[nos-bbs] Update - JNOS and WinