X-Git-Url: http://dxcluster.net/gitweb/gitweb.cgi?a=blobdiff_plain;f=txt%2Finstallation_en.txt;fp=txt%2Finstallation_en.txt;h=a690b0667e669be16e97dfab61cd471b2df85948;hb=0fcb7df9b5f6b17605f07d965e71d8bc4dee09a0;hp=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hpb=8b3550e37fbfc539cdd10472d10f92ae0135f4b7;p=spider.git diff --git a/txt/installation_en.txt b/txt/installation_en.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a690b066 --- /dev/null +++ b/txt/installation_en.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2024 @@ + The DXSpider Installation Manual v1.50 + Iain Philipps, G0RDI (g0rdi@77hz.com), Ian Maude, G0VGS, + (g0vgs@gb7mbc.net) and Charlie Carroll, K1XX, + (k1xx@ptcnh.net) + February 2003 revision 0.5 + + A reference for SysOps of the DXSpider DXCluster program. + ______________________________________________________________________ + + Table of Contents + + + 1. Linux Installation + 1.1 Introduction + 1.2 Preparation + 1.3 Installing the software + 1.4 Setting callsigns etc + 1.5 The client program + 1.6 Starting up for the first time + + 2. Linux quick installation guide + 3. Setting up the AX25 Utilities + 3.1 Getting Started + 3.2 The kernel + 3.3 Installing the RPM's + 3.4 Configuration + 3.5 axports + 3.6 nrports + 3.7 nrbroadcast + 3.8 ax25d.conf + 3.9 node.conf + 3.10 Getting it all running + + 4. Configuration + 4.1 Allowing ax25 connects from users + 4.2 Allowing telnet connects from users + 4.3 Setting up telnet connects (from 1.47 onwards) + 4.4 Setting up for AGW Engine (1.47 onwards) + 4.5 Setting up node connects + 4.6 Connection scripts + 4.7 Starting the connection + 4.8 Telnet echo + 4.9 Autostarting the cluster + + 5. Microsoft Windows Installation + 5.1 Introduction + 5.2 The requirements + 5.3 The system + 5.4 Perl + 5.5 Additional packages + 5.6 Getting Spider + + 6. Installing the software + 6.1 Incoming telnets + 6.2 The AGW packet engine + 6.3 Setting up the initial user files + 6.4 Connecting to other clusters + + 7. General Information + 7.1 The crontab file + + + ______________________________________________________________________ + + + + 1. Linux Installation + + 1.1. Introduction + + This section describes the installation of DX Spider v1.50 on a RedHat + Linux Distribution. Wherever possible I will try to include + differences for other distributions. + + + I am assuming a general knowledge of Linux and its commands. You + should know how to use tar and how to edit files using your favourite + editor. + + + The crucial ingredient for all of this is Perl. Earlier versions of + Spider required perl 5.004, however it is now STRONGLY recommended + that you use at least version 5.005_03 as this is the version being + used in the development of Spider. + + + In addition to the standard Red Hat distribution you will require the + following modules from http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/ , please + note however that with later versions of perl, some of these modules + may be included with the distribution. Get the modules anyway and try + to install as below. If they complain, they are probably already a + part of your perl distribution. + + + + o Data-Dumper-2.101.tar.gz + + o TimeDate-1.10.tar.gz + + o IO-1.20.tar.gz (for perl 5.00403 and lower) + + o Net-Telnet-3.03.tar.gz + + o Curses-1.06.tar.gz + + o Time-HiRes-01.20.tar.gz + + o Digest-SHA1-2.01.tar.gz + + + Copy the CPAN modules listed above to a convenient place on your + computer. One good place would be /usr/local/packages, and the + instructions which follow will assume that that's where you have put + them. + + + Log in as 'root', and make sure you're at '/root' before you continue. + Here are exactly the commands you must issue next: - + + + + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/Data-Dumper-2.101.tar.gz + # cd Data-Dumper-2.101 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install + # cd .. + # + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/TimeDate-1.10.tar.gz + # cd TimeDate-1.10 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install + # cd .. + # + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/IO-1.20.tar.gz + # cd IO-1.20 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install UNINST=1 + # cd .. + # + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/Net-Telnet-3.03.tar.gz + # cd Net-Telnet-3.02 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install + # cd .. + # + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/Curses-1.06.tar.gz + # cd Curses-1.06 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install + # cd .. + # + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/Time-HiRes-01.20.tar.gz + # cd Time-HiRes-01.20 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install + # cd .. + # + # tar xvfz /usr/local/packages/Digest-SHA1-2.01.tar.gz + # cd Digest-SHA1-2.01 + # perl Makefile.PL + # make test + # make install + # cd .. + + + + Do not fall into the trap of thinking they're all the same, just + because they nearly are! Pay particular attention to the instructions + of IO, above. + + + + 1.2. Preparation + + 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 1.50 for this section but of course you would use the latest + version. + + + Login as root and create a user to run the cluster under. UNDER NO + CIRCUMSTANCES USE ROOT AS THIS USER!. I am going to use the name + sysop. You can call it anything you wish. Depending on your security + requirements you may wish to use an existing user, however this is + your own choice. + + + + # adduser -m sysop + + + + For SuSE distributions, the command would be .. + + + + # useradd -m sysop + + + + Now set a password for the user ... + + + + # passwd sysop + # New UNIX password: + # Retype new UNIX password: + passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully + + + + 1.3. Installing the software + + Now to unpack the DX Spider distribution, set symbolic links and group + permissions. Copy the tarball to /home/sysop and do the following. + + + + # cd ~sysop + # tar xvfz spider-1.50.tar.gz + # ln -s ~sysop/spider /spider + # groupadd -g 251 spider (or another number) + + + + If you do not have the command groupadd available to you simply add a + line in /etc/group by hand. + + + + # vi /etc/group (or your favorite editor) + + + + You also need to add some others to the group, including your own + callsign (this will be used as an alias) and root. The finished line + in /etc/group should look something like this + + spider:x:251:sysop,g0vgs,root + + + The next step is to set the permissions on the Spider directory tree + and files .... + + + + # chown -R sysop.spider spider + # find . -type d -exec chmod 2775 {} \; + # find . -type f -exec chmod 775 {} \; + + + + This last step allows various users of the group spider to have write + access to all the directories. This is not really needed just yet but + will be useful when web interfaces start to appear. + + + Finally, you need to fix the permissions on the ax25_call and + netrom_call programs. Check where they are with the locate command + and alter the permissions with the chmod command like this .. + + + + # chown root ax25_call