worry about it!
</tt>
<P>
-You can remove this level with unset/debug <name>
+You can choose to log several different levels. The levels are
+
+chan
+state
+msg
+cron
+connect
+
+You can show what levels you are logging with the <em>show/debug</em>
+command.
+
+You can remove a debug level with unset/debug <name>
<sect1>set/dx (0)
<P>
<tt>
-<bf>show/badspotter</bf>Show all the bad spotters in the system
+<bf>show/badspotter</bf> Show all the bad spotters in the system
</tt>
<P>
then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
+<sect1>show/debug (9)
+
+<P>
+<tt>
+<bf>show/debug</bf> Show what levels of debug you are logging
+</tt>
+
+<P>
+The levels can be set with <em>set/debug</em>
+
<sect1>show/dx (0)
<P>
Show a list of callsigns that have been excluded (locked out) of the
cluster locally with the <em>set/lockout</em> command
+<sect1>show/log (8)
+
+<P>
+<tt>
+<bf>show/log [<callsign>]</bf> Show excerpts from the system log
+</tt>
+
+<P>
+This command outputs a short section of the system log. On its own
+it will output a general logfile. With the optional callsign it will
+show output from the log associated with that callsign.
+
<sect1>show/moon (0)
<P>
projects / spider.git / blobdiff