[nos-bbs] TELpac nodes and JNOS

[Bill Vodall]

> I am sure that many of us are coming at this from different perspectives. My
> perspective is primarily for emergency communications. How to have a robust
> messaging system that primarily works without the internet, especially for
> nearby stations, and yet has the ability to go into the internet for
> delivery of messages when you must do it in order to have a reasonable
> delivery time and to non ham persons who have e-mail addresses.
> 
> I have some questions (as I often do):

I have some opinions (as I always do)

> 1. If xNOS was able to do much of this, and do it some years ago, why did it
> not succeed in being developed for a large part of amateur radio?

It's a very complicated package and takes a significant effort to keep
running.  But beyond that, I think a bigger reason is that doesn't
play nicely with windows.  There are some ways to make NOS work in
a windows world but nothing really clean and solid.

I like the Airmail program because it is very much what a (limited) windows
version of what *NOS would be. 

Finally, *NOS is still a "specialized" application.  If you want a
"real" data router -- use Linux.   That, like *NOS, is too complicated
for many folks.  It's not worth the trouble.

For an EOC or similar system server, *NOS in not a good answer.  Use
Linux or a Windows equivalent box.   It used to be that Linux was the
sole solution for many packet applications but that's pretty much 
changed and you can do about anything packet on Windows these days


> 2. Is it primarily because of the overly geek requirements to get it to
> work?

.. and because Linux is better.   

> 3. For proper use of an xNOS system, do you need to use the 44 IP address
> scheme? Or can you use DHCP in some way?

IM!HO - the 44 net system is actually a detriment these days to amateur
packet networking.   Use the 192.168 or 10.x numbers.  If you have an
active and supported 44 net system in your community, by all means use it.
If you don't - I'd suggest just setting it up like a home system with
NAT to the Internet.

*NOS has bootp which is (I think) a precursor to DHCP.  I've been going to
try it for years.   Fortunately I'm now in an ideal setup where I can try
it when I get a round TUIT.  There's a Linux box 'Community Packet Server'
just a mile from this QTH where I can turn on DHCP and tell it to respond
to the BOOTP requests.

> 4. With slow, e.g.,  less than 9k6 speeds, TCP/IP is not practical and seems
> to have been one of the main downfalls as to why it never caught on.

9k6 on a digital repeater works incredibly well.  Not good enough for SETI
to do the 350K download unassisted, but I was able to download it to another
server and then FTP it to the local system via the 9k6 repeater.  For basic
communications  (email with attachments...  argh)  it works great.

1200 baud TCP/IP is good enough for basic email and things like Jabber IM.


> 5. What is the main problem with running this stuff on the MS Windows
> platform as a Windows program?

For the "old" *NOS, the compiler used doesn't really know how to talk
to Windows networking.

> And for that matter, when running on Linux,
> why could not a GUI interface be developed, perhaps similar to AirMail to
> handle much of the complicated stuff and keep it away from non technical
> people?

There is no need.  NOS is essentially a router, not an application.  We have
incredible GUI applications already - Firefox, Thunderbird, Jabber, etc.  They
can all work through and with *NOS.

A webmin interface for NOS on Linux would be a big step forward, but first
we need one for basic AX25 packet on Linux.

> Rick, KV9U

Bill - WA7NWP