netrom_call + # chmod 4775 ax25_call netrom_call + + + + 1.4. Setting callsigns etc + + Now login to your machine as the user you created earlier. In my case + that user is called sysop. Once logged in, issue the following + commands .... + + + + $ cd /spider + $ mkdir local + $ mkdir local_cmd + $ cp perl/DXVars.pm.issue local/DXVars.pm + $ cd local + $ vi DXVars.pm (or your favourite editor) + + + + Using the distributed DXVars.pm as a a template, set your cluster + callsign, sysop callsign and other user info to suit your own + environment. + + + + $mycall = "GB7DJK"; + + + + This is the call sign of your cluster. If you use an SSID then + include it here also. + + + + $myalias = "G1TLH"; + + + + This is the sysop user callsign, normally your own. + + + PLEASE USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR CALLSIGNS + + + Note that this a perl file which will be parsed and executed as part + of the cluster. If you get it wrong then perl will complain when you + start the cluster process. It is important only to alter the text of + any section. Some of the lines look a little odd. Take this line for + example .... + + $myemail = "ianmaude\@btinternet.com"; + + + There appears to be an extra slash in there. However this has to be + there for the file to work so leave it in. + + + DON'T alter any file in /spider/perl, they are overwritten with every + release. Any files or commands you place in /spider/local or + /spider/local_cmd will automagically be used in preference to the ones + in /spider/perl EVEN while the cluster is running! + + + Save the new file and change directory to ../perl .... + + + + $ cd ../perl + + + + Now type the following command which creates the basic user file with + you as the sysop. + + + + $ ./create_sysop.pl + + + + 1.5. The client program + + In earlier versions of Spider, all the processes were Perl scripts. + This was fine but with a lot of users your computer memory would soon + be used up. To combat this a new client was written in "C". This + client only works for incoming connects at the moment. Before you can + use it though it has to be "made". CD to /spider/src and type make. + You should see the output on your screen and hopefully now have a + small C program called client. Leave it in this directory. + 1.6. Starting up for the first time + + We can now bring spider up for the first time and see if all is well + or not! It should look something like this ... + + + + $ ./cluster.pl + DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.50 + Copyright (c) 1998 Dirk Koopman G1TLH + loading prefixes ... + loading band data ... + loading user file system ... + starting listener ... + reading existing message headers + reading cron jobs + orft we jolly well go ... + + + + If all is well then login on another term or console as sysop and cd + to /spider/src. Now issue the following command ... + + + + $ ./client + + + + This should log you into the cluster as the sysop under the alias + callsign we set earlier. In this case the callsign is G0VGS. The + cluster callsign is set in the DXVars.pm file in /spider/local. In + this case we will assume that this was set as GB7MBC. You should + therefore see this when you login .... + + + + G0VGS de GB7MBC 19-Nov-1999 2150Z > + + + + If you do, congratulations! If not, look over the instructions again, + you have probably missed something out. You can shut spider down + again with the command .... + + + + shutdown + + + + and both the cluster and the client should return to Linux prompts. + + + + 2. Linux quick installation guide + + This section is designed for experienced Spider sysops who want to + install Spider from scratch. It is simply a check list of things that + need to be done without any explanations. The name in brackets at the + end of each line is the user that should be doing that process. + + + o Login as root + + o Get the additional CPAN modules and install them (root) + + o Create the "sysop" user and set a password (root) + + o Put the Spider tarball in sysop and untar it (root) + + o ln -s sysop/spider /spider (root) + + o groupadd -g 251 spider (root) + + o Add any more users you need to the group entry in /etc/group (root) + + o Set the permissions on the spider tree (root) + + o Fix permissions on ax25_call and netrom_call (root) + + o Login as the sysop user + + o cd to /spider (sysop) + + o mkdir local (sysop) + + o mkdir local_cmd (sysop) + + o cp perl/DXVars.pm.issue local/DXVars.pm (sysop) + + o cd to /spider/local and edit DXVars to set your details (sysop) + + o cd ../perl (sysop) + + o ./create_sysop.pl (sysop) + + o ./cluster.pl (sysop) + + + Spider should now be running and you should be able to login using the + client program. + + + o Login as root + + o Enter the correct line in ax25d.conf (root) + + o Enter the correct line in /etc/services (root) + + o Enter the correct line in /etc/inetd.conf (root) + + o killall -HUP inetd (root) + + + Spider should now be able to accept logins via telnet, netrom and + ax25. + + + o Login as sysop + + o Start the cluster (sysop) + + o set/node and type for links (sysop) + + o Write any connect scripts (sysop) + + o Edit /spider/crontab as required (sysop) + + o Edit any other files as necessary (sysop) + + o Set filters, hops and forwarding files (sysop) + + o Login as root + + o Enter the correct line in /etc/inittab (root) + + + 3. Setting up the AX25 Utilities + + The aim of this section is not to fully cover the installation and + configuration of all the possible ax25 modules. I will attempt to + cover a simple installation and configure 2 serial ports as if they + had TNC's on them. I will also show what additional configuration the + DXSpider program requires. + + + Please bear in mind that I am basing this section on a RedHat 7.1 + distribution, if you are using SuSe or any other distibution then your + mileage may vary. I will be happy to make any changes and additions + if you email me any errors or distribution specific requirements. + + + You would probably benefit from reading the AX25-HOWTO which is much + more comprehensive and an interesting configuration program is also + available called ax25-config which may help you to configure things. + + + The following files are extracts from the working files at GB7MBC and + are in daily use. However, there are many ways that you can configure + the ax25 utils, this is just the one I use, it does not mean it is + necessarily the best or for that matter, the right way! + + + 3.1. Getting Started + + There are 2 things you need to do initially. You need to get the 3 + files required for the ax25 installation and you need to make some + changes to the kernel configuration. + + + The first thing is to get the versions of the ax25 utils that match + your kernel. You may also wish to get a node package of some kind. + There are 2 main node packages in use of which I shall keep to the + original by Tomi Manninen, OH2BNS as this is included in the ax25 rpms + as standard. The other is AWZNode by IZ5AWZ. + + + NB: The AX25 stuff in 2.4 kernels appears to have been broken until + 2.4.18. I strongly suggest you get at least this kernel. + + + For 