1 <!doctype linuxdoc system>
5 <!-- Title information -->
7 <title>The DXSpider Installation and Administration Manual</title>
8 <author>Ian Maude, G0VGS, (ianmaude@btinternet.com)</author>
9 <date>Version 1.47 (Revision 1.30), April 2001</date>
12 A reference for SysOps of the DXSpider DXCluster program.
15 <!-- Table of contents -->
18 <!-- Begin the document -->
20 <sect>Installation (Original version by Iain Philipps, G0RDI)
25 This section describes the installation of DX Spider v1.46 on a
26 <htmlurl url="http://www.redhat.com" name="RedHat"> Linux Distribution.
27 Wherever possible I will try to include differences for other distributions.
28 I do not intend to try and cover the installation of Linux or the setup
29 of the AX25 utilities. If you need help on this then read Iains original
30 installation guide that comes with the Spider distribution.
33 I am assuming a general knowledge of Linux and its commands. You should
34 know how to use <em>tar</em> and how to edit files using your favourite editor.
37 The crucial ingredient for all of this is
38 <htmlurl url="http://www.perl.org" name="Perl">. Earlier versions of
39 Spider required perl 5.004, however it is now <it>STRONGLY</it> recommended
40 that you use at least version 5.005_03 as this is the version being used
41 in the development of Spider.
43 <P>In addition to the standard Red Hat distribution you will require the
44 following modules from <htmlurl url="http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html" name="http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html"> ...
49 <item> Data-Dumper-2.101.tar.gz
50 <item> TimeDate-1.10.tar.gz
51 <item> IO-1.20.tar.gz (for perl 5.00403 and lower)
52 <item> Net-Telnet-3.02.tar.gz
53 <item> Curses-1.05.tar.gz
54 <item> Time-HiRes-01.20.tar.gz
60 <em>Do</em> get the latest versions of these packages and install them
61 but use the above list as the earliest versions usable.
66 I will assume that you have already downloaded the latest tarball of
67 the DXSpider software and are ready to install it. I am assuming version
68 1.46 for this section but of course you would use the latest version.
71 Login as root and create a user to run the cluster under. <bf><it>UNDER
72 NO CIRCUMSTANCES USE ROOT AS THIS USER!</it></bf>. I am going to use
73 the name <em>sysop</em>. You can call it anything you wish. Depending
74 on your security requirements you may wish to use an existing user,
75 however this is your own choice.
83 Now set a password for the user ...
88 # Retype new UNIX password:
89 passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully
92 <sect1>Installing the software
95 Now to unpack the DX Spider distribution, set symbolic links and group
96 permissions. Copy the tarball to /home/sysop and do the following.
100 # tar xvfz spider-1.46.tar.gz
101 # ln -s ~sysop/spider /spider
102 # groupadd -g 251 spider (or another number)
105 If you do not have the command <em>groupadd</em> available to you simply
106 add a line in /etc/group by hand.
109 # vi /etc/group (or your favorite editor)
112 You also need to add some others to the group, including your own callsign
113 (this will be used as an alias) and root. The finished line in /etc/group
114 should look something like this
117 spider:x:251:sysop,g0vgs,root
121 The next step is to set the permissions on the Spider directory tree and files ....
124 # chown -R sysop.spider spider
125 # find . -type d -exec chmod 2775 {} \;
126 # find . -type f -exec chmod 775 {} \;
130 This last step allows various users of the group <em>spider</em> to have
131 write access to all the directories. This is not really needed just yet
132 but will be useful when web interfaces start to appear.
135 Finally, you need to fix the permissions on the ax25_call and netrom_call
136 programs. Check where they are with the <em>locate</em> command and alter
137 the permissions with the <em>chmod</em> command like this ..
140 # chown root ax25_call netrom_call
141 # chmod 4775 ax25_call netrom_call
144 <sect1>Setting callsigns etc
147 Now login to your machine as the user you created earlier. In my case that
148 user is called <em>sysop</em>. Once logged in, issue the following commands ....
154 $ cp perl/DXVars.pm.issue local/DXVars.pm
156 $ vi DXVars.pm (or your favourite editor)
160 Using the distributed DXVars.pm as a a template, set your cluster callsign,
161 sysop callsign and other user info to suit your own environment. Note that
162 this a perl file which will be parsed and executed as part of the cluster. If
163 you get it wrong then perl will complain when you start the cluster process.
164 It is important only to alter the text of any section. Some of the lines look
165 a little odd. Take this line for example ....
168 $myemail = "ianmaude\@btinternet.com";
172 There appears to be an extra slash in there. However this has to be there
173 for the file to work so leave it in.
175 <P><bf>PLEASE USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR CALLSIGNS</bf>
178 DON'T alter any file in /spider/perl, they are overwritten with every
179 release. Any files or commands you place in /spider/local or /spider/local_cmd
180 will automagically be used in preference to the ones in /spider/perl EVEN
181 while the cluster is running!
184 Save the new file and change directory to ../perl ....
191 Now type the following command which creates the basic user file with you as
198 <sect1>Starting up for the first time
201 We can now bring spider up for the first time and see if all is well or not!
202 It should look something like this ...
206 DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.46
207 Copyright (c) 1998 Dirk Koopman G1TLH
209 loading band data ...
210 loading user file system ...
211 starting listener ...
212 reading existing message headers
214 orft we jolly well go ...
218 If all is well then login on another term or console as <em>sysop</em> and
219 cd to /spider/src. Now issue the following command ...
226 This should log you into the cluster as the sysop under the alias callsign we
227 set earlier. In this case the callsign is G0VGS. The cluster callsign is set
228 in the DXVars.pm file in /spider/local. In this case we will assume that this
229 was set as GB7MBC. You should therefore see this when you login ....
232 G0VGS de GB7MBC 19-Nov-1999 2150Z >
235 If you do, congratulations! If not, look over the instructions again, you
236 have probably missed something out. You can shut spider down again with the
244 and both the cluster and the client should return to Linux prompts.
246 <sect1>The Client program
249 In earlier versions of Spider, all the processes were Perl scripts. This
250 was fine but with a lot of users your computer memory would soon be used up.
251 To combat this a new client was written in "C". This client only works for
252 <em>incoming</em> connects at the moment. Before you can use it though it
253 has to be "made". CD to /spider/src and type <em>make</em>. You
254 should see the output on your screen and hopefully now have a small C program
255 called <em>client</em>. Leave it in this directory.
258 <sect>Quick installation guide (Linux version)
261 This section is designed for experienced Spider sysops who want to install
262 Spider from scratch. It is simply a check list of things that need to be
263 done without any explanations. The name in brackets at the end of each line
264 is the user that should be doing that process.
268 <item>Get the additional CPAN modules and install them (root)
269 <item>Create the "sysop" user and set a password (root)
270 <item>Put the Spider tarball in ~sysop and untar it (root)
271 <item>ln -s ~sysop/spider /spider (root)
272 <item>groupadd -g 251 spider (root)
273 <item>Add any more users you need to the group entry in /etc/group (root)
274 <item>Set the permissions on the spider tree (root)
275 <item>Fix permissions on ax25_call and netrom_call (root)
276 <item>Login as the sysop user
277 <item>cd to /spider (sysop)
278 <item>mkdir local (sysop)
279 <item>mkdir local_cmd (sysop)
280 <item>cp perl/DXVars.pm.issue local/DXVars.pm (sysop)
281 <item>cd to /spider/local and edit DXVars to set your details (sysop)
282 <item>cd ../perl (sysop)
283 <item>./create_sysop.pl (sysop)
284 <item>./cluster.pl (sysop)
287 Spider should now be running and you should be able to login using the
292 <item>Enter the correct line in ax25d.conf (root)
293 <item>Enter the correct line in /etc/services (root)
294 <item>Enter the correct line in /etc/inetd.conf (root)
295 <item>killall -HUP inetd (root)
298 Spider should now be able to accept logins via telnet, netrom and ax25.
302 <item>Start the cluster (sysop)
303 <item>set/node and type for links (sysop)
304 <item>Write any connect scripts (sysop)
305 <item>Edit /spider/crontab as required (sysop)
306 <item>Edit any other files as necessary (sysop)
307 <item>Set filters, hops and forwarding files (sysop)
309 <item>Enter the correct line in /etc/inittab (root)
314 <sect1>Allowing ax25 connects from users
317 As stated previously, the aim of this document is not to tell you how to
318 configure Linux or the ax25 utilities. However, you do need to add a line
319 in your ax25d.conf to allow connections to DXSpider for your users. For
320 each interface that you wish to allow connections on, use the following format ...
323 default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25
326 or, if you wish your users to be able to use SSID's on their callsigns ..
329 default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %s ax25
332 For most purposes this is not desirable. The only time you probably will
333 need this is when you need to allow other cluster nodes that are using SSID's
334 in. In this case it would probably be better to use the first example and
335 then add a specific line for that node like this:
338 GB7DJK-2 * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client gb7djk-2 ax25
339 default * * * * * * - sysop /spider/src/client client %u ax25
342 <sect1>Allowing telnet connects from users
345 From version 1.47 there is a new (more efficient) way of doing this
346 (see next section) but, if you prefer, the method of doing it described
347 here will continue to work just fine.
350 Allowing telnet connections is quite simple. Firstly you need to add a line
351 in /etc/services to allow connections to a port number, like this ....
354 spdlogin 8000/tcp # spider anonymous login port
357 Then add a line in /etc/inetd.conf like this ....
360 spdlogin stream tcp nowait root /usr/sbin/tcpd /spider/src/client login telnet
364 Once this is done, you need to restart inetd like this ....
371 <P>Now login as <em>sysop</em> and cd spider/src. You can test that spider
372 is accepting telnet logins by issuing the following command ....
375 ./client login telnet
378 You should get a login prompt and on issuing a callsign, you will be given
379 access to the cluster. Note, you will not get a password login. There seems
380 no good reason for a password prompt to be given so it is not asked for.
383 Assuming all is well, then try a telnet from your linux console ....
386 telnet localhost 8000
390 You should now get the login prompt and be able to login as before.
392 <sect1>Setting up telnet connects (from 1.47 onwards)
395 From version 1.47 you can choose to allow the perl cluster.pl program to
396 allow connections directly (i.e. not via the <tt>/spider/src/client</tt>
397 interface program). If you are using Windows then this is the only method
398 available of allowing incoming telnet connections.
401 To do this you need first to remove any line that you may previously have set
402 up in /etc/inetd.conf. Remember to:-
409 to make the change happen...
412 Having done that, you need to copy the file
413 <em>/spider/perl/Listeners.pm</em> to <em>/spider/local</em> and
414 then edit it. You will need to uncomment the line containing &dquot;0.0.0.0&dquot;
415 and select the correct port to listen on. So that it looks like this:-
424 As standard, the listener will listen on all interfaces simultaneously.
425 If you require more control than this, you can specify each interface
430 ["gb7baa.dxcluster.net", 8000],
431 ["44.131.16.2", 6300],
436 This will only be successful if the IP addresses on each interface are static.
437 If you are using some kind of dynamic IP addressing then the 'default' method
438 is the only one that will work.
441 Restart the cluster.pl program to enable the listener.
444 One important difference with the internal listener is that no echoing
445 is done by the cluster program. Users will need to set 'local-echo' on in
446 their telnet clients if it isn't set automatically (as per the standards).
447 Needless to say this will probably only apply to Windows users.
449 <sect1>Setting up for AGW Engine (1.47 onwards)
452 AGW Engine is a Windows based ax25 stack. You can connect to an AGW engine
453 from Linux as well as Windows based machines.
456 In order to enable access to an AGW Engine you need to copy
457 <em>/spider/perl/AGWConnect.pm</em> to <em>/spider/local</em> and edit it.
458 Specifically you must:-
461 <item> set <tt>$enable</tt> to 1.
462 <item> set <tt>$login</tt> and <tt>$passwd</tt> to the values set up in your AGW installation.
463 If you haven't set any there, then you should not touch these values.
464 <item> You can connect to a remote AGW engine (ie on some other machine) by changing <tt>$addr</tt>
465 and <tt>$port</tt> appropriately.
466 <item> Restart the cluster.pl program
470 <sect1>Setting up node connects
473 In order to allow cluster node connections, spider needs to know that the
474 connecting callsign is a cluster node. This is the case whether the connect
475 is incoming or outgoing. In spider this is a simple task and can be done in
479 Later versions of Spider can distinguish different software and treat them
480 differently. For example, the WCY beacon cannot be handles by AK1A type
481 nodes as AK1A does not know what to do with PC73. There are 4 different
482 types of node at present and although they may not have any major
483 differences at the moment, it allows for compatibility. The 4 types are ...
493 For now, we will assume that the cluster we are going to connect to is an
497 Start up the cluster as you did before and login as the sysop with client.
498 The cluster node I am wanting to make a connection to is GB7BAA but you would
499 obviously use whatever callsign you required. At the prompt type ...
506 The case does not matter as long as you have a version of DXSpider later than
507 1.33. Earlier versions required the callsign to be in upper case.
510 That is now set, it is as simple as that. To prove it, login on yet another
511 console as sysop, cd to spider/src and issue the command ...
514 ./client gb7baa (using the callsign you set as a node)
518 You should get an initialisation string from DXSpider like this ...
525 If the callsign you just set up as a cluster node is for an incoming connect,
526 this is all that needs to be done. If the connection is to be outgoing then
527 a connection script needs to be written.
530 Sometimes you make a mistake... Honest, it does happen. If you want to make a node
531 back to being a normal user, regardless
532 of what type it is, do:
538 <sect1>Connection scripts
541 Because DXSpider operates under Linux, connections can be made using just about
542 any protocol; AX25, NETRom, tcp/ip, ROSE etc are all possible examples.
543 Connect scripts live in the /spider/connect directory and are simple ascii files.
544 Writing a script for connections is therefore relatively simple.
547 The connect scripts consist of lines which start with the following keywords
552 <tag/#/All lines starting with a <tt>#</tt> are ignored, as are completely
555 <tag/timeout/<tt>timeout</tt> followed by a number is the number of seconds to wait for a
556 command to complete. If there is no timeout specified in the script
557 then the default is 60 seconds.
559 <tag/abort/ <tt>abort</tt> is a regular expression containing one or more strings to look
560 for to abort a connection. This is a perl regular expression and is
561 executed ignoring case.
563 <tag/connect/<tt>connect</tt> followed by ax25, agw (for Windows users) or telnet and some type dependent
564 information. In the case of a telnet connection, there can be up to
566 The first is the ip address or hostname of the computer you wish to
567 connect to and the second is the port number you want to use (this
568 can be left out if it is a normal telnet session).
569 In the case of an ax25 session then this would normally be a call to
570 ax25_call or netrom_call as in the example above. It is your
571 responsibility to get your node and other ax25 parameters to work
572 before going down this route!
574 <tag/'/<tt>'</tt> is the delimiting character for a word or phrase of an expect/send
575 line in a chat type script. The words/phrases normally come in pairs,
576 either can be empty. Each line reads input from the connection until
577 it sees the string (or perl regular expression) contained in the
578 left hand string. If the left hand string is empty then it doesn't
579 read or wait for anything. The comparison is done ignoring case.
580 When the left hand string has found what it is looking for (if it is)
581 then the right hand string is sent to the connection.
582 This process is repeated for every line of chat script.
584 <tag/client/<tt>client</tt> starts the connection, put the arguments you would want here
585 if you were starting the client program manually. You only need this
586 if the script has a different name to the callsign you are trying to
587 connect to (i.e. you have a script called other which actually
588 connects to GB7DJK-1 [instead of a script called gb7djk-1]).
592 There are many possible ways to configure the script but here are three examples,
593 one for a NETRom/AX25 connect, one for AGW engines and one for tcp/ip.
597 abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail)
598 # don't forget to chmod 4775 netrom_call!
599 connect ax25 /usr/sbin/netrom_call bbs gb7djk g1tlh
603 # you can leave this out if you call the script 'gb7dxm'
611 abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail)
612 # this does exactly the same as the previous example
613 # the '1' is the AGW port number to connect thru for g1tlh
618 # you can leave this out if you call the script 'gb7dxm'
626 connect telnet dirkl.tobit.co.uk
629 # tell GB7DJK-1 that it is connected to GB7DJK
630 # you can leave this out if you call this script 'gb7djk'
635 Both these examples assume that everything is set up properly at the other end.
636 You will find other examples in the /spider/examples directory.
638 <sect1>Starting the connection
641 You start the connection, from within a sysop enabled cluster login, by typing
642 in the word <em>connect</em> followed by a script name like this ....
645 G0VGS de GB7MBC 13-Dec-1998 2041Z >connect gb7djk-1
646 connection to GB7DJK-1 started
647 G0VGS de GB7MBC 13-Dec-1998 2043Z >
650 This will start a connection using the script called <em>gb7djk-1</em>. You can
651 follow the connection by watching the term or console from where you started
652 <em>cluster.pl</em>. From version 1.47 onwards, you will need to <tt>set/debug connect</tt> first.
653 You should see something like this ...
656 <- D G1TLH connect gb7djk-1
657 -> D G1TLH connection to GB7DJK-1 started
658 -> D G1TLH G1TLH de GB7DJK 13-Dec-1998 2046Z >
660 CONNECT sort: telnet command: dirkl.tobit.co.uk
661 CHAT "login" -> "gb7djk"
663 Red Hat Linux release 5.1 (Manhattan)
664 Kernel 2.0.35 on an i586
668 CHAT "word" -> "gb7djk"
670 received "Password: "
672 Connected to GB7DJK-1, starting normal protocol
675 GB7DJK-1 channel func state 0 -> init
677 <- D GB7DJK-1 Last login: Sun Dec 13 17:59:56 from dirk1
678 <- D GB7DJK-1 PC38^GB7DJK-1^~
679 <- D GB7DJK-1 PC18^ 1 nodes, 0 local / 1 total users Max users 0 Uptime
686 With later versions of Spider there is a set/login command for users. This
687 tells them when a user or node logs in or out. If you do not add a line to
688 your scripts after the final line (or before the client line which should always
689 be last if needed) then the login/logout information will be sent to users
690 <it>before</it> the login actually completes. This means if a node is
691 unreachable, it will continue sending logins and logouts to users even though it
692 is not actually connecting. To avoid this use the following line ...
699 In a script, this might look like ...
703 abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail)
704 connect telnet mary 3000
706 '>' 'telnet 44.131.93.96 7305'
713 Cluster links in particular suffer greatly from the presence of telnet echo.
714 This is caused by the telnet negotiation itself and can create at worst severe
715 loops. At best it creates unnecessary bandwidth and large logfiles! There are
716 things that can be done to limit this problem but will not always work dependent
717 on the route taken to connect.
720 Telnet echo itself should only be a problem if the connection is being made to
721 the telnet port (23). This port uses special rules that include echo negotiation.
722 If the connection is to a different port, such as 7300, this negotiation does
723 not happen and therefore no echo should be present.
726 Sometimes it is not possible to make a direct connection to another node and this
727 can cause problems. There is a way of trying to suppress the telnet echo but
728 this will not always work, unfortunately it is difficult to be more specific.
729 Here is an example of what I mean ...
733 abort (Busy|Sorry|Fail)
734 connect telnet mary.lancs.ac.uk
737 '\$' 'stty -echo raw'
738 '\$' 'telnet 44.131.93.96'
742 So, the first connection is made by Spider. This is fine as Spider uses the
743 Net_Telnet script from within perl. This actually uses TCP rather than TELNET
744 so no negotiation will be done on the first connection. Once connected to
745 mary.lancs.ac.uk, the command is sent to suppress echo. Now a telnet is made
746 to a cluster node that is accepting connections on port 23. The problem with
747 this link is that the negotiation is made by the remote machine, therefore you
748 have no control over it. The chances are that this link will create echo and
749 there will be no way you can stop it.
752 <sect>Automating things
755 Ok, you should now have DXSpider running nicely and allowing connects by cluster
756 nodes or users. However, it has to be shutdown and restarted manually and if
757 connection scripts fail they have to be started again manually too, not much use
758 if you are not at the console! So, in this section we will automate both.
759 Firstly starting the cluster.
761 <sect1>Autostarting the cluster
764 This is not only a way to start the cluster automatically, it also works as a
765 watchdog, checking the sanity of DXSpider and respawning it should it crash for
766 any reason. Before doing the following, shutdown the cluster as you did earlier.
769 Login as root and bring up the /etc/inittab file in your favourite editor. Add
770 the following lines to the file near the end ...
773 ##Start DXSpider on bootup and respawn it should it crash
774 DX:3:respawn:/bin/su -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" sysop >/dev/tty7
778 This line works fine for RedHat distributions. It is also fine for SuSE up to
779 7.0. From Suse 7.1 you need to add runlevels 2 and 5 like this ...
782 DX:235:respawn:/bin/su -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" sysop >/dev/tty7
786 The line required for Slackware distributions is slightly different. My thanks to
787 Aurelio, PA3EZL for this information.
790 DX:23:respawn:/bin/su - sysop -c "/usr/bin/perl -w /spider/perl/cluster.pl" >/dev/tty7
794 This will automatically start DXSpider on tty7 (ALT-F7) on bootup and restart
795 it should it crash for any reason.
798 As root type the command <em>telinit q</em>. DXSpider should start up
799 immediately. You will see the output on tty7 and if you login as <em>sysop</em>
800 you should find everything running nicely.
803 So far so good, now to automate script connections...
805 <sect1>The crontab file
808 Login as <em>sysop</em> and create a file in /spider/local_cmd called crontab.
809 Edit it with your favourite editor and add a line like this (I have included
813 # check every 10 minutes to see if gb7xxx is connected and if not
814 # start a connect job going
816 0,10,20,30,40,50 * * * * start_connect('gb7xxx') if unless connected('gb7xxx')
820 The callsign involved will be the callsign of the cluster node you are
821 going to connect to. This will now check every 10 minutes to see if
822 gb7xxx is connected, if it is then nothing will be done. If it is not,
823 then a connect attempt will be started.
826 There are probably lots of other things you could use this crontab file for.
827 If you want to know more about it, look at the
828 <htmlurl url="http://www.dxcluster.org/cron.html" name="DXSpider"> website
829 at the cron page where it is explained more fully.
834 Starting with version 1.13 there is simple hop control available on a per
835 node basis. Also it is possible to isolate a network completely so that you
836 get all the benefits of being on that network, but can't pass on information
837 from it to any other networks you may be connected to (or vice versa).
839 <sect1>Basic hop control
842 In /spider/data you will find a file called hop_table.pl. This is the file
843 that controls your hop count settings. It has a set of default hops on the
844 various PC frames and also a set for each node you want to alter the hops for.
845 You may be happy with the default settings of course, but this powerful tool
846 can help to protect and improve the network. The file will look something
851 # hop table construction
856 # default hopcount to use
859 # some variable hop counts based on message type
870 # the per node hop control thingy
902 Each set of hops is contained within a pair of curly braces and contains a
903 series of PC frame types. PC11 for example is a DX spot. The figures here
904 are not exhaustive but should give you a good idea of how the file works.
907 You can alter this file at any time, including whilst the cluster is running.
908 If you alter the file during runtime, the command <em>load/hops</em> will
909 bring your changes into effect.
911 <sect1>Isolating networks
914 It is possible to isolate networks from each other on a "gateway" node using the
915 <em>set/isolate <node_call></em> command.
918 The effect of this is to partition an isolated network completely from another
919 nodes connected to your node. Your node will appear on and otherwise behave
920 normally on every network to which you are connected, but data from an isolated
921 network will not cross onto any other network or vice versa. However all the
922 spot, announce and WWV traffic and personal messages will still be handled
923 locally (because you are a real node on all connected networks), that is locally
924 connected users will appear on all networks and will be able to access and
925 receive information from all networks transparently. All routed messages will
926 be sent as normal, so if a user on one network knows that you are a gateway for
927 another network, he can still still send a talk/announce etc message via your
928 node and it will be routed across.
931 The only limitation currently is that non-private messages cannot be passed down
932 isolated links regardless of whether they are generated locally. This will change
933 when the bulletin routing facility is added.
936 If you use isolate on a node connection you will continue to receive all
937 information from the isolated partner, however you will not pass any information
938 back to the isolated node. There are times when you would like to forward only
939 spots across a link (maybe during a contest for example). To do this, isolate
940 the node in the normal way and put in a filter in the /spider/filter/spots
941 directory to override the isolate. This filter can be very simple and consists
942 of just one line ....
946 [ 1, 0, 'd', 0, 3] # The last figure (3) is the hop count
951 There is a lot more on filtering in the next section.
953 <sect>Filtering (Old Style upto v1.44)
956 Filters can be set for spots, announcements and WWV. You will find the
957 directories for these under /spider/filter. You will find some examples in
958 the directories with the suffix <em>.issue</em>. There are two types of
959 filter, one for incoming information and one for outgoing information.
960 Outgoing filters are in the form <em>CALLSIGN.pl</em> and incoming filters
961 are in the form <em>in_CALLSIGN.pl</em>. Filters can be set for both nodes
965 All filters work in basically the same way. There are several elements
966 delimited by commas. There can be many lines in the filter and they are
967 read from the top by the program. When writing a filter you need to think
968 carefully about just what you want to achieve. You are either going to write
969 a filter to <em>accept</em> or to <em>reject</em>. Think of a filter as
970 having 2 main elements. For a reject filter, you would have a line or multiple
971 lines rejecting the things you do not wish to receive and then a default line
972 accepting everything else that is not included in the filter. Likewise, for an
973 accept filter, you would have a line or multiple lines accepting the things you
974 wish to receive and a default line rejecting everthing else.
977 In the example below, a user requires a filter that would only return SSB spots
978 posted in Europe on the HF bands. This is achieved by first rejecting the CW
979 section of each HF band and rejecting all of VHF, UHF etc based on frequency.
980 Secondly, a filter rule is set based on CQ zones to only accept spots posted in
981 Europe. Lastly, a default filter rule is set to reject anything outside the filter.
985 [ 0, 0, 'r', # reject all CW spots
995 30000.0, 49000000000.0,
997 [ 1, 11, 'n', [ 14, 15, 16, 20, 33, ], 15 ], #accept EU
998 [ 0, 0, 'd', 0, 1 ], # 1 = want, 'd' = everything else
1003 The actual elements of each filter are described more fully in the following
1009 The elements of the Spot filter are ....
1012 [action, field_no, sort, possible_values, hops]
1016 There are 3 elements here to look at. Firstly, the action element. This is
1017 very simple and only 2 possible states exist, accept (1) or drop (0).
1020 The second element is the field_no. There are 13 possiblities to choose from
1026 2 = date in unix format
1029 5 = spotted dxcc country
1030 6 = spotter's dxcc country
1036 12 = callsign of the channel on which the spot has appeared
1040 The third element tells us what to expect in the fourth element. There are
1041 4 possibilities ....
1044 n - numeric list of numbers e.g. [ 1,2,3 ]
1045 r - ranges of pairs of numbers e.g. between 2 and 4 or 10 to 17 - [ 2,4, 10,17 ]
1046 a - an alphanumeric regex
1047 d - the default rule
1051 The fifth element is simply the hops to set in this filter. This would only
1052 be used if the filter was for a node of course and overrides the hop count in
1056 So, let's look at an example spot filter. It does not matter in the example
1057 who the filter is to be used for. So, what do we need in the filter? We need
1058 to filter the spots the user/node requires and also set a default rule for
1059 anything else outside the filter. Below is a simple filter that stops spots
1060 arriving from outside Europe.
1062 <tscreen><verb>$in = [
1063 [ 0, 4, 'a', '^(K|N|A|W|VE|VA|J)'], # 0 = drop, 'a' = alphanumeric
1064 [ 1, 0, 'd', 0, 1 ], # 1 = want, 'd' = everything else
1069 So the filter is wrapped in between a pair of square brackets. This tells
1070 Spider to look in between these limits. Then each line is contained within
1071 its own square brackets and ends with a comma. Lets look carefully at the first
1072 line. The first element is 0 (drop). Therefore anything we put on this line
1073 will not be accepted. The next element is 4. This means we are filtering by
1074 the spotter. The third element is the letter "a" which tells the program to
1075 expect an alphanumeric expression in the fourth element. The fourth element
1076 is a list of letters separated by the pipe symbol.
1079 What this line does is tell the program to drop any spots posted by anyone in
1080 the USA, Canada or Japan.
1083 The second line is the default rule for anything else. The "d" tells us this
1084 and the line simply reads... accept anything else.
1087 You can add as many lines as you need to complete the filter but if there are
1088 several lines of the same type it is neater to enclose them all as one line.
1089 An example of this is where specific bands are set. We could write this like
1093 [ 0,0,'r',[1800.0, 2000.0], 1],
1094 [ 0,0,'r',[10100.0, 10150.0], 1],
1095 [ 0,0,'r',[14000.0, 14350.0], 1],
1096 [ 0,0,'r',[18000.0, 18200.0], 1],
1100 But the line below achieves the same thing and is more efficient ....
1105 1800.0, 2000.0, # top band
1106 10100.0, 10150.0, # WARC
1107 14000.0, 14350.0, # 20m
1108 18000.0, 18200.0, # WARC
1113 <sect1>Announcements
1118 # This is an example announce or filter allowing only West EU announces
1120 # The element list is:-
1121 # 0 - callsign of announcer
1122 # 1 - destination * = all, <callsign> = routed to the node
1124 # 3 - * - sysop, <some text> - special list eg 6MUK, ' ', normal announce
1126 # 5 - 0 - announce, 1 - wx
1127 # 6 - channel callsign (the interface from which this spot came)
1130 [ 1, 0, 'a', '^(P[ABCDE]|DK0WCY|G|M|2|EI|F|ON)' ],
1135 In this example, only the prefixes listed will be allowed. It is possible to
1136 be quite specific. The Dutch prefix "P" is followed by several secondary
1137 identifiers which are allowed. So, in the example, "PA" or "PE" would be ok
1138 but not "PG". It is even possible to allow information from a single callsign.
1139 In the example this is DK0WCY, to allow the posting of his Aurora Beacon.
1146 # This is an example WWV filter
1148 # The element list is:-
1149 # 0 - nominal unix date of spot (ie the day + hour:13)
1157 # 8 - incoming interface callsign
1159 # this one doesn't filter, it just sets the hop count to 6 and is
1160 # used mainly just to override any isolation from WWV coming from
1170 It should be noted that the filter will start to be used only once a user/node
1171 has logged out and back in again.
1173 I am not going to spend any more time on these filters now as they will become
1174 more "comprehensive" in the near future.
1176 <sect>Filtering (New Style v1.45 and later)
1178 <sect1>General filter rules
1181 Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters. From
1182 v1.45 though that has all changed. It is now possible to set filters for just
1183 about anything you wish. If you have just updated from an older version of
1184 DXSpider you will need to update your new filters. You do not need to do
1185 anything with your old filters, they will be renamed as you update.
1188 There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating filters. These
1189 are <em>accept</em>, <em>reject</em> and <em>clear</em>. First we will look
1190 generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in the
1191 DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism.
1194 In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which can have
1195 up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...
1202 where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There are filters
1203 for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects. See each different
1204 accept or reject command reference for more details.
1206 There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter. They are ...
1213 There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter.
1216 and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...
1223 For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply the same
1224 principles to all types of filter.
1226 <sect1>Types of filter
1229 There are two main types of filter, <em>accept</em> or <em>reject</em>. You
1230 can use either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference
1231 and which is more simple to do. It is pointless writing 8 lines of reject
1232 filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing! Each filter has 10
1233 lines (of any length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the
1234 action you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept
1238 If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match the filter
1239 will be dumped but all else will be accepted. If you use an accept filter,
1240 then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted and all else will be dumped.
1241 For example if you have a single line <em>accept</em> filter ...
1244 accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1247 then you will <em>ONLY</em> get VHF spots <em>from</em> or <em>to</em> CQ zones
1251 If you set a reject filter like this ...
1254 reject/spots on hf/cw
1257 Then you will get everything <em>EXCEPT</em> HF CW spots. You could make this
1258 single filter even more flexible. For example, if you are interested in IOTA
1259 and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not interested in
1260 CW, then you could say ...
1263 reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
1266 But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
1269 accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
1272 which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the other
1273 until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix them if you
1274 wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but
1275 don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you are doing!
1278 You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your own
1279 understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
1282 reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
1283 reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1286 What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots on VHF
1287 which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe.
1290 This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this case), if
1291 you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits '0'-'9' are available.
1292 This make it easier to see just what filters you have set. It also makes it
1293 more simple to remove individual filters, during a contest for example.
1296 You will notice in the above example that the second line has brackets. Look
1297 at the line logically. You can see there are 2 separate sections to it. We
1298 are saying reject spots that are VHF or above <em>APART</em> from those in
1299 zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or originated there). If you did
1300 not have the brackets to separate the 2 sections, then Spider would read it
1301 logically from the front and see a different expression entirely ...
1304 (on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
1307 The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets. Whilst we are
1308 here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the same as 'and by_zone'.
1310 As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible than
1311 simply setting one complex one. Doing it in this way means that if you want
1312 to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one or more lines of it or
1313 one line. For example ...
1316 reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
1319 would redefine our earlier example, or
1325 To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...
1331 <sect1>Filter options
1334 You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in the
1335 various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter.
1337 <sect1>Default filters
1340 Sometimes all that is needed is a general rule for node connects. This can
1341 be done with a node_default filter. This rule will always be followed, even
1342 if the link is isolated, unless another filter is set specifically. Default
1343 rules can be set for nodes and users. They can be set for spots, announces,
1344 WWV and WCY. They can also be used for hops. An example might look like
1348 accept/spot node_default by_zone 14,15,16,20,33
1349 set/hops node_default spot 50
1352 This filter is for spots only, you could set others for announce, WWV and WCY.
1353 This filter would work for ALL nodes unless a specific filter is written to
1354 override it for a particular node. You can also set a user_default should
1355 you require. It is important to note that default filters should be
1356 considered to be "connected". By this I mean that should you override the
1357 default filter for spots, you need to add a rule for the hops for spots also.
1359 <sect1>Advanced filtering
1362 Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to experiment.
1365 The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU
1366 can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...
1371 acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
1374 Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number. This will
1375 automatically be assumed to be number 1. In this case, we have said <em>reject all
1376 HF spots in the CW section of the bands but accept all others at HF. Also
1377 accept anything in VHF and above spotted in or by operators in the zones
1378 14, 15 and 16</em>. Each filter slot actually has a 'reject' slot and
1379 an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed BEFORE the accept slot.
1382 It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match, the default
1383 for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for 'accept'. In the example
1384 what happens is that the reject is executed first, any non hf/cw spot is passed
1385 to the accept line, which lets through everything else on HF. The next filter line
1386 lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU.
1391 <sect1>Filtering Mail
1394 In the /spider/msg directory you will find a file called badmsg.pl.issue. Rename
1395 this to badmsg.pl and edit the file. The original looks something like this ....
1399 # the list of regexes for messages that we won't store having
1400 # received them (bear in mind that we must receive them fully before
1404 # The format of each line is as follows
1406 # type source pattern
1407 # P/B/F T/F/O/S regex
1409 # type: P - private, B - bulletin (msg), F - file (ak1a bull)
1410 # source: T - to field, F - from field, O - origin, S - subject
1411 # pattern: a perl regex on the field requested
1413 # Currently only type B and P msgs are affected by this code.
1415 # The list is read from the top down, the first pattern that matches
1416 # causes the action to be taken.
1418 # The pattern can be undef or 0 in which case it will always be selected
1419 # for the action specified
1437 I think this is fairly self explanatory. It is simply a list of subject
1438 headers that we do not want to pass on to either the users of the cluster or
1439 the other cluster nodes that we are linked to. This is usually because of
1440 rules and regulations pertaining to items for sale etc in a particular country.
1442 <sect1>Filtering DX callouts (Depricated)
1445 <bf><it>From version 1.47, this method is replaced by the command set/baddx</it></bf>
1448 In the same way as mail, there are some types of spot we do not wish to pass on
1449 to users or linked cluster nodes. In the /spider/data directory you will find
1450 a file called baddx.pl.issue. Rename this to baddx.pl and edit the file. The
1451 original looks like this ....
1455 # the list of dx spot addresses that we don't store and don't pass on
1476 Again, this is simply a list of names we do not want to see in the spotted
1477 field of a DX callout.
1480 <sect1>Filtering words from text fields in Announce, Talk and DX spots
1483 Create a file in /spider/data called <em>badwords</em>. The format is quite
1484 simple. Lines beginning with # are ignored so comments can be added. An
1485 example file is below ...
1488 # Below is a list of words we do not wish to see on the cluster
1489 grunge grunged grunging
1490 splodge splodger splodging
1495 Multiple words can be used on the same line as shown. Obviously these
1496 are just examples :-)
1499 You can reload the file from the cluster prompt as sysop with load/badwords.
1504 DXSpider deals seamlessly with standard AK1A type mail. It supports both
1505 personal and bulletin mail and the sysop has additional commands to ensure
1506 that mail gets to where it is meant. DXSpider will send mail almost
1507 immediately, assuming that the target is on line. However, only one
1508 mail message is dealt with at any one time. If a mail message is already
1509 being sent or recieved, then the new message will be queued until it has
1512 The cluster mail is automatically deleted after 30 days unless the sysop
1513 sets the "keep" flag using the <em>msg</em> command.
1515 <sect1>Personal mail
1518 Personal mail is sent using the <em>sp</em> command. This is actually the
1519 default method of sending mail and so a simple <em>s</em> for send will do.
1520 A full list of the send commands and options is in the <em>command set</em>
1521 section, so I will not duplicate them here.
1523 <sect1>Bulletin mail
1526 Bulletin mail is sent by using the <em>sb</em> command. This is one of the
1527 most common mistakes users make when sending mail. They send a bulletin
1528 mail with <em>s</em> or <em>sp</em> instead of <em>sb</em> and of course
1529 the message never leaves the cluster. This can be rectified by the sysop
1530 by using the <em>msg</em> command.
1532 <P>Bulletin addresses can be set using the Forward.pl file.
1537 DXSpider receives all and any mail sent to it without any alterations needed
1538 in files. Because personal and bulletin mail are treated differently, there
1539 is no need for a list of accepted bulletin addresses. It is necessary, however,
1540 to tell the program which links accept which bulletins. For example, it is
1541 pointless sending bulletins addresses to "UK" to any links other than UK
1542 ones. The file that does this is called forward.pl and lives in /spider/msg.
1543 At default, like other spider files it is named forward.pl.issue. Rename it
1544 to forward.pl and edit the file to match your requirements.
1545 The format is below ...
1549 # this is an example message forwarding file for the system
1551 # The format of each line is as follows
1553 # type to/from/at pattern action destinations
1554 # P/B/F T/F/A regex I/F [ call [, call ...] ]
1556 # type: P - private, B - bulletin (msg), F - file (ak1a bull)
1557 # to/from/at: T - to field, F - from field, A - home bbs, O - origin
1558 # pattern: a perl regex on the field requested
1559 # action: I - ignore, F - forward
1560 # destinations: a reference to an array containing node callsigns
1562 # if it is non-private and isn't in here then it won't get forwarded
1564 # Currently only type B msgs are affected by this code.
1566 # The list is read from the top down, the first pattern that matches
1567 # causes the action to be taken.