2.4 kernels you need these files... + + + + o libax25-0.0.7-7.i386.rpm + + o ax25-tools-0.0.6-13.i386.rpm + + o ax25-apps-0.0.4-9.i386.rpm + + + 3.2. The kernel + + First you need to add Amateur Radio Support to your kernel. This is a + main menu item and should be easily found. Within this header you + will find lots of options. For our purposes you need to enable + Amateur Radio AX.25 Level 2 Protocol, NET/ROM and the Serial Port KISS + Driver. For the purposes of this document I will work under the + assumption that you include them in the kernel fully, ie not as + modules. If you need to look at compiling your kernel for ax25 more + fully, I would refer to the excellent AX25-HOWTO + + + I should say at this stage that NET/ROM is not mandatory. If you do + not use it simply ignore any instruction concerning it. + + + Now recompile your kernel in the normal way and reboot your system. + + + 3.3. Installing the RPM's + + Now install the RPM's you downloaded, libax25 first, then ax25-tools, + then ax25-apps. + + + + rpm -ivh libax25-0.0.7-7.i386.rpm + rpm -ivh ax25-tool-0.0.6-13.i386.rpm + rpm -ivh ax25-apps-0.0.4-9.i386.rpm + + + + 3.4. Configuration + + You will find the configuration files in /etc/ax25. These consist of + several files ... + + + o axports + + o nrports + + o nrbroadcast + + o ax25d.conf + + o node.conf + + + These are the main files. You will find other files but they do not + have any use unless you are wanting to use that particular protocol, + Rose or axip for example. + + + NOTE:- before we start it is important to realise that every interface + requires a different SSID. You should be able to follow this in the + following examples. + 3.5. axports + + This file sets up the ax25 ports you want to use. An example is below + for a standard TNC2 ... + + + + #portname callsign baudrate paclen window description + 2m gb7mbc-2 19200 256 2 2m port on 144.900MHz + 4m gb7mbc-4 19200 256 2 4m port on 70.325MHz + + + + Note that the portnames have to be unique. + + + The file headings are as follows ... + + + portname - The name you will refer to the port by + callsign - The ax25 callsign you want to assign to the port + baudrate - The speed you communicate between TNC and computer + paclen - The maximum packet length for ax25 connections + window - The ax25 window parameter. This is like 'maxframe' + description - A textual description of the port + + + + 3.6. nrports + + This file sets up the netrom ports you want to use. An example is + below and includes a port for both cluster and node. You will see why + we need 2 ports later ... + + + + #portname callsign alias paclen description + netrom gb7mbc-8 BARE 236 Node Netrom Port + netrom2 gb7mbc-9 MBCDX 236 Cluster Netrom Port + + + + Note that the portnames have to be unique. + + + The file headings are as follows ... + + + portname - The name you will refer to the port by + callsign - This is the callsign that NET/ROM traffic from this + port will use + alias - The NET/ROM alias this port will be assigned + paclen - The maximum size of NET/ROM frames transmitted + description - A textual description of the port + + + + 3.7. nrbroadcast + + This file sets up the netrom broadcast qualities. An example is below + ... + + + + #axport min_obs def_qual worst_qual verbose + 4m 5 10 100 1 + + + + The file headings are as follows ... + + + axport - The port name in axports that you wish to broadcast + NET/ROM on. + min_obs - The minimum obsolescence value for the port + def_qual - The default quality for the port + worst_qual - The worst quality for the port. Any routes under + this quality will be ignored + verbose - This flag determines whether you will only broadcast + your own node (0) or all known nodes (1) + + + + 3.8. ax25d.conf + + This file controls any incoming ax25 and NET/ROM connections and + steers them to the relevant program. There are lots of configuration + options you can set here, however they are well covered in the + AX25-HOWTO. For our purposes I will show a typical set of parameters. + An example is below ... + + + + [gb7mbc-0 via 2m] + parameters 2 1 6 900 * 15 0 + NOCALL * * * * * * L + default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25 + + [gb7mbc-1 via 2m] + parameters 2 1 6 900 * 15 0 + NOCALL * * * * * * L + default * * * * * * 0 root /usr/sbin/node node + + [gb7mbc-0 via 4m] + parameters 2 1 6 900 * 15 0 + NOCALL * * * * * * L + default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25 + + [gb7mbc-1 via 4m] + parameters 2 1 6 900 * 15 0 + NOCALL * * * * * * L + default * * * * * * 0 root /usr/sbin/node node + + + parameters 1 10 * * * 3 * + NOCALL * * * * * * L + default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25 + + + parameters 1 10 * * * 3 * + NOCALL * * * * * * L + default * * * * * * 0 root /usr/sbin/node node + + + + There are a few things to take note of here. Firstly, all ax25 + sections are wrapped in [ ] and all NET/ROM sections are wrapped in < + >. Secondly you should be able to see that anyone who forgets to set + their callsign in a TNC and tries to connect with the standard NOCALL + set into their TNC will not connect, the 'L' means 'lockout'. Lastly + and importantly, notice the order of the sections. They are all done + in interface order. + + + You should be able to see that the normal line for access to the + cluster is like this .. + + + + default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25 + + + + however, if you wish your users to be able to use SSID's on their + callsigns .. + + + + default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %s ax25 + + + + For most purposes this is not desirable. The only time you probably + will need this is when you need to allow other cluster nodes that are + using SSID's in. In this case it would probably be better to use the + first example and then add a specific line for that node like this: + + + + GB7DJK-2 * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client gb7djk-2 ax25 + default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25 + + + + 3.9. node.conf + + For those of you that wish to run the node, you need to set up the + node.conf file. There are a couple of additional files, node.perms is + very similar to the way ftp permissions are set up in NOS systems and + node.motd is the message anyone logging into the node will get. The + node.conf file sets all the parameters of the node as you would + expect. An example is below ... + + + + # /etc/ax25/node.conf - LinuxNode configuration file + # + # see node.conf(5) + + # Idle timeout (seconds). + # + IdleTimeout 1800 + + # Timeout when gatewaying (seconds). + # + ConnTimeout 40000 + + # Visible hostname. Will be shown at telnet login. + # + HostName gb7mbc.ampr.org + + # ReConnect flag. + # + ReConnect off + + # "Local" network. + # + #LocalNet 44.139.8.48/32 + + # Command aliases. See node.conf(5) for the meaning of the uppercase + # letters in the name of the alias. + # + ##Alias CAllbook 'telnet %{2:44.17.0.53} 1235 %1 s' + #Alias CONVers 'telnet %{2:oh2ti} 3600 "/n %u %{1:139}\n/w *"' + #Alias CLuster 'c hkiclh' + Alias CONV "telnet lurpac 3600" + Alias BBS "c 70cm gb7crv" + Alias DXC "telnet localhost 9000" + Alias MUD "telnet homer 4000" + ##Alias TEMP "finger temp@mary.g6phf" + ##Alias TNOS "c ip1 gb7mbc-5" + ##Alias TUtor "telnet gb7mbc 3599" + + # Hidden ports. + # + #HiddenPorts 2 + + # External commands. See node.conf(5) for the meaning of the uppercase + # letters in the name of the extcmd. + # + # Flags: 1 Run command through pipe + # 2 Reconnected flag + # + #ExtCmd TPM 3 nobody /usr/bin/finger finger tpm + #ExtCmd ECho 1 nobody /bin/echo echo \%U \%u \%S \%s \%P \%p \%R \%r \%T \%t \%\% \%0 \%{1:foobar} \%{2} \%3 \%4 \%5 + + # Node ID. + # + NodeId "\nBARE:GB7MBC-1" + #NodeId \033[01;31m***\033[0m + + # Netrom port name. This port is used for outgoing netrom connects. + # + NrPort netrom + + # Logging level + # + LogLevel 3 + + # The escape character (CTRL-T) + # + EscapeChar ^T + + # Resolve ip numbers to addresses? + # + ResolveAddrs off + + # Node prompt. + # + #NodePrompt "\n" + #NodePrompt "%s@%h \%i> " + NodePrompt "\nBARE:GB7MBC-1 \%i > " + #NodePrompt "\a\033[36m%U\033[0m de \033[01;32m#LNODE\033[0m:\033[01;33mOH2BNS-10\033[0m> " + + + + This should be fairly obvious I hope. + + + 3.10. Getting it all running + + Ok, now we have all the relevant files configured, the next step is to + get it all running. + + + The first thing to do is attach the TNC's. Your TNC's should be in + KISS mode and connected to the serial ports involved. + + + You now use the 'kissattach' command to connect the TNC's to the + system like this ... + + + + kissattach /dev/ttyS0 2m 44.131.96.199 + kissattach /dev/ttyS1 4m 44.131.96.199 + + + + Assuming that 44.131.96.199 is your IP address. The devices ttyS0 and + ttyS1 are com1 and com2 respectively. Now we can set some parameters + ... + + + + kissparms -p 2m -t 150 -l 150 -s 50 -r 50 + kissparms -p 4m -t 150 -l 150 -s 50 -r 50 + + + + The command 'man kissparms' will give you the explanation of the + switches. + + + Now we need to attach the NET/ROM ports in the same way ... + + + + nrattach netrom + nrattach netrom2 + + All of the above can be put in a file and called from + /etc/rc.d/rc.local. Put all the above commands in a file called + rc.ax25 and put a line in rc.local to call it. + + + Now you can start the daemons that set everything in motion ... + + + + ax25d + netromd -i + + + + All should now be running. All that remains is to get the node + working for telnet connections. If nothing else, this will allow you + to connect to the node yourself to check on connection status etc. + There are 2 files that need to be edited. + + + First edit /etc/services and add + + + + node 3000/tcp #OH2BNS's Node Software + + + + Assuming you want it to run on port 3000 + + + Now cd /etc/xinetd.d and edit a new file called node. It should look + like this ... + + + + # default: on + # unencrypted username/password pairs for authentication. + service node + { + socket_type = stream + wait = no + user = root + server = /usr/sbin/node + log_on_failure += USERID + disable = no + } + + + + You now need to restart the xinetd daemon. First find out what the + PID is like so .. + + + + ps auxw |grep xinetd + + + + You will get a reply something like this ... + + + + root 592 0.0 0.1 2256 620 ? S Feb07 0:00 xinetd -stayalive -reuse -pidfile /var/run/xinetd.pid + + + + The PID or Process ID is 592 in this case so now we can issue the + command ... + + + + kill -HUP 592 + + + + All should now be operational and you should be able to log into the + node by using a telnet session to the relevant port, like so ... + + + + telnet localhost 3000 + + + + If that works, you are just about there. you should (assuming you + have radios connected to the TNC's) be able to connect out to other + stations and receive incoming ax25 and netrom connections. + + + 4. Configuration + + 4.1. Allowing ax25 connects from users + + This is dealt with in the previous section + + + 4.2. Allowing telnet connects from users + + + >From version 1.47 there is a new (more efficient) way of doing this + (see next section) but, if you prefer, the method of doing it + described here will continue to work just fine. + + + Allowing telnet connections is quite simple. Firstly you need to add + a line in /etc/services to allow connections to a port number, like + this .... + + + + spdlogin 8000/tcp # spider anonymous login port + + + + Then add a line in /etc/inetd.conf like this .... + + spdlogin stream tcp nowait root /usr/sbin/tcpd /spider/src/client login telnet + + + + Once this is done, you need to restart inetd like this .... + + + + killall -HUP inetd + + + + Now login as sysop and cd spider/src. You can test that spider is + accepting telnet logins by issuing the following command .... + + + + ./client login telnet + + + + You should get a login prompt and on issuing a callsign, you will be + given access to the cluster. Note, you will not get a password login. + There seems no good reason for a password prompt to be given so it is + not asked for. + + + Assuming all is well, then try a telnet from your linux console .... + + + + telnet localhost 8000 + + + + You should now get the login prompt and be able to login as before. + + + 4.3. Setting up telnet connects (from 1.47 onwards) + + >From version 1.47 you can choose to allow the perl cluster.pl program + to allow connections directly (i.e. not via the /spider/src/client + interface program). If you are using Windows then this is the only + method available of allowing incoming telnet connections. + + + To do this you need first to remove any line that you may previously + have set up in /etc/inetd.conf. Remember to:- + + + + killall -HUP inetd + + + + to make the change happen... + + + Having done that, you need to copy the file /spider/perl/Listeners.pm + to /spider/local and then edit it. You will need to uncomment the line + containing "0.0.0.0" and select the correct port to listen on. So that + it looks like this:- + + + + @listen = ( + ["0.0.0.0", 8000], + ); + + + + As standard, the listener will listen on all interfaces + simultaneously. If you require more control than this, you can + specify each interface individually:- + + + + @listen = ( + ["gb7baa.dxcluster.net", 8000], + ["44.131.16.2", 6300], + ); + + + + This will only be successful if the IP addresses on each interface are + static. If you are using some kind of dynamic IP addressing then the + 'default' method is the only one that will work. + + + Restart the cluster.pl program to enable the listener. + + + One important difference with the internal listener is that no echoing + is done by the cluster program. Users will need to set 'local-echo' on + in their telnet clients if it isn't set automatically (as per the + standards). Needless to say this will probably only apply to Windows + users. + + + 4.4. Setting up for AGW Engine (1.47 onwards) + + AGW Engine is a Windows based ax25 stack. You can connect to an AGW + engine from Linux as well as Windows based machines. + + + In order to enable access to an AGW Engine you need to copy + /spider/perl/AGWConnect.pm to /spider/local and edit it. Specifically + you must:- + + + o set $enable to 1. + + o set $login and $passwd to the values set up in your AGW + installation. If