1569 # The pattern can be undef or 0 in which case it will always be selected
1570 # for the action specified
1572 # If the BBS list is undef or 0 and the action is 'F' (and it matches the
1573 # pattern) then it will always be forwarded to every node that doesn't have
1574 # it (I strongly recommend you don't use this unless you REALLY mean it, if
1575 # you allow a new link with this on EVERY bull will be forwarded immediately
1576 # on first connection)
1582 'B', 'T', 'LOCAL', 'F', [ qw(GB7MBC) ],
1583 'B', 'T', 'ALL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1584 'B', 'T', 'UK', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX) ],
1585 'B', 'T', 'QSL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1586 'B', 'T', 'QSLINF', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1587 'B', 'T', 'DX', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1588 'B', 'T', 'DXINFO', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1589 'B', 'T', 'DXNEWS', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1590 'B', 'T', 'DXQSL', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1591 'B', 'T', 'SYSOP', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX) ],
1592 'B', 'T', '50MHZ', 'F', [ qw(GB7BAA GB7ADX PA4AB-14) ],
1596 Simply insert a bulletin address and state in the brackets where you wish
1597 that mail to go. For example, you can see here that mail sent to "UK" will
1598 only be sent to the UK links and not to PA4AB-14.
1601 To force the cluster to reread the file use load/forward
1604 <sect1>The msg command
1607 The <em>msg</em> command is a very powerful and flexible tool for the
1608 sysop. It allows the sysop to alter to and from fields and make other
1609 changes to manage the cluster mail.
1611 Here is a full list of the various options ...
1614 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
1615 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
1616 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
1617 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
1618 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
1619 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
1620 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
1621 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
1622 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
1623 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waiting time for this message
1624 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
1625 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
1626 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
1627 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
1630 These commands are simply typed from within the cluster as the sysop user.
1632 <sect1>Message status
1635 You can check on a message from within the cluster by using the command
1636 <em>stat/msg</em>. This will give you additional information on the
1637 message number including which nodes have received it, which node it
1638 was received from and when etc. Here is an example of the output of
1642 G0VGS de GB7MBC 28-Jan-2001 1308Z >
1645 Msg Time: 26-Jan-2001 1302Z
1649 Subject: AMSAT 2line KEPS 01025.AMSAT
1651 Got it Nodes: GB7BAA, GB7ADX
1655 G0VGS de GB7MBC 28-Jan-2001 1308Z >
1658 <sect1>Filtering mail
1661 This is described in the section on <em>Other filters</em> so I will not
1664 <sect1>Distribution lists
1667 Distribution lists are simply a list of users to send certain types of
1668 mail to. An example of this is mail you only wish to send to other
1669 sysops. In /spider/msg there is a directory called <em>distro</em>. You
1670 put any distibution lists in here. For example, here is a file called
1671 SYSOP.pl that caters for the UK sysops.
1674 qw(GB7TLH GB7DJK GB7DXM GB7CDX GB7BPQ GB7DXN GB7MBC GB7MBC-6 GB7MDX
1675 GB7NDX GB7SDX GB7TDX GB7UDX GB7YDX GB7ADX GB7BAA GB7DXA GB7DXH
1676 GB7DXK GB7DXI GB7DXS)
1679 Any mail sent to "sysop" would only be sent to the callsigns in this list.
1681 <sect1>BBS interface
1684 Spider provides a simple BBS interface. No input is required from the sysop
1685 of the cluster at all. The BBS simply sets the cluster as a BBS and pushes
1686 any required mail to the cluster. No mail can flow from Spider to the BBS,
1687 the interface is one-way.
1690 Please be careful not to flood the cluster network with unnecessary mail.
1691 Make sure you only send mail to the clusters that want it by using the
1692 Forward.pl file very carefully.
1697 Spider allows the creation of local or remote databases. It supports
1698 chained databases, allowing several different databases to be scanned
1699 with one simple command. Importing of databases is limited at present
1700 to the standard AK1A databases such as OBLAST and the DB0SDX QSL
1701 database but will expand with time.
1703 <sect1>Creating databases
1706 Creating a database could not be more simple. All the commands are
1707 sent from the cluster prompt as the <em>sysop</em> user.
1709 To create a database you use the command <em>dbcreate</em>. It can
1710 be used in 3 different ways like so ..
1716 To simply create a database locally, you just tell the command the
1717 name of the database. This does not create the actual database, it
1718 simply defines it to say that it exists.
1721 dbcreate <name> chain <name> [<name>...]
1724 This creates a chained database entry. The first database will be
1725 scanned, then the second, the third etc...
1728 dbcreate <name> remote <name>
1731 This creates a remote entry. the first name field is the database
1732 name at the remote node, then the remote switch, then the actual
1733 node_call of the remote node, for example...
1736 dbcreate buckmaster remote gb7dxc
1739 Remote databases cannot be chained, however, the last database in a
1740 chain can be a remote database.
1742 <sect1>Importing databases
1745 The only databases that Spider can currently import are the standard
1746 AK1A databases such as OBLAST or the DB0SDX qsl and address database.
1747 This will be added to with time.
1749 To import such a database, first put the file somewhere useful like /tmp
1750 and then issue the following command ...
1753 dbimport oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
1756 This will update the existing local oblast database or create it if
1759 <sect1>Checking available databases
1762 Once a database is created, you will want to check that it has been
1763 added. To do this use the <em>dbavail</em> command. This will
1764 output the available databases. For example ...
1768 DB Name Location Chain
1772 G0VGS de GB7MBC 3-Feb-2001 1925Z >
1775 <sect1>Looking up databases
1778 To look for information in a defined database, simply use the <em>dbshow</em>
1779 command, for example ...
1782 dbshow buckmaster G0YLM
1785 will show the information for the callsign G0YLM from the buckmaster
1786 database if it exists. To make things more standard for the users
1787 you can add an entry in the Aliases file so that it looks like a standard
1788 <em>show</em> command like this ...
1791 '^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
1794 Now you can simply use show/buckmaster or an abreviation.
1796 <sect1>Removing databases
1799 To delete an existing database you use the <em>dbremove</em> command.
1806 would remove the oblast database and its associated datafile from the
1807 system. There are no warnings or recovery possible from this command.
1808 If you remove a database it ceases to exist and would have to be created
1809 from scratch if you still required it.
1811 <sect>Information, files and useful programs
1816 One of the more important things a cluster sysop needs to do is to get
1817 information to his users. The simplest way to do this is to have a banner
1818 that is sent to the user on login. This is know as a "message of the day"
1819 or "motd". To set this up, simply create a file in /spider/data called motd
1820 and edit it to say whatever you want. It is purely a text file and will be
1821 sent automatically to anyone logging in to the cluster.
1823 <sect1>Downtime message
1826 If for any reason the cluster is down, maybe for upgrade or maintenance but
1827 the machine is still running, a message can be sent to the user advising them
1828 of the fact. This message lives in the /spider/data directory and is called
1829 "offline". Simply create the file and edit it to say whatever you wish.
1830 This file will be sent to a user attempting to log into the cluster when
1831 DXSpider is not actually running.
1833 <sect1>Other text messages
1836 You can set other text messages to be read by the user if they input the file
1837 name. This could be for news items or maybe information for new users.
1838 To set this up, make a directory under /spider called <em>packclus</em>.
1839 Under this directory you can create files called <em>news</em> or <em>newuser</em>
1840 for example. In fact you can create files with any names you like. These can
1841 be listed by the user with the command ....
1847 They can be read by the user by typing the command ....
1853 If the file they want to read is called <em>news</em>. You could also set
1854 an alias for this in the Alias file to allow them just to type <em>news</em>
1857 You can also store other information in this directory, either directly or
1858 nested under directories. One use for this would be to store DX bulletins
1859 such as the OPDX bulletins. These can be listed and read by the user.
1860 To keep things tidy, make a directory under /spider/packclus called
1861 <em>bulletin</em>. Now copy any OPDX or similar bulletins into it. These
1862 can be listed by the user in the same way as above using the <em>show/files</em>
1863 command with an extension for the bulletin directory you have just created,
1871 An example would look like this ....
1875 bulletin DIR 20-Dec-1999 1715Z news 1602 14-Dec-1999 1330Z
1878 You can see that in the files area (basically the packclus directory) there is a
1879 file called <em>news</em> and a directory called <em>bulletin</em>. You can
1880 also see that dates they were created. In the case of the file <em>news</em>,
1881 you can also see the time it was last modified, a good clue as to whether the
1882 file has been updated since you last read it. To read the file called
1883 <em>news</em> you would simply issue the command ....
1889 To look what is in the bulletin directory you issue the command ....
1893 opdx390 21381 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx390.1 1670 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1894 opdx390.2 2193 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx391 25045 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1895 opdx392 35969 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx393 15023 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1896 opdx394 33429 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx394.1 3116 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1897 opdx395 24319 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx396 32647 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1898 opdx396.1 5537 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx396.2 6242 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1899 opdx397 18433 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx398 19961 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1900 opdx399 17719 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx400 19600 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1901 opdx401 27738 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx402 18698 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1902 opdx403 24994 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx404 15685 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1903 opdx405 13984 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx405.1 4166 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1904 opdx406 28934 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx407 24153 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1905 opdx408 15081 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx409 23234 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
1906 Press Enter to continue, A to abort (16 lines) >
1909 You can now read any file in this directory using the type command, like this ....
1912 type bulletin/opdx391
1913 Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 391
1914 The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
1918 Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
1919 Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
1920 Online at 440-237-8208 28.8k-1200 Baud 8/N/1 (New Area Code!)
1921 Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX
1922 Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, K1XN & Golist, WB2RAJ/WB2YQH
1923 & The 59(9) DXReport, W3UR & The Daily DX, K3TEJ, KN4UG, W4DC, NC6J, N6HR,
1924 Press Enter to continue, A to abort (508 lines) >
1927 The page length will of course depend on what you have it set to!
1929 <sect1>The Aliases file
1932 You will find a file in /spider/cmd/ called Aliases. First, copy this file to
1933 /spider/local_cmd/Aliases and edit this file. You will see something like this ...
1939 # provide some standard aliases for commands for terminally
1940 # helpless ak1a user (helpless in the sense that they never
1941 # read nor understand help files)
1943 # This file is automagically reloaded if its modification time is
1944 # later than the one stored in CmdAlias.pm
1946 # PLEASE make this file consistant with reality! (the patterns MUST
1947 # match the filenames!)
1949 # Don't alter this file, copy it into the local_cmd tree and modify it.
1950 # This file will be replaced everytime I issue a new release.
1952 # You only need to put aliases in here for commands that don't work as
1953 # you desire naturally, e.g sh/dx on its own just works as you expect
1954 # so you need not add it as an alias.
1962 '^\?', 'apropos', 'apropos',
1965 '^ann.*/full', 'announce full', 'announce',
1966 '^ann.*/sysop', 'announce sysop', 'announce',
1967 '^ann.*/(.*)$', 'announce $1', 'announce',
1974 '^del', 'kill', 'kill',
1975 '^del\w*/fu', 'kill full', 'kill',
1976 '^di\w*/a\w*', 'directory all', 'directory',
1977 '^di\w*/b\w*', 'directory bulletins', 'directory',
1978 '^di\w*/n\w*', 'directory new', 'directory',
1979 '^di\w*/o\w*', 'directory own', 'directory',
1980 '^di\w*/s\w*', 'directory subject', 'directory',
1981 '^di\w*/t\w*', 'directory to', 'directory',
1982 '^di\w*/f\w*', 'directory from', 'directory',
1983 '^di\w*/(\d+)', 'directory $1', 'directory',
2000 '^l$', 'directory', 'directory',
2001 '^ll$', 'directory', 'directory',
2002 '^ll/(\d+)', 'directory $1', 'directory',
2007 '^news', 'type news', 'type',
2017 '^r$', 'read', 'read',
2018 '^rcmd/(\S+)', 'rcmd $1', 'rcmd',
2021 '^s/p$', 'send', 'send',
2022 '^sb$', 'send noprivate', 'send',
2023 '^set/home$', 'set/homenode', 'set/homenode',
2024 '^set/nobe', 'unset/beep', 'unset/beep',
2025 '^set/nohe', 'unset/here', 'unset/here',
2026 '^set/noan', 'unset/announce', 'unset/announce',
2027 '^set/nodx', 'unset/dx', 'unset/dx',
2028 '^set/nota', 'unset/talk', 'unset/talk',
2029 '^set/noww', 'unset/wwv', 'unset/wwv',
2030 '^set/nowx', 'unset/wx', 'unset/wx',
2031 '^sh$', 'show', 'show',
2032 '^sh\w*/buck', 'dbshow buck', 'dbshow',
2033 '^sh\w*/bu', 'show/files bulletins', 'show/files',
2034 '^sh\w*/c/n', 'show/configuration nodes', 'show/configuration',
2035 '^sh\w*/c$', 'show/configuration', 'show/configuration',
2036 '^sh\w*/com', 'dbavail', 'dbavail',
2037 '^sh\w*/dx/(\d+)-(\d+)', 'show/dx $1-$2', 'show/dx',
2038 '^sh\w*/dx/(\d+)', 'show/dx $1', 'show/dx',
2039 '^sh\w*/dx/d(\d+)', 'show/dx from $1', 'show/dx',
2040 '^sh\w*/email', 'dbshow email', 'dbshow',
2041 '^sh\w*/hftest', 'dbshow hftest', 'dbshow',
2042 '^sh\w*/vhftest', 'dbshow vhftest', 'dbshow',
2043 '^sh\w*/qsl', 'dbshow qsl', 'dbshow',
2044 '^sh\w*/tnc', 'who', 'who',
2045 '^sh\w*/up', 'show/cluster', 'show/cluster',
2046 '^sh\w*/w\w*/(\d+)-(\d+)', 'show/wwv $1-$2', 'show/wwv',
2047 '^sh\w*/w\w*/(\d+)', 'show/wwv $1', 'show/wwv',
2048 '^sp$', 'send', 'send',
2052 '^ta$', 'talk', 'talk',
2053 '^t$', 'talk', 'talk',
2060 '^wx/full', 'wx full', 'wx',
2061 '^wx/sysop', 'wx sysop', 'wx',
2072 You can create aliases for commands at will. Beware though, these may not
2073 always turn out as you think. Care is needed and you need to test the
2074 results once you have set an alias.
2079 In later versions of Spider a simple console program is provided for the sysop.
2080 This has a type ahead buffer with line editing facilities and colour for spots,
2081 announces etc. To use this program, simply use console.pl instead of client.
2084 To edit the colours, copy /spider/perl/Console.pl to /spider/local and edit the
2085 file with your favourite editor.
2087 <sect1>Updating kepler data
2090 Spider has a powerful and flexible show/satellite command. In order for
2091 this to be accurate, the kepler data has to be updated regularly. In
2092 general, this data is available as an email or via cluster mail.
2093 Updating it is simple. First you need to export the mail message as a
2094 file. You do this with the <em>export</em> command from the cluster prompt
2095 as the sysop. For example ...
2098 export 5467 /spider/perl/keps.in
2101 would export message number 5467 as a file called keps.in in the
2102 /spider/perl directory.
2104 Now login to a VT as sysop and cd /spider/perl. There is a command in
2105 the perl directory called <em>convkeps.pl</em>. All we need to do now is
2106 convert the file like so ...
2109 ./convkeps.pl keps.in
2112 Now go back to the cluster and issue the command ...
2118 That is it! the kepler data has been updated.
2120 <sect1>The QRZ callbook
2123 The command <em>sh/qrz</em> will only work once you have followed a few
2124 simple steps. First you need to get a user ID and password from qrz.com.
2125 Simply go to the site and create one. Secondly you need to copy the file
2126 /spider/perl/Internet.pm to /spider/local and alter it to match your user
2127 ID and password. You also at this point need to set $allow=1 to complete
2128 the setup. Many thanks to Fred Lloyd, the proprieter of
2129 <htmlurl url="http://www.qrz.com" name="qrz.com"> for allowing this access.
2134 CVS stands for "Concurrent Versions System" and the CVS for DXSpider is held
2135 at <htmlurl url="http://www.sourceforge.net" name="Sourceforge">. This means
2136 that it is possible to update your DXSpider installation to the latest
2137 sources by using a few simple commands.
2140 THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED!!! ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE A TEST
2141 INSTALLATION OR ARE WILLING TO HAVE YOUR CLUSTER CRASH ON YOU!!!
2142 THIS MUST BE CONSIDERED AT LEAST BETA TESTING AND MAYBE EVEN ALPHA!!
2143 YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
2146 DID I MENTION..... ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE
2150 I am of course assuming that you have a machine with both DXSpider and
2151 Internet access running.
2154 BEFORE YOU EVEN CONSIDER STARTING WITH THIS MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR
2155 ENTIRE SPIDER TREE!!
2158 Assuming you are connected to the Internet, you need to login to the
2159 CVS repository and then update your Spider source. There are several
2160 steps which are listed below ...
2163 First login as the user <em>sysop</em>. Next you need to connect to the CVS
2164 repository. You do this with the command below ...
2167 cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.DXSpider.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dxspider login
2170 You will get a password prompt. Simply hit return here and your machine should
2171 return to a normal linux prompt.
2174 What happens next depends on whether you have an existing installation that
2175 you want to update with the latest and greatest or whether you just want
2176 to see what is there and/or run it on a new machine for testing.
2178 If you are installing Spider from CVS then change directory to /home/sysop
2180 If you are wanting to update Spider then cd to /tmp
2183 The next step will create a brand new 'spider' directory in your current
2187 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.DXSpider.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dxspider co spider
2190 This command is all on one line.
2193 Hopefully your screen should show you downloading files. The -z3 simply compresses
2194 the download to improve speed.
2195 When this has finished, you will have exactly the same as if you had untarred a full
2196 tarball PLUS some extra directories and files that CVS needs to do the magic that
2200 Now if you are doing a new installation, that's it. Carry on as if you have
2201 just downloaded and untarred the lastest tarball.
2204 If you want to upgrade your current installation then do this ...
2207 tar cvfz /tmp/s.tgz spider
2209 tar xvfzp /tmp/s.tgz
2212 This is assuming you downloaded to the /tmp directory of course.
2215 NOTE: the 'p' on the end of the 'xvfz' is IMPORTANT! It keeps the permissions
2216 correct. YOU WERE LOGGED IN AS THE USER SYSOP WEREN'T YOU?????
2218 Remember to recompile the C client (cd /spider/src; make)
2221 At this point the files have been upgraded. You can (usually) restart the cluster
2222 in your own time. However, if you attempt to use any new commands or features
2223 expect it to be fatal! At least your cluster will have been restarted then so it
2224 will be too late to worry about it!
2227 Now the magic part! From now on when you want to update, simply connect to the
2228 Internet and then, as the user <em>sysop</em> ...
2235 and your files will be updated. As above, remember to recompile the "C" client
2236 if it has been updated (CVS will tell you) and restart if any of the perl scripts
2237 have been altered or added, again, CVS will tell you.
2240 You will find any changes documented in the /spider/Changes file.
2242 <sect>The DXSpider command set
2245 Below is a complete list of commands available from the cluster prompt.
2246 Most maintenance tasks are automatic but there are some commands that are useful
2247 for a sysop. These are listed below in alphabetical order. The number in
2248 brackets following the command name is the permissions level needed to use
2251 <sect1>accept/announce (0)
2255 <bf>accept/announce [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set an accept filter
2260 Create an 'accept this announce' line for a filter.
2262 An accept filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is
2263 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
2264 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
2266 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2269 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
2270 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2272 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2273 origin_itu <numbers>
2274 origin_zone <numbers>
2279 wx 1 filter WX announces
2280 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
2287 acc/ann 2 by_zone 14,15,16
2288 (this could be all on one line: acc/ann dest 6MUK or by_zone 14,15,16)
2297 This filter would only allow announces that were posted buy UK stations.
2298 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg:
2304 but this probably for advanced users...
2306 <sect1>accept/announce (extended for sysops) (8)
2310 <bf>accept/announce <call> [input] [0-9]<pattern></bf> Announce filter sysop version
2314 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
2315 default for nodes and users eg:-
2319 accept/ann input node_default by G,M,2
2320 accept/ann user_default by G,M,2
2323 <sect1>accept/spots (0)
2327 <bf>accept/announce [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set an accept filter
2332 Create an 'accept this spot' line for a filter.
2335 An accept filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
2336 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
2337 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
2339 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
2342 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
2343 on <range> same as 'freq'
2344 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
2345 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
2347 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2358 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
2359 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
2360 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
2361 this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get
2362 too hung up about that)
2368 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2371 You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything, eg:
2377 but this probably for advanced users...
2379 <sect1>accept/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
2383 <bf>accept/spots <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf> Spot filter sysop version
2387 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
2388 default for nodes and users eg:-
2391 accept/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
2392 accept/spot node_default all
2393 set/hops node_default 10
2395 accept/spot user_default by G,M,2
2398 <sect1>accept/wcy (0)
2402 <bf>accept/wcy [0-9] <pattern></bf> set an accept WCY filter
2406 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
2407 filter on the following fields:-
2410 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2412 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2413 origin_itu <numbers>
2414 origin_zone <numbers>
2422 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place and
2423 you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want them).
2425 This command is really provided for future use.
2427 See HELP FILTER for information.
2429 <sect1>accept/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
2433 <bf>accept/wcy <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf>
2434 WCY filter sysop version
2438 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
2439 default for nodes and users eg:-
2442 accept/wcy node_default all
2443 set/hops node_default 10
2446 <sect1>accept/wwv (0)
2450 <bf>accept/wwv [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set an accept WWV filter
2454 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
2455 filter on the following fields:-
2458 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
2460 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
2461 origin_itu <numbers>
2462 origin_zone <numbers>
2472 accept/wwv by_zone 4
2475 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV broadcasts
2476 by stations in the US).
2478 See HELP FILTER for information.
2480 <sect1>accept/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
2484 <bf>accept/wwv <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf>
2485 WWV filter sysop version
2489 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
2490 default for nodes and users eg:-
2493 accept/wwv db0sue-7 1 by_zone 4
2494 accept/wwv node_default all
2495 set/hops node_default 10
2497 accept/wwv user_default by W,K
2504 <bf>announce <text></bf> Send an announcement to local users
2508 Send an announcement to LOCAL users only, where <text> is the text
2509 of the announcement you wish to broadcast
2511 <sect1>announce full (0)
2515 <bf>announce full <text></bf> Send an announcement cluster wide
2519 This command will send your announcement across the whole cluster
2523 <sect1>announce sysop (5)
2527 <bf>announce sysop <text></bf>
2531 Send an announcement to Sysops only
2537 <bf>apropos <string></bf> Search the help database
2541 Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive),
2542 and print the names of all the commands that may be relevant.
2548 <bf>bye</bf> Exit from the cluster
2552 This will disconnect you from the cluster
2558 <bf>catchup <node_call> All|[<msgno> ...]</bf>
2559 Mark a message as sent
2563 When you send messages the fact that you have forwarded it to another node
2564 is remembered so that it isn't sent again. When you have a new partner
2565 node and you add their callsign to your /spider/msg/forward.pl file, all
2566 outstanding non-private messages will be forwarded to them. This may well
2567 be ALL the non-private messages. You can prevent this by using these
2572 catchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
2575 and to undo what you have just done:-
2578 uncatchup GB7DJK all
2579 uncatchup GB7DJK 300 301 302 303 500-510
2582 which will arrange for them to be forward candidates again.
2584 Order is not important.
2586 <sect1>clear/spots (0)
2590 <bf>clear/spots [1|all]</bf> Clear a spot filter line
2594 This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or to
2595 remove the whole filter.
2597 If you have a filter:-
2601 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2610 you will be left with:-
2613 acc/spot 2 on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
2622 the filter will be completely removed.
2629 <bf>connect <callsign></bf> Start a connection to another DX Cluster
2633 Start a connection process that will culminate in a new connection to the
2634 DX cluster <callsign>. This process creates a new 'client' process which will
2635 use the script in /spider/connect/<callsign> to effect the 'chat' exchange
2636 necessary to traverse the network(s) to logon to the cluster <callsign>.
2642 <bf>dbavail</bf> Show a list of all the databases in the system
2646 The title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined
2647 in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND.
2653 <bf>dbcreate <name></bf> Create a database entry<newline>
2654 <bf>dbcreate <name> chain <name> [<name>..]</bf> Create a
2655 chained database entry<newline>
2656 <bf>dbcreate <name> remote <node></bf> Create a remote database
2661 DBCREATE allows you to define a database in the system. It doesn't actually
2662 create anything, just defines it.
2664 The databases that are created are simple DB_File hash databases, they are
2665 therefore already 'indexed'.
2667 You can define a local database with the first form of the command eg:
2671 You can also chain databases with the addition of the 'chain' keyword.
2672 This will search each database one after the other. A typical example
2675 DBCREATE sdx_qsl chain sql_ad
2677 No checking is done to see if the any of the chained databases exist, in
2678 fact it is usually better to do the above statement first then do each of
2679 the chained databases.
2681 Databases can exist offsite. To define a database that lives on another
2684 DBCREATE buckmaster remote gb7dxc
2686 Remote databases cannot be chained; however, the last database in a
2687 a chain can be a remote database eg:
2689 DBCREATE qsl chain gb7dxc
2691 To see what databases have been defined do:
2693 DBAVAIL (or it will have been aliased to SHOW/COMMAND)
2695 It would be normal for you to add an entry into your local Aliases file
2696 to allow people to use the 'SHOW/<dbname>' style syntax. So you would
2697 need to add a line like:-
2703 '^sh\w*/buc', 'dbshow buckmaster', 'dbshow',
2713 to work as they may be used to.
2715 See DBIMPORT for the importing of existing AK1A format data to databases.
2716 See DBSHOW for generic database enquiry
2722 <bf>dbimport <dbname></bf> Import AK1A data into a database
2726 If you want to import or update data in bulk to a database you can use
2727 this command. It will either create or update entries into an existing
2728 database. For example:-
2730 DBIMPORT oblast /tmp/OBLAST.FUL
2732 will import the standard OBLAST database that comes with AK1A into the
2733 oblast database held locally.
2739 <bf>dbremove <dbname></bf> Delete a database
2743 DBREMOVE will completely remove a database entry and also delete any data
2744 file that is associated with it.
2746 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
2752 will remove the oblast database from the system and it will also remove
2753 the associated datafile.
2757 There is no warning, no comeback, no safety net.
2759 You have been warned.
2765 <bf>dbshow <dbname> <key></bf> Display an entry, if it exists,
2770 This is the generic user interface to the database to the database system.
2771 It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local Aliases file
2772 so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of enquiry such as:
2778 but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or
2779 SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with:
2790 <bf>debug</bf> Set the cluster program into debug mode
2794 Executing this command will only have an effect if you are running the cluster
2801 It will interrupt the cluster just after the debug command has finished.
2803 <sect1>directory (0)
2807 <bf>directory</bf> List messages<newline>
2808 <bf>directory all</bf> List all messages<newline>
2809 <bf>directory own</bf> List your own messages<newline>
2810 <bf>directory new</bf> List all new messages<newline>
2811 <bf>directory to <call></bf> List all messages to <call><newline>
2812 <bf>directory from <call></bf> List all messages from <call><newline>
2813 <bf>directory subject <string></bf> List all messages with <string>
2815 <bf>directory <nn></bf> List last <nn> messages<newline>
2816 <bf>directory <from>-<to></bf> List messages <from> message <to> message <newline>
2820 List the messages in the messages directory.
2822 If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a
2823 personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the
2824 'p' then this indicates that the message has been read.
2826 You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call>
2829 You can combine some of the various directory commands together eg:-
2834 DIR SUBJECT IOTA 200-250
2837 You can abbreviate all the commands to one letter and use ak1a syntax:-
2845 <sect1>directory (extended for sysops) (5)
2848 Works just like the user command except that sysops can see ALL messages.
2850 <sect1>disconnect (8)
2854 <bf>disconnect <call> [<call> ...]</bf> Disconnect a user or node
2858 Disconnect any <call> connected locally
2864 <bf>dx [by <call>] <freq> <call> <remarks></bf> Send a DX spot
2868 This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now
2869 enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round.
2877 will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end
2878 of the command and they will be added to the spot.
2881 DX FR0G 144600 this is a test
2884 You can credit someone else by saying:-
2887 DX by G1TLH FR0G 144.600 he isn't on the cluster
2890 The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the
2891 cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information.
2897 <bf>export <msgno> <filename></bf> Export a message to a file
2901 Export a message to a file. This command can only be executed on a local
2902 console with a fully privileged user. The file produced will be in a form
2903 ready to be imported back into the cluster by placing it in the import
2904 directory (/spider/msg/import).
2906 This command cannot overwrite an existing file. This is to provide some
2907 measure of security. Any files written will owned by the same user as the
2908 main cluster, otherwise you can put the new files anywhere the cluster can
2909 access. For example:-
2913 <sect1>export_users (9)
2917 <bf>export_users [<filename>]</bf> Export the users database to ascii
2921 Export the users database to a file in ascii format. If no filename
2922 is given then it will export the file to /spider/data/user_asc.
2924 If the file already exists it will be renamed to <filename>.o. In fact
2925 up to 5 generations of the file can be kept each one with an extra 'o' on the
2928 BE WARNED: this will write to any file you have write access to. No check is
2929 made on the filename (if any) that you specify.
2931 <sect1>forward/latlong (8)
2935 <bf>forward/latlong <node_call></bf> Send latitude and longitude
2936 information to another cluster
2940 This command sends all the latitude and longitude information that your
2941 cluster is holding against callsigns. One advantage of recieving this
2942 information is that more locator information is held by you. This
2943 means that more locators are given on the DX line assuming you have
2944 <em>set/dxgrid</em> enabled. This could be a LOT of information though, so
2945 it is not recommended on slow links.
2947 <sect1>forward/opername (1)
2951 <bf>forward/opername <call></bf> Send out information on this <call>
2956 This command sends out any information held in the user file which can
2957 be broadcast in PC41 protocol packets. This information is Name, QTH, Location
2958 and Homenode. PC41s are only sent for the information that is available.
2964 <bf>help <cmd></bf> Get help on a command
2968 All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated
2969 to SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on.
2971 Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help database
2972 for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely commands
2973 to look at with HELP.
2979 <bf>init <node call></bf> Re-initialise a link to an AK1A compatible node
2983 This command attempts to re-initialise a link to a (usually) AK1A node
2984 that has got confused, usually by a protocol loop of some kind. It may
2985 work - but you usually will be better off simply disconnecting it (or
2986 better, if it is a real AK1A node, doing an RCMD <node> DISC/F <your
2989 Best of luck - you will need it.
2995 <bf>kill <msgno> [<msgno> ..]</bf> Delete a message
2996 from the local system
3000 Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to
3001 delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are
3008 <bf>kill <msgno> [<msgno> ...]</bf> Remove or erase a message from
3010 <bf>kill from <call></bf> Remove all messages from a callsign<newline>
3011 <bf>kill to <call></bf> Remove all messages to a callsign<newline>
3015 You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign using
3016 this command. You can remove more than one message at a time.
3018 As a sysop you can kill any message on the system.
3020 <sect1>kill full (5)
3024 <bf>kill full <msgno> [<msgno>]</bf> Delete a message from the
3029 Delete a message (usually a 'bulletin') from the whole cluster system.
3031 This uses the subject field, so any messages that have exactly the same subject
3032 will be deleted. Beware!
3038 <bf>links</bf> Show which nodes are physically connected
3042 This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and
3043 some information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections.
3046 <sect1>load/aliases (9)
3050 <bf>load/aliases</bf> Reload the command alias table
3054 Reload the /spider/cmd/Aliases file after you have editted it. You will need to
3055 do this if you change this file whilst the cluster is running in order for the
3056 changes to take effect.
3059 <sect1>load/baddx (9)
3063 <bf>load/baddx</bf> Reload the bad DX table
3067 Reload the /spider/data/baddx.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
3068 the cluster is running. This table contains the DX Calls that, if spotted,
3069 will not be passed on. FR0G and TEST are classic examples.
3071 <sect1>load/badmsg (9)
3075 <bf>load/badmsg</bf> Reload the bad message table
3079 Reload the /spider/msg/badmsg.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
3080 the cluster is running. This table contains a number of perl regular
3081 expressions which are searched for in the fields targetted of each message.
3082 If any of them match then that message is immediately deleted on receipt.
3084 <sect1>load/badwords (9)
3088 <bf>load/badwords</bf> Reload the badwords file
3092 Reload the /spider/data/badwords file if you have changed it manually whilst
3093 the cluster is running. This file contains a list of words which, if found
3094 on certain text portions of PC protocol, will cause those protocol frames
3095 to be rejected. It will all put out a message if any of these words are
3096 used on the announce, dx and talk commands. The words can be one or
3097 more on a line, lines starting with '#' are ignored.
3099 <sect1>load/bands (9)
3103 <bf>load/bands</bf> Reload the band limits table
3107 Reload the /spider/data/bands.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst
3108 the cluster is running.
3110 <sect1>load/cmd_cache (9)
3114 <bf>load/cmd_cache</bf> Reload the automatic command cache
3118 Normally, if you change a command file in the cmd or local_cmd tree it will
3119 automatially be picked up by the cluster program. Sometimes it can get confused
3120 if you are doing a lot of moving commands about or delete a command in the
3121 local_cmd tree and want to use the normal one again. Execute this command to
3122 reset everything back to the state it was just after a cluster restart.
3124 <sect1>load/forward (9)
3128 <bf>load/forward</bf> Reload the msg forwarding routing table
3131 Reload the /spider/msg/forward.pl file if you have changed it
3132 manually whilst the cluster is running.
3134 <sect1>load/messages (9)
3138 <bf>load/messages</bf> Reload the system messages file
3142 If you change the /spider/perl/Messages file (usually whilst fiddling/writing ne
3143 commands) you can have them take effect during a cluster session by executing this
3144 command. You need to do this if get something like :-
3146 unknown message 'xxxx' in lang 'en'
3148 <sect1>load/prefixes (9)
3152 <bf>load/prefixes</bf> Reload the prefix table
3156 Reload the /spider/data/prefix_data.pl file if you have changed it manually
3157 whilst the cluster is running.
3163 <bf>merge <node> [<no spots>/<no wwv>]</bf> Ask for the
3164 latest spots and WWV
3168 MERGE allows you to bring your spot and wwv database up to date. By default
3169 it will request the last 10 spots and 5 WWVs from the node you select. The
3170 node must be connected locally.
3172 You can request any number of spots or wwv and although they will be appended
3173 to your databases they will not duplicate any that have recently been added
3174 (the last 2 days for spots and last month for WWV data).
3180 <bf>msg <cmd> <msgno> [data ...]</bf> Alter various message
3185 Alter message parameters like To, From, Subject, whether private or bulletin
3186 or return receipt (RR) is required or whether to keep this message from timing
3190 MSG TO <msgno> <call> - change TO callsign to <call>
3191 MSG FRom <msgno> <call> - change FROM callsign to <call>
3192 MSG PRrivate <msgno> - set private flag
3193 MSG NOPRrivate <msgno> - unset private flag
3194 MSG RR <msgno> - set RR flag
3195 MSG NORR <msgno> - unset RR flag
3196 MSG KEep <msgno> - set the keep flag (message won't be deleted ever)
3197 MSG NOKEep <msgno> - unset the keep flag
3198 MSG SUbject <msgno> <new> - change the subject to <new>
3199 MSG WAittime <msgno> - remove any waitting time for this message
3200 MSG NOREad <msgno> - mark message as unread
3201 MSG REad <msgno> - mark message as read
3202 MSG QUeue - queue any outstanding bulletins
3203 MSG QUeue 1 - queue any outstanding private messages
3206 You can look at the status of a message by using:-
3208 STAT/MSG <msgno>
3210 This will display more information on the message than DIR does.
3216 <bf>pc <call> <text></bf> Send text (eg PC Protocol) to <call>
3220 Send some arbitrary text to a locally connected callsign. No processing is done on
3221 the text. This command allows you to send PC Protocol to unstick things if problems
3222 arise (messages get stuck etc). eg:-
3224 pc gb7djk PC33^GB7TLH^GB7DJK^400^
3226 You can also use in the same way as a talk command to a connected user but
3227 without any processing, added of "from <blah> to <blah>" or whatever.
3229 pc G1TLH Try doing that properly!!!
3235 <bf>ping <node></bf> Check the link quality between nodes
3239 his command allows you to send a frame to another cluster node on
3240 the network and get a return frame. The time it takes to do this
3241 is a good indication of the quality of the link. The actual time
3242 it takes is output to the console in seconds.
3243 Any visible cluster node can be PINGed.
3250 <bf>rcmd <node call> <cmd></bf> Send a command to another DX cluster
3254 This command allows you to send nearly any command to another DX Cluster
3255 node that is connected to the system.
3257 Whether you get any output is dependant on a) whether the other system knows
3258 that the node callsign of this cluster is in fact a node b) whether the
3259 other system is allowing RCMDs from this node and c) whether you have
3260 permission to send this command at all.
3266 <bf>read</bf> Read the next unread personal message addressed to you<newline>
3267 <bf>read <msgno></bf> Read the specified message<newline>
3271 You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any
3272 message either sent by or sent to your callsign.
3275 <sect1>read (extended for sysops) (5)
3279 <bf>read <msgno></bf> Read a message on the system
3283 As a sysop you may read any message on the system
3285 <sect1>reject/announce
3289 <bf>reject/announce [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject filter
3294 Create an 'reject this announce' line for a filter.
3296 An reject filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is
3297 passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
3298 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
3300 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
3303 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
3304 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
3306 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3307 origin_itu <numbers>
3308 origin_zone <numbers>
3313 wx 1 filter WX announces
3314 dest <prefixes> eg: 6MUK,WDX (distros)
3320 rej/ann by_zone 14,15,16 and not by G,M,2
3323 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
3329 but this probably for advanced users...
3331 <sect1>reject/announce (extended for sysops) (8)
3335 <bf>reject/announce <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf> Announce filter sysop version
3339 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
3340 default for nodes and users eg:-
3344 reject/ann input node_default by G,M,2
3345 reject/ann user_default by G,M,2
3348 <sect1>reject/spots (0)
3352 <bf>reject/spots [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject filter
3357 Create a 'reject this spot' line for a filter.
3359 A reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is
3360 dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this
3361 to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on.
3363 You can use any of the following things in this line:-
3366 freq <range> eg: 0/30000 or hf or hf/cw or 6m,4m,2m
3367 on <range> same as 'freq'
3368 call <prefixes> eg: G,PA,HB9
3369 info <string> eg: iota or qsl
3371 call_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3381 For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in
3382 SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb -
3383 thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 -
3384 this is more efficient than saying simply: on HF (but don't get
3385 too hung up about that)
3391 rej/spot 2 on vhf and not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
3394 You can use the tag 'all' to reject everything eg:
3400 but this probably for advanced users...
3402 <sect1>reject/spots (extended for sysops) (8)
3406 <bf>reject/spots <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf>
3407 Reject spot filter sysop version
3411 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
3412 default for nodes and users eg:-
3415 reject/spot db0sue-7 1 by_zone 14,15,16
3416 reject/spot node_default all
3417 set/hops node_default 10
3419 reject/spot user_default by G,M,2
3422 <sect1>reject/wcy (0)
3426 <bf>reject/wcy [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject WCY filter
3430 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
3431 filter on the following fields:-
3434 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
3436 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3437 origin_itu <numbers>
3438 origin_zone <numbers>
3445 There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place and
3446 you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want them).
3448 This command is really provided for future use.
3450 See HELP FILTER for information.
3452 <sect1>reject/wcy (extended for sysops) (8)
3456 <bf>reject/wcy <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf>
3457 WCY reject filter sysop version
3461 This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
3462 default for nodes and users eg:-
3464 reject/wcy gb7djk all
3466 <sect1>reject/wwv (0)
3470 <bf>reject/wwv [0-9] <pattern></bf> Set a reject WWV filter
3474 It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can
3475 filter on the following fields:-
3478 by <prefixes> eg: G,M,2
3480 origin_dxcc <numbers> eg: 61,62 (from eg: sh/pre G)
3481 origin_itu <numbers>
3482 origin_zone <numbers>
3492 reject/wwv by_zone 14,15,16
3495 is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV broadcasts
3496 by stations in the US).
3498 See HELP FILTER for information.
3500 <sect1>reject/wwv (extended for sysops) (8)
3504 <bf>reject/wwv <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern></bf>
3505 WWV reject filter sysop version
3508 <P>This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the
3509 default for nodes and users eg:-
3512 reject/wwv db0sue-7 1 by_zone 4
3513 reject/wwv node_default all
3515 reject/wwv user_default by W
3522 <bf>reply</bf> Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read<newline>
3523 <bf>reply <msgno></bf> Reply (privately) to the specified message<newline>
3524 <bf>reply B <msgno></bf> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message<newline>
3525 <bf>reply NOPrivate <msgno></bf> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified
3527 <bf>reply RR <msgno></bf> Reply to the specified message with read
3532 You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have
3533 "Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present.
3535 You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE,
3536 NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND
3537 for further details)
3543 <bf>send <call> [<call> ...]</bf> Send a message to
3544 one or more callsigns<newline>
3545 <bf>send RR <call></bf> Send a message and ask for a read receipt<newline>
3546 <bf>send COPY <msgno> <call></bf> Send a copy of a message
3548 <bf>send PRIVATE <call></bf> Send a personal message<newline>
3549 <bf>send NOPRIVATE <call></bf> Send a message to all stations<newline>
3553 All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either to
3554 an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses.
3556 SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that is
3557 it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster node that
3558 that callsign is connected to.
3560 You can have more than one callsign in all of the SEND commands.
3562 You can have multiple qualifiers so that you can have for example:-
3565 SEND RR COPY 123 PRIVATE G1TLH G0RDI
3568 which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you will
3569 receive a read receipt when they have read the message.
3571 SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak)
3572 SP is an alias for SEND PRIVATE
3574 <sect1>set/address (0)
3578 <bf>set/address <your_address></bf> Record your postal address
3582 Literally, record your address details on the cluster.
3584 <sect1>set/announce (0)
3588 <bf>set/announce</bf> Allow announce messages
3592 Allow announce messages to arrive at your terminal.
3594 <sect1>set/arcluster (5)
3598 <bf>set/arcluster <node_call> [<node_call> ...]</bf> Make
3599 the node_call an AR-Cluster type node
3603 Set the node_call as an AR-Cluster type node
3605 <sect1>set/baddx (8)
3609 <bf>set/baddx <call></bf> Stop words we do not wish to see in the callsign field
3610 of a dx spot being propagated
3614 Setting a word as 'baddx' will prevent spots with that word in the callsign
3615 field of a DX spot from going any further. They will not be displayed and they
3616 will not be sent onto other nodes.
3618 The word must be wriiten in full, no wild cards are allowed eg:-
3621 set/baddx FORSALE VIDEO FR0G
3624 To allow a word again, use the following command ...
3630 <sect1>set/badnode (6)
3634 <bf>set/badnode <node_call></bf> Stop spots from this node_call
3639 Setting a callsign as a 'badnode' will prevent spots from that node
3640 going any further. They will not be displayed and they will not be
3641 sent onto other nodes.
3643 The call can be a full or partial call (or a prefix), eg:-
3649 will stop anything from K1TTT (including any SSID's)
3655 will allow spots from him again.
3657 Use with extreme care. This command may well be superceded by FILTERing.
3659 <sect1>set/badspotter (8)
3663 <bf>set/badspotter <call></bf> Stop spots from this callsign being propagated
3667 Setting a callsign as a 'badspotter' will prevent spots from this callsign
3668 going any further. They will not be displayed and they will not be
3669 sent onto other nodes.
3671 The call must be written in full, no wild cards are allowed eg:-
3674 set/badspotter VE2STN
3677 will stop anything from VE2STN. If you want SSIDs as well then you must
3678 enter them specifically.
3681 unset/badspotter VE2STN
3684 will allow spots from him again.
3686 Use with extreme care. This command may well be superceded by FILTERing.
3692 <bf>set/beep</bf> Add beeps to terminal messages
3696 Add a beep to DX and other terminal messages.
3702 <bf>set/clx <node_call> [<node_call> ...]</bf> Make
3703 the node_call a CLX type node
3707 Set the node_call as a CLX type node
3709 <sect1>set/debug (9)
3713 <bf>set/debug <name></bf> Add a debug level to the debug set
3717 You can choose to log several different levels. The levels are
3725 You can show what levels you are logging with the <em>show/debug</em>
3728 You can remove a debug level with unset/debug <name>
3734 <bf>set/dx</bf>Allow DX messages to arrive at your terminal
3738 You can stop DX messages with the <em>unset/dx</em> command
3740 <sect1>set/dxgrid (0)
3744 <bf>set/dxgrid</bf>Allow grid squares on the end of DX messages
3748 Some logging programs do not like the additional information at
3749 the end of a DX spot. If this is the case, use the <em>unset/dxgrid</em>
3750 command to remove the grid squares.
3752 <sect1>set/dxnet (5)
3756 <bf>set/dxnet <node_call> [<node_call> ...]</bf> Make
3757 the node_call a DXNet type node
3761 Set the node_call as a DXNet type node
3767 <bf>set/echo</bf> Make the cluster echo your input
3771 If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations
3772 of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are
3773 connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command
3774 to change the setting appropriately.
3776 You can remove the echo with the <em>unset/echo</em> command
3778 The setting is stored in your user profile.
3780 YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND IF YOU ARE CONNECTED VIA AX25.
3786 <bf>set/here</bf> Set the here flag
3790 Let others on the cluster know you are here by only displaying your
3791 callsign. If you are away from your terminal you can use the <em>unset/here</em>
3792 command to let people know you are away. This simply puts brackets
3793 around your callsign to indicate you are not available.
3795 <sect1>set/homenode (0)
3799 <bf>set/homenode <node_call></bf> Set your home cluster
3803 Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages sent
3804 to you will normally find their way there should you not be connected.
3815 <bf>set/hops <node_call> ann|spots|wwv|wcy <n></bf>
3820 Set the hop count for a particular type of broadcast for a node.
3822 This command allows you to set up special hop counts for a node
3823 for currently: announce, spots, wwv and wcy broadcasts.
3827 set/hops gb7djk ann 10
3828 set/hops gb7mbc spots 20
3831 Set SHOW/HOPS for information on what is already set. This command
3832 creates a filter and works in conjunction with the filter system.
3834 <sect1>set/isolate (9)
3838 <bf>set/isolate <node call></bf> Isolate a node from the rest of the network
3842 Connect a node to your system in such a way that you are a full protocol
3843 member of its network and can see all spots on it, but nothing either leaks
3844 out from it nor goes back into from the rest of the nodes connected to you.
3846 You can potentially connect several nodes in this way.
3848 You can see which nodes are isolated with the show/isolate (1) command.
3850 You can remove the isolation with the command unset/isolate.
3852 <sect1>set/language (0)
3856 <bf>set/language <language></bf> Set the language you wish to use
3860 You can select the language that you want the cluster to use. Currently
3861 the languages available are <em>en</em> (English) and <em>nl</em> (Dutch).
3863 <sect1>set/location (0)
3867 <bf>set/location <lat and long></bf> Set your latitude and longitude
3871 You can set your latitude and longitude manually or alternatively use the
3872 <em>set/qra</em> command which will do the conversion for you.
3875 set/location 54 04 N 2 02 E
3879 <sect1>set/sys_location (9)
3883 <bf>set/sys_location <lat & long></bf> Set your cluster latitude and longitude
3887 In order to get accurate headings and such like you must tell the system
3888 what your latitude and longitude is. If you have not yet done a SET/QRA
3889 then this command will set your QRA locator for you. For example:-
3892 SET/LOCATION 52 22 N 0 57 E
3895 <sect1>set/logininfo (0)
3899 <bf>set/logininfo</bf> Show logins and logouts of nodes and users
3903 Show users and nodes when they log in and out of the local cluster. You
3904 can stop these messages by using the <em>unset/logininfo</em> command.
3907 <sect1>set/lockout (9)
3911 <bf>set/lockout <call></bf> Stop a callsign connecting to the cluster
3915 You can show who is locked out with the <em>show/lockout</em> command.
3916 To allow the user to connect again, use the <em>unset/lockout</em> command.
3922 <bf>set/name <your_name></bf> Set your name
3926 Tell the cluster what your name is, eg:-
3936 <bf>set/node <call> [<call> ...]</bf> Make the callsign an AK1A cluster
3940 Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as AK1A cluster and
3941 fed PC Protocol rather normal user commands.
3943 From version 1.41 you can also set the following types of cluster
3952 To see what your nodes are set to, use the <em>show/nodes</em> command.
3954 <sect1>set/obscount (9)
3958 <bf>set/obscount <count> <node call></bf> Set the 'pump-up'
3959 obsolescence counter
3963 From version 1.35 onwards neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals (see
3964 SET/PINGINTERVAL), usually 300 seconds or 5 minutes. There is a 'pump-up'
3965 counter which is decremented on every outgoing ping and then reset to
3966 the 'obscount' value on every incoming ping. The default value of this
3969 What this means is that a neighbouring node will be pinged twice at
3970 (default) 300 second intervals and if no reply has been heard just before
3971 what would be the third attempt, that node is disconnected.
3973 If a ping is heard then the obscount is reset to the full value. Using
3974 default values, if a node has not responded to a ping within 15 minutes,
3981 <bf>set/page <n></bf> Set the number of lines per page
3985 Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of lines
3986 of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20. Setting it
3987 explicitly to 0 will disable paging.
3994 The setting is stored in your user profile.
3997 <sect1>set/password (9)
4001 <bf>set/password <callsign> <string></bf> Set a users password
4005 The password for a user can only be set by a full sysop. The string
4006 can contain any characters but any spaces are removed (you can type in
4007 spaces - but they won't appear in the password). You can see the
4008 result with STAT/USER. The password is the usual 30 character baycom
4011 <sect1>set/pinginterval (9)
4015 <bf>set/pinginterval <time> <node call></bf> Set the ping time
4016 to neighbouring nodes
4020 As from version 1.35 all neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals
4021 in order to determine the rolling quality of the link and, in future, to
4022 affect routing decisions. The default interval is 300 secs or 5 minutes.
4024 You can use this command to set a different interval. Please don't.
4026 But if you do the value you enter is treated as minutes up 60 and seconds
4027 for numbers greater than that.
4029 This is used also to help determine when a link is down at the far end
4030 (as certain cluster software doesn't always notice), see SET/OBSCOUNT
4031 for more information.
4033 <sect1>set/privilege (9)
4037 <bf>set/privilege <n> <call> [<call> ...]</bf> Set the
4038 privilege level on a call
4042 Set the privilege level on a callsign. The privilege levels that pertain
4043 to commands are as default:-
4047 1 - allow remote nodes normal user RCMDs
4048 5 - various privileged commands (including shutdown, but not disc-
4049 connect), the normal level for another node.
4050 8 - more privileged commands (including disconnect)
4051 9 - local sysop privilege. DO NOT SET ANY REMOTE USER OR NODE TO THIS
4055 If you are a sysop and you come in as a normal user on a remote connection
4056 your privilege will automatically be set to 0.
4058 <sect1>set/spider (5)
4062 <bf>set/spider <node_call> [<node_call> ...]</bf> Make
4063 the node_call a DXSpider type node
4067 Set the node_call as a DXSpider type node
4069 <sect1>set/sys_qra (9)
4073 <bf>set/sys_qra <locator></bf> Set your cluster QRA locator
4080 <bf>set/qra <locator></bf> Set your QRA locator
4084 Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have not
4085 done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set roughly
4086 correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:-
4096 <bf>set/qth <your QTH></bf> Set your QTH
4100 Tell the system where your are. For example:-
4103 set/qth East Dereham, Norfolk
4110 <bf>set/talk</bf> Allow talk messages to be seen at your console
4114 Allow talk messages to arrive at your console. You can switch off
4115 talks with the <em>unset/talk</em> command.