you haven't set any there, then you should not + touch these values. + + + o You can connect to a remote AGW engine (ie on some other machine) + by changing $addr and $port appropriately. + + o Restart the cluster.pl program + + + + 4.5. Setting up node connects + + In order to allow cluster node connections, spider needs to know that + the connecting callsign is a cluster node. This is the case whether + the connect is incoming or outgoing. In spider this is a simple task + and can be done in runtime. + + + Later versions of Spider can distinguish different software and treat + them differently. For example, the WCY beacon cannot be handles by + AK1A type nodes as AK1A does not know what to do with PC73. There are + 4 different types of node at present and although they may not have + any major differences at the moment, it allows for compatibility. The + 4 types are ... + + + + set/node (AK1A type) + set/spider + set/dxnet + set/clx + + + + For now, we will assume that the cluster we are going to connect to is + an AK1A type node. + + + Start up the cluster as you did before and login as the sysop with + client. The cluster node I am wanting to make a connection to is + GB7BAA but you would obviously use whatever callsign you required. At + the prompt type ... + + + + set/node gb7baa + + + + The case does not matter as long as you have a version of DXSpider + later than 1.33. Earlier versions required the callsign to be in + upper case. + + + That is now set, it is as simple as that. To prove it, login on yet + another console as sysop, cd to spider/src and issue the command ... + + + + ./client gb7baa (using the callsign you set as a node) + + + + You should get an initialisation string from DXSpider like this ... + + + + ./client gb7baa + PC38^GB7MBC^~ + + + + If the callsign you just set up as a cluster node is for an incoming + connect, this is all that needs to be done. If the connection is to + be outgoing then a connection script needs to be written. + + + Sometimes you make a mistake... Honest, it does happen. If you want + to make a node back to being a normal user, regardless of what type it + is, do: + + + + unset/node gb7baa + + + + 4.6. Connection scripts + + Because DXSpider operates under Linux, connections can be made using + just about any protocol; AX25, NETRom, tcp/ip, ROSE etc are all + possible examples. Connect scripts live in the /spider/connect + directory and are simple ascii files. Writing a script for + connections is therefore relatively simple. + + + The connect scripts consist of lines which start with the following + keywords or symbols:- + + + + # All lines starting with a # are ignored, as are completely blank + lines. + + + timeout + timeout followed by a number is the number of seconds to wait + for a command to complete. If there is no timeout specified in + the script then the default is 60 seconds. + + + abort + abort is a regular expression containing one or more strings to + look for to abort a connection. This is a perl regular + expression and is executed ignoring case. + + + connect + connect followed by ax25, agw (for Windows users) or telnet and + some type dependent information. In the case of a telnet + connection, there can be up to two parameters. The first is the + ip address or hostname of the computer you wish to connect to + and the second is the port number you want to use (this can be + left out if it is a normal telnet session). In the case of an + ax25 session then this would normally be a call to ax25_call or + netrom_call as in the example above. It is your responsibility + to get your node and other ax25 parameters to work before going + down this route! + + + ' line in a chat type script. The words/phrases normally come in + pairs, either can be empty. Each line reads input from the + connection until it sees the string (or perl regular expression) + contained in the left hand string. If the left hand string is + empty then it doesn't read or wait for anything. The comparison + is done ignoring case. When the left hand string has found what + it is looking for (if it is) then the right hand string is sent + to the connection. This process is repeated for every line of + chat script. + + + client + client starts the connection, put the arguments you would want + here if you were starting the client program manually. You only + need this if the script has a different name to the callsign you + are trying to connect to (i.e. you have a script called other + which actually connects to GB7DJK-1 [instead of a script called + gb7djk-1]). + + + There are many possible ways to configure the script but here are + three examples, one for a NETRom/AX25 connect, one for AGW engines and + one for tcp/ip. + + + + timeout 60 + abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail) + # don't forget to chmod 4775 netrom_call! + connect ax25 /usr/sbin/netrom_call bbs gb7djk g1tlh + # you can leave this out if you call the script 'gb7dxm' + client gb7dxm ax25 + + + + timeout 60 + abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail) + # this does exactly the same as the previous example + # the '1' is the AGW port number to connect thru for g1tlh + connect agw 1 g1tlh + # you can leave this out if you call the script 'gb7dxm' + client gb7dxm ax25 + + + + timeout 15 + connect telnet dirkl.tobit.co.uk + # tell GB7DJK-1 that it is connected to GB7DJK + # you can leave this out if you call this script 'gb7djk' + client gb7djk telnet + + + Both these examples assume that everything is set up properly at the + other end. You will find other examples in the /spider/examples + directory. + + + 4.7. Starting the connection + + You start the connection, from within a sysop enabled cluster login, + by typing in the word connect followed by a script name like this .... + + + + G0VGS de GB7MBC 13-Dec-1998 2041Z >connect gb7djk-1 + connection to GB7DJK-1 started + G0VGS de GB7MBC 13-Dec-1998 2043Z > + + + + This will start a connection using the script called gb7djk-1. You + can follow the connection by watching the term or console from where + you started cluster.pl. From version 1.47 onwards, you will need to + set/debug connect first. You should see something like this ... + + + + <- D G1TLH connect gb7djk-1 + -> D G1TLH connection to GB7DJK-1 started + -> D G1TLH G1TLH de GB7DJK 13-Dec-1998 2046Z > + timeout set to 15 + CONNECT sort: telnet command: dirkl.tobit.co.uk + CHAT "login" -> "gb7djk" + received " + Red Hat Linux release 5.1 (Manhattan) + Kernel 2.0.35 on an i586 + " + received "login: " + sent "gb7djk" + CHAT "word" -> "gb7djk" + received "gb7djk" + received "Password: " + sent "gb7djk" + Connected to GB7DJK-1, starting normal protocol + <- O GB7DJK-1 telnet + -> B GB7DJK-1 0 + GB7DJK-1 channel func state 0 -> init + <- D GB7DJK-1 + <- D GB7DJK-1 Last login: Sun Dec 13 17:59:56 from dirk1 + <- D GB7DJK-1 PC38^GB7DJK-1^~ + <- D GB7DJK-1 PC18^ 1 nodes, 0 local / 1 total users Max users 0 Uptime + 0 00:00^5447^~ + etc + + + + With later versions of Spider there is a set/login command for users. + This tells them when a user or node logs in or out. If you do not add + a line to your scripts after the final