4121 <bf>set/wcy</bf> Allow WCY messages to be seen at your console
4125 Allow WCY information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
4126 WCY messages with the <em>unset/wcy</em> command.
4132 <bf>set/wwv</bf> Allow WWV messages to be seen at your console
4136 Allow WWV information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
4137 WWV messages with the <em>unset/wwv</em> command.
4143 <bf>set/wx</bf> Allow WX messages to be seen at your console
4147 Allow WX information to be seen at your console. You can switch off
4148 WX messages with the <em>unset/wx</em> command.
4150 <sect1>show/baddx (1)
4154 <bf>show/baddx</bf>Show all the bad dx calls in the system
4158 Display all the bad dx callsigns in the system, see SET/BADDX
4159 for more information.
4161 <sect1>show/badnode (6)
4165 <bf>show/badnode</bf> Show all the bad nodes in the system
4169 Display all the bad node callsigns in the system, see SET/BADNODE
4170 for more information.
4172 <sect1>show/badspotter (1)
4176 <bf>show/badspotter</bf> Show all the bad spotters in the system
4180 Display all the bad spotter's callsigns in the system, see SET/BADSPOTTER
4181 for more information.
4183 <sect1>show/configuration (0)
4187 <bf>show/configuration [<node>]</bf> Show all visible nodes and their users
4191 This command allows you to see all the users that can be seen
4192 and the nodes to which they are connected. With the optional <em>node</em>,
4193 you can specify a particular node to look at.
4195 This command is normally abbreviated to: sh/c
4197 BE WARNED: the list that is returned can be VERY long
4199 <sect1>show/configuration/node (0)
4203 <bf>show/configuration/node</bf> Show all the nodes connected
4207 Show all the nodes connected locally and the nodes they have connected.
4209 <sect1>show/connect (1)
4213 <bf>show/connect</bf> Show all the active connections
4217 This command shows information on all the active connections known to
4218 the node. This command gives slightly more information than WHO.
4220 <sect1>show/date (0)
4224 <bf>show/date [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show
4229 This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the format
4230 of the date string if no arguments are given.
4232 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
4233 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
4234 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
4235 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
4237 <sect1>show/debug (9)
4241 <bf>show/debug</bf> Show what levels of debug you are logging
4245 The levels can be set with <em>set/debug</em>
4251 <bf>show/dx [options]</bf> interrogate the spot database
4255 If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots
4256 (sysop configurable, but usually 10).
4258 In addition you can add any number of these options in very nearly
4259 any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:-
4262 on <band> - eg 160m 20m 2m 23cm 6mm
4263 on <region> - eg hf vhf uhf shf (see SHOW/BANDS)
4265 <number> - the number of spots you want
4266 <from>-<to> - <from> spot no <to> spot no in
4269 <prefix> - for a spotted callsign beginning with <prefix>
4270 *<suffix> - for a spotted callsign ending in <suffix>
4271 *<string>* - for a spotted callsign containing <string>
4273 day <number> - starting <number> days ago
4274 day <from>-<to> - <from> days <to> days ago
4276 info <text> - any spots containing <text> in the info or remarks
4278 by <call> - any spots spotted by <call> (spotter <call>
4281 qsl - this automatically looks for any qsl info on the call
4282 held in the spot database.
4284 iota [<iota>] - If the iota island number is missing it will
4285 look for the string iota and anything which looks like
4286 an iota island number. If you specify then it will look
4289 qra [<locator>] - this will look for the specific locator if
4290 you specify one or else anything that looks like a locator.
4297 SH/DX on 20m info iota
4298 SH/DX 9a on vhf day 30
4305 <sect1>show/dxcc (0)
4309 <bf>show/dxcc <prefix></bf> Interrogate the spot database by country
4313 This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial
4314 callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is
4315 and then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country.
4317 The options for SHOW/DX also apply to this command.
4322 SH/DXCC W on 20m info iota
4325 <sect1>show/files (0)
4329 <bf>show/files [<filearea> [<string>]]</bf> List
4330 the contents of a filearea
4334 SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas
4335 available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file
4339 SH/FILES <filearea>
4342 where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the
4345 You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a
4346 string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:-
4349 SH/FILES bulletins arld*
4352 See also TYPE - to see the contents of a file.
4354 <sect1>show/filter (0)
4358 <bf>show/filter</bf> Show the filters you have set
4362 Show the contents of all the filters that are set by you. This command
4363 displays all the filters set - for all the various categories.
4365 <sect1>show/filter (extended for sysops) (5)
4369 <bf>show/filter <callsign></bf> Show the filters set by <callsign>
4373 A sysop can look at any filters that have been set.
4375 <sect1>show/hops (8)
4379 <bf>show/hops <node_call> [ann|spots|wcy|wwv|]</bf> Show the hop
4384 This command shows the hop counts set up for a node. You can specify
4385 which category you want to see. If you leave the category out then
4386 all the categories will be listed.
4388 <sect1>show/isolate (1)
4392 <bf>show/isolate</bf> Show a list of isolated nodes
4396 Show which nodes are currently set to be isolated.
4398 <sect1>show/lockout (9)
4402 <bf>show/lockout</bf> Show a list of excluded callsigns
4406 Show a list of callsigns that have been excluded (locked out) of the
4407 cluster locally with the <em>set/lockout</em> command
4413 <bf>show/log [<callsign>]</bf> Show excerpts from the system log
4417 This command outputs a short section of the system log. On its own
4418 it will output a general logfile. With the optional callsign it will
4419 show output from the log associated with that callsign.
4421 <sect1>show/moon (0)
4425 <bf>show/moon [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show moon
4430 Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
4431 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
4434 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
4435 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
4436 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
4438 In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal
4439 distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit.
4441 If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node
4442 that you are connected to.
4455 <bf>show/muf <prefix> [<hours>][long]</bf> Show
4456 the likely propagation to <prefix>
4460 This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting
4461 a station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a modest
4462 power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about 0.15muV/10dB SINAD)
4464 The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal
4465 levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on
4466 specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for
4467 paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced accuracy
4468 for paths shorter or longer than this.
4470 The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and
4471 used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year,
4472 hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and
4473 receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here,
4474 with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex
4475 than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations,
4476 such as the Voice of America.
4478 The command will display some header information detailing its
4479 assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and
4480 bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end
4481 (LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path
4482 (Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for which
4483 the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a value.
4485 The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the conventional
4486 6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it means that it is
4487 1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by an 'm' it means that
4488 there is likely to be much fading and by an 's' that the signal is likely
4491 By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You
4492 can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no of
4493 hours required after the prefix. For example:-
4502 RxSens: -123 dBM SFI: 159 R: 193 Month: 10 Day: 21
4503 Power : 20 dBW Distance: 6283 km Delay: 22.4 ms
4504 Location Lat / Long Azim
4505 East Dereham, Norfolk 52 41 N 0 57 E 47
4506 United-States-W 43 0 N 87 54 W 299
4507 UT LT MUF Zen 1.8 3.5 7.0 10.1 14.0 18.1 21.0 24.9 28.0 50.0
4508 18 23 11.5 -35 mS0+ mS2 S3
4509 19 0 11.2 -41 mS0+ mS2 S3
4512 indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and
4513 80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3).
4521 will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of
4529 Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It
4530 should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor
4531 terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness.
4533 <sect1>show/node (1)
4537 <bf>show/node [<node_call> ...]</bf> Show the type and version
4542 Show the type and version (if connected) of the nodes specified on the
4543 command line. If no callsigns are specified then a sorted list of all
4544 the non-user callsigns known to the system will be displayed.
4546 <sect1>show/prefix (0)
4550 <bf>show/prefix <callsign></bf> Interrogate the prefix database
4554 This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial
4555 callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number
4556 it is and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country
4557 together with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions.
4562 <sect1>show/program (5)
4566 <bf>show/program</bf> Show the locations of all the included program modules
4570 Show the name and location where every program module was load from. This
4571 is useful for checking where you think you have loaded a .pm file from.
4577 <bf>show/qra <locator> [<locator>]</bf> Show the distance
4578 between locators<newline>
4579 <bf>show/qra <lat> <long></bf> Convert latitude and longitude to
4584 This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the
4585 distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is
4586 given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station
4587 to the locator. For example:-
4594 The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator from
4595 yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and bearing from
4596 the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6 character locators.
4598 It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator by
4599 using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument, for
4603 SH/QRA 52 41 N 0 58 E
4610 <bf>show/qrz <callsign></bf> Show any callbook details on a callsign
4614 This command queries the QRZ callbook server on the internet
4615 and returns any information available for that callsign. This service
4616 is provided for users of this software by http://www.qrz.com
4618 <sect1>show/route (0)
4622 <bf>show/route <callsign></bf> Show the route to <callsign>
4626 This command allows you to see to which node the callsigns specified are
4627 connected. It is a sort of inverse sh/config.
4633 <sect1>show/satellite (0)
4637 <bf>show/satellite <name> [<hours> <interval>]</bf>
4638 Show satellite tracking data
4642 Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your choice
4643 from now on for the next few hours.
4645 If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a list
4646 of all the satellites known currently to the system.
4648 If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes
4649 that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will
4650 give information for the next three hours for every five minute period.
4652 You can alter the number of hours and the step size, within certain
4655 Each pass in a period is separated with a row of '-----' characters
4661 SH/SAT FENGYUN1 12 2
4668 <bf>show/sun [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show
4669 sun rise and set times
4673 Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns,
4674 together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those
4677 If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for
4678 your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA),
4679 together with the current azimuth and elevation.
4681 If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node
4682 that you are connected to.
4688 SH/SUN G1TLH K9CW ZS
4691 <sect1>show/time (0)
4695 <bf>show/time [<prefix>|<callsign>]</bf> Show
4700 If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local
4701 time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes
4702 then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at
4703 the prefixes or callsigns that you specify.
4709 <bf>show/wcy</bf> Show the last 10 WCY broadcasts<newline>
4710 <bf>show/wcy <n></bf> Show the last <n> WCY broadcasts
4714 Display the most recent WCY information that has been received by the system
4720 <bf>show/wwv</bf> Show the last 10 WWV broadcasts<newline>
4721 <bf>show/wwv <n></bf> Show the last <n> WWV broadcasts
4725 Display the most recent WWV information that has been received by the system
4732 <bf>shutdown</bf> Shutdown the cluster
4736 Shutdown the cluster and disconnect all the users. If you have Spider
4737 set to respawn in /etc/inittab it will of course restart.
4743 <bf>spoof <callsign> <command></bf> Run commands as another user
4747 This is a very simple yet powerful command for the sysop. It allows you to
4748 issue commands as if you were a different user. This is very useful for the
4749 kind of things that users seem to always get wrong.. like home_node for
4756 <bf>stat/db <dbname></bf> Show the status of a database
4760 Show the internal status of a database descriptor.
4762 Depending on your privilege level you will see more or less information.
4763 This command is unlikely to be of much use to anyone other than a sysop.
4765 <sect1>stat/channel (5)
4769 <bf>stat/channel <callsign></bf> Show the status of a channel on the cluster
4773 Show the internal status of the channel object either for the channel that
4774 you are on or else for the callsign that you asked for.
4776 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
4782 <bf>stat/msg <msgno></bf> Show the status of a message
4786 This command shows the internal status of a message and includes information
4787 such as to whom it has been forwarded, its size, origin etc etc.
4789 <sect1>stat/user (5)
4793 <bf>stat/user <callsign></bf> Show the full status of a user
4797 Shows the full contents of a user record including all the secret flags
4800 Only the fields that are defined (in perl term) will be displayed.
4806 <bf>sysop</bf> Regain your privileges if you login remotely
4810 The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a
4811 normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to
4812 regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five
4813 numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is
4814 your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from
4817 You are expected to return a string which contains the characters
4818 required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters
4819 with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and
4820 these values are for explanation :-):
4823 password = 012345678901234567890123456789
4831 aa2bbbb0ccc5ddd7xxx3n
4836 They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered
4837 numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is
4844 <bf>talk <callsign></bf> Enter talk mode with <callsign><newline>
4845 <bf>talk <callsign> <text></bf> Send a text message to <callsign><newline>
4846 <bf>talk <callsign> > <node_call> [<text>]</bf>
4847 Send a text message to <callsign> via <node_call>
4851 Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the cluster
4852 system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a SHOW/CONFIGURATION
4853 command, they don't have to be connected locally.
4855 The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected
4856 with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send
4857 the user information usually associated with logging on and off the cluster.
4859 If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can only
4860 see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use the
4861 second form of the talk message.
4863 If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text message
4864 out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means is that a
4865 short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you are in a 'Talking'
4866 frame of mind and then you just type - everything you send will go to the
4867 station that you asked for.
4869 All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on your
4872 If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you precede the normal
4873 command with a '/' character, eg:-
4876 /DX 14001 G1TLH What's a B class licensee doing on 20m CW?
4880 To leave talk mode type:
4890 <bf>type <filearea>/<name></bf> Look at a file in one of the fileareas
4894 Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in
4895 filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would
4899 TYPE bulletins/arld051
4902 See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a
4909 <bf>who</bf> Show who is physically connected locally
4913 This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and
4914 what sort of connection they have
4920 <bf>wx <text></bf> Send a weather message to local users<newline>
4921 <bf>wx full <text> </bf> Send a weather message to all cluster users
4925 Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an extreme
4926 that may indicate enhanced conditions
4928 <sect1>wx (enhanced for sysops) (5)
4932 <bf>wx sysop <text></bf> Send a weather message to other clusters only
4936 Send a weather message only to other cluster nodes and not to general users.
projects / spider.git / blob