line (or before the client line + which should always be last if needed) then the login/logout + information will be sent to users before the login actually completes. + This means if a node is unreachable, it will continue sending logins + and logouts to users even though it is not actually connecting. To + avoid this use the following line ... + In a script, this might look like ... + + + + timeout 35 + abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail) + connect telnet mary 3000 + + + + 4.8. Telnet echo + + Cluster links in particular suffer greatly from the presence of telnet + echo. This is caused by the telnet negotiation itself and can create + at worst severe loops. At best it creates unnecessary bandwidth and + large logfiles! There are things that can be done to limit this + problem but will not always work dependent on the route taken to + connect. + + + Telnet echo itself should only be a problem if the connection is being + made to the telnet port (23). This port uses special rules that + include echo negotiation. If the connection is to a different port, + such as 7300, this negotiation does not happen and therefore no echo + should be present. + + + Sometimes it is not possible to make a direct connection to another + node and this can cause problems. There is a way of trying to + suppress the telnet echo but this will not always work, unfortunately + it is difficult to be more specific. Here is an example of what I + mean ... + + + + timeout 35 + abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail) + connect telnet mary.lancs.ac.uk + + + + So, the first connection is made by Spider. This is fine as Spider + uses the Net_Telnet script from within perl. This actually uses TCP + rather than TELNET so no negotiation will be done on the first + connection. Once connected to mary.lancs.ac.uk, the command is sent + to suppress echo. Now a telnet is made to a cluster node that is + accepting connections on port 23. The problem with this link is that + the negotiation is made by the remote machine, therefore you have no + control over it. The chances are that this link will create echo and + there will be no way you can stop it. + + + + 4.9. Autostarting the cluster + + Ok, you should now have DXSpider running nicely and allowing connects + by cluster nodes or users. However, it has to be shutdown and + restarted manually. It would be much easier to have it start + automatically. + + + + This is not only a way to start the cluster automatically, it also + works as a watchdog, checking the sanity of DXSpider and respawning it + should it crash for any reason. Before doing the following, shutdown + the cluster as you did earlier. + + + Login as root and bring up the /etc/inittab file in your favourite + editor. Add the following lines to the file near the end ... + + + + ##Start DXSpider on bootup and respawn it should it crash + DX:3:respawn:/bin/su -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" sysop >/dev/tty7 + + + + This line works fine for RedHat distributions. It is also fine for + SuSE up to 7.0. From SuSE 7.1 you need to add runlevels 2 and 5 like + this ... + + + + DX:235:respawn:/bin/su -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" sysop >/dev/tty7 + + + + The line required for Slackware distributions is slightly different. + My thanks to Aurelio, PA3EZL for this information. + + + + DX:23:respawn:/bin/su - sysop -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" >/dev/tty7 + + + + This will automatically start DXSpider on tty7 (ALT-F7) on bootup and + restart it should it crash for any reason. + + + NB: It should be noted that /dev/tty7 is only an example. Some SuSE + systems will only accept upto tty6. It really does not matter which + tty you run it on. + + + As root type the command telinit q. DXSpider should start up + immediately. You will see the output on tty7 and if you login as + sysop you should find everything running nicely. + + + 5. Microsoft Windows Installation + + 5.1. Introduction + + IMPORTANT: + + What you'll be left with once you've followed these instructions is + (hopefully) a working DX Spider v1.50 system that is capable of + accepting or originating "internet" connections, plus inbound and + outbound AX.25 and TCP/IP radio connections. + + On the other hand, you may have an enquiring mind, or better yet, may + be looking for a useful way of connecting your current (perhaps) AK1A + cluster "to the internet" via some networking mechanism (BPQEther, + etc) or other. I won't be producing instructions for the latter case, + because I don't have an AK1A to play with. But someone might ... + + Whatever, this document is intended to get you started with DX Spider + in a Microsoft Windows (TM) environment. It's not intended to teach + you anything other than how to perform a minimum configuration of a DX + Spider installation and have it able to connect across "the internet" + to other DX Clusters, while accepting inbound TELNET and radio + connections. + + + 5.2. The requirements + + The very first things you're going to need are (in order of + importance):- + + + o A cup of good, strong tea + + o A supported Windows platform with an internet connection so you can + download the necessary software bits and bobs directly to it. There + are other ways, but this is preferable. + + o Another cup of good, strong tea + + o If all goes according to plan, about an hour to spare + + o Plenty of good, strong tea + + + 5.3. The system + + The platform I used to generate these instructions was a "vanilla" + Microsoft Windows Me 4.90.3000 system, with a 700MHz AMD Athlon + processor and 96 Mb memory. I've also personally verified that it runs + on my laptop (Pentium 266MHz, 32 Mb memory, Windows 98 SE v4.10.2222 + A) and a computer that I assembled from a random pile of junk (AMD + K6-2 333MHz, 64 Mb memory, Windows 98 v4.10.1998). As a result, I have + reason to believe that what I'm about to describe will perform equally + on any 32-bit MS Windows environment with 32 Mb of memory. + + Because of the changes that have recently been made to the core + "cluster.pl" module and the introduction of a very lightweight + "winclient.pl", I have a sneaking suspicion that this will now run on + any platform that has reasonably complete support for Perl. Is there + someone out there with both an enquiring mind and (say) a Macintosh, + for instance? + + Please bear in mind, though, that my instructions relate solely to how + to get this going under a Microsoft Windows environment, and I have + zero intention of trying to make them say otherwise. + + + 5.4. Perl + + Install your chosen Perl environment. Unless you have a very good + reason for not doing so, I strongly suggest that you use ActivePerl + v5.6. For my testing & development, I used build 623. (A recent + installation used the newer ActivePerl v5.6.1, build 633 without any + noticable difficulty.) You can get this from: + http://www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePerl/Download.html + + + The link takes you to an initial page of System Requirements and + Software Prerequisites. If you do not have it already installed, you + can download and install the Windows Installer 2.0 for a Win98 + installation. Be forewarned, you will have to reboot your PC at the + completion of the installer's installation. + + If you already have the installer on your PC, simply click on the Next + arrow at the bottom of the page. Two clicks will finally get you to + the actual download page. The MSI version of Build 633 is now 8.6MB + in size, so make that a big cup of tea or coffee if you're on a slow + dial-up connection. + + During installation, please ensure that you do choose the options to + "Add Perl to the PATH environment variable" and "Create Perl file + extension association"; it will make your life so much easier. Once + the installation is finished, be sure to reboot your PC. You probably + won't be told anywhere else that this needs to be done now, but it + does. Really. + + Once you've rebooted, open a "DOS box" (Start > Run > command might do + it, if you can't find it elsewhere) and from wherever it lands, type + PERL -v (it's better if that's a lower-case be rewarded with + some interesting information about your Perl installation. If you're + not, you must go back to the beginning and discover what went wrong + and fix it. It's pointless to proceed unless this simple check is + passed. Assuming it did work, you may now move on. + + + 5.5. Additional packages + + Some extensions ("packages") need to be added to the base Perl + distribution, and we'll do this next. If you're using the Perl I + recommended, and don't know any better for yourself, then just blindly + following these instructions will work just fine. If that didn't + describe you, then you're on your own. + + Visit the following URL: + + http://www.activestate.com/PPMPackages/zips/6xx-builds-only/ + + and download the following files:- + + + + Data-Dumper.zip + Net-Telnet.zip + TimeDate.zip + Time-HiRes.zip + DB_File.zip + + + + If this is a new installation, now would also be a good time to + install a copy of WinZip on your PC. Make yourself a convenient + directory to unpack all of these zip files into (I put mine in + "D:\ppm>" but "C:\ppm" works just as well.) and do the following (the + bits you type in are blue ). You can upzip all of the files into the + same directory. When prompted, simply overwrite the Readme file from + each zip package. Note that where these files land will be directly + related to where you chose to install your ActivePerl (mine, as you + can probably guess from what follows, went into "D:\Perl"):- + + + + D:\ppm>ppm install Data-Dumper.ppd + Installing package 'Data-Dumper.ppd' + Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.bs + Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.dll + Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.exp + Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.lib + Installing D:\Perl\html\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.html + Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\Data\Dumper\Dumper.pm + Writing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.packlist + D:\ppm> + + + + I'm not going to bother you with exhaustive details of the rest of + them, but suffice it to say you need to: + + + + ppm install DB_File.ppd + ppm install Net-Telnet.ppd + ppm install TimeDate.ppd + ppm install Time-HiRes.ppd + + + + If all that seemed to work OK, time to move along. Before anyone who + is familiar with PPM tells me that we didn't need to download and keep + those files locally, I knew that. I also knew that PPM is sometimes + awkward to configure via firewalls, and that sometimes the + repositories don't always work the way we'd hope. I do it that way + because it suits me. + + + 5.6. Getting Spider + + Get the current version of the DX Spider distribution. This needs to + be v1.50 or later. You've got two ways (currently) of getting this; + either get a CVS update from sourceforge (if you don't know what this + is, then it isn't for you) or get the latest "official" release from: + + http://www.dxcluster.org/download/index.html + + or if you want the lastest snapshot of CVS version (which is produced + every night):- + + http://www.dxcluster.org/download/CVSlatest.tgz + + This is generally the best one to go for as it is completely up to + date. However, there is always the very slight chance that it might + unstable. Generally, there will be a note on the website if this is + the case. + + + The only difference between "CVSlatest.tgz" and the latest "official" + release version is that it is more up to date. Do not confuse the + "CVSlatest.tgz" file with "Downloading from Sourceforge with CVS" - + they are two quite different things. "Downloading from Sourceforge + with CVS" is explained in a section within the Admin manual. + + + If you go down the CVS route (ie installing WinCVS as explained in the + Admin manual and downloaded from sourceforge), then everything will be + nicely installed on your local disk. If you got the CVSlatest.tgz + file, unzip (winzip) it to "C:\". This is an important point since + paths are included within the .tgz file. Make sure you unzip to the + root directory of whichever drive you use... "C:\" or "D:\" or .., + not "C:\spider." If you double click on CVSlatest.tgz, WinZip should + open with a dialogue box that says the Archive contains a single file + (CVSlatest.tar) and asks whether WinZip should decompress it to a + temporary fold and then open it. Say "Yes" and then you will get the + typical Classical WinZip listing of files ready for extraction. + Remember, extract them to your desired root directory ("C:\" or "D:\" + or ...). The following examples assume that you put it on drive + "C:\", for convenience. + + + 6. Installing the software + + At this point you will need to create 2 additional directories under + "C:\Spider." Make directories "C:\spider\local" and + "C:\spider\local_cmd". If "C:\spider" is missing, go back and figure + out why, because it shouldn't be. + + Now create your own local copy of the DXVars.pm file by:- + + + + copy c:\spider\perl\DXVars.pm.issue + c:\spider\local\DXVars.pm + + + + Now you'll need to edit this file using a text editor like Notepad. If + nothing else, you can simply + + + + cd \spider\local + + + + and then + + + + notepad DXVars.pm + + + + to bring up an editor window containing the file. As an absolute + minimum you must adjust the following items in DXVars.pm:- + + + o $mycall - Should hold the callsign of your DX Cluster + + o $myname - The SysOp's first name + + o $myalias - the SysOp's callsign. Cannot be the same as $mycall! + + o $myqth - The station's geographical location (QTH). + + o $mylatitude - The station latitude in degrees and decimal fractions + + o $mylongitude - The station longitude in degrees and decimal + fractions + + + o $mylocator - The Maidenhead (or QRA) locator of the station + + You really also ought to update the $myqth and $myemail variables. And + unless you are absolutely certain you know what you're doing, you + should change nothing else in this file. Note that if you use an "@" + or a "$" character in one of the above strings (typically in $myemail) + you must write them as "\@" or "\$". + + + 6.1. Incoming telnets + + If you want to enable inbound "TELNET" connections (or you are running + Windows 98, NT, 2000 or XP), you've got a little more work to do. From + a handy "DOS box" that's not doing anything else, do the following:- + + + + copy \spider\perl\Listeners.pm \spider\local + cd \spider\local + notepad listeners.pm + + + + The following line need attention:- + + + + # ["0.0.0.0", 7300], + + + + On my machine, I've simply uncommented the "0.0.0.0" entry by removing + the '#' from the front of the line. + + You MUST carry out this step if you are running on a Windows 98, NT, + 2000 or XP based system + + If you don't have a static hostname for your machine, and you intend + to allow folk to connect to your machine across the internet, then I'd + suggest you pay a visit to www.dyndns.org and create one for yourself. + While it's free, it will take a modest amount of effort on your part + to read, understand and implement what needs to be done to set this + up. + + + If your machine is connected to the internet and you don't want to + allow your machine to be visible to the outside world you should + change the "0.0.0.0" to "127.0.0.1" [which is "localhost"]. This will + then only allow connections from inside your machine. As was said + earlier: if you aren't running Win9x (or you want to use DXTelnet or + somesuch), then you need to have the machine listening at least to + "127.0.0.1" ("0.0.0.0" means all IP addresses). + + + 6.2. The AGW packet engine + + On the assumption that you'll be using the SV2AGW Packet Engine to + interface your radios to the cluster, it would be a good idea to + download the Packet Engine software! You can get this software from: + + http://www.raag.org/sv2agw/agwpe.zip + + Depending upon your TNCs, you may also need to get: + + http://www.raag.org/sv2agw/drivers.zip + + A couple of the tools: + + http://www.raag.org/sv2agw/agwterm.zip + + http://www.raag.org/sv2agw/agwmonitor.zip + + will also help with troubleshooting of the RF links themselves. + + Install and configure AGWPE. You should now create your own local + copy of AGWConnect.pm by:- + + + + copy c:\spider\perl\AGWConnect.pm + c:\spider\local\AGWConnect.pm + + + + and then + + + + notepad AGWConnect.pm + + + + to bring up an editor window containing the file. You must consider + adjusting the following items in AGWConnect.pm:- + + + o $enable - set to '1' to enable AGWPE interface + + o $login - the login ID you chose when you set up the SV2AGW + security :-) + + o $passwd - password that matches $login + + The login ID and passwd only need to be set if you are accessing AGW + separately via its web interface. This interface is normally not + needed for use with DXSpider. + + + 6.3. Setting up the initial user files + + Next you need to create the initial user files, etc. A tool is + supplied which will do this for you. To run the tool:- + + + + cd \spider\perl + perl create_sysop.pl + + + + If all goes according to plan, you will see no output from this + program, and after a brief wait, your DOS prompt will be returned. + + Depending on how brave you are, you might now care to try the + following:- + + + perl cluster.pl + + + + If you did everything you were told, your DOS window will now hold a + display which looks something like:- + + + + DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.50 + Copyright (c) 1998-2002 Dirk Koopman G1TLH + loading prefixes ... + loading band data ... + loading user file system ... + starting listeners ... + Internal port: localhost 27754 + load badwords: Ok + reading in duplicate spot and WWV info ... + reading existing message headers ... + load badmsg: Ok + load forward: Ok + load swop: Ok + @msg = 0 before delete + @msg = 0 after delete + reading cron jobs ...v cron: reading /spider/cmd/crontab + cron: adding 1 0 * * 0 + DXUser::export("$main::data/user_asc") + reading database descriptors ... + doing local initialisation ... + orft we jolly well go ... + queue msg (0) + + + + Now, if that's what you've got, you are very nearly home and dry (in + as far as these particular experiments are concerned, anyhow) + + If you are running Windows 9x you can access your new cluster (from + the local machine) by finding yourself another "DOS box" and doing the + following:- + + + + cd \spider\perl + perl winclient.pl + + + + If you are running Windows NT, 2000 or XP then winclient.pl does not + work. We don't know why other than this seems to be some kind of + incomaptibility in perl. You can achieve the same thing by telnetting + to the port you defined in Listeners.pm (7300 as default), thus:- + + + + Menu->Start->Run + telnet localhost 7300 + + + + On getting the login: prompt, enter your sysop callsign (the one you + put in DXVars.pm as $myalias). + I would recommend strongly that you obtain a better telnet client than + that which comes with windows (I use PuTTY). + + + Anyway, if you are rewarded with a display which looks something + like:- + + + + Hello Iain, this is GB7SJP in Amersham, Bucks running DXSpider V1.50 + Cluster: 1 nodes, 1 local / 1 total users Max users 2 Uptime 0 00:00 + M0ADI de GB7SJP 4-Mar-2001 1511Z > + + + + You've arrived. Try some commands, and see how they feel. (In case you + were wondering, "Iain", "M0ADI" and "GB7SJP" all came from the version + of DXVars.pm that was on the machine when I started the winclient.pl) + + + The interface is very basic. It is a simple command line. There are + better looking interfaces. Most of the "standard" logging and DX + Cluster access programs that are capable of connecting via a TCP or + telnet connection will work as a "Sysop Console" client. You connect + to "localhost" on the port that you defined in Listeners.pm (usually + 7300). I recommend packages like DXTelnet. + + + 6.4. Connecting to other clusters + + If you want to connect this to another cluster, then you'll want to + negotiate a link with someone. For experimental purposes, I'm happy to + allow folk to connect to GB7DXA (spud.ath.cx), on the understanding + that the system may or may not be there and may or may not be + connected to anything particularly useful at any given moment. Contact + me by Email if you want me to set up a connection for you. + + + 7. General Information + + The following relates to all versions of DXSpider and is not platform + related. + + + 7.1. The crontab file + + Login as sysop and create a file in /spider/local_cmd called crontab. + Edit it with your favourite editor and add a line like this (I have + included a comment) + + + + # check every 10 minutes to see if gb7xxx is connected and if not + # start a connect job going + + 0,10,20,30,40,50 * * * * start_connect('gb7xxx') unless connected('gb7xxx') + + + + The callsign involved will be the callsign of the cluster node you are + going to connect to. This will now check every 10 minutes to see if + gb7xxx is connected, if it is then nothing will be done. If it is + not, then a connect attempt will be started. + There are probably lots of other things you could use this crontab + file for. If you want to know more about it, look at the DXSpider + website at the cron page where it is explained more fully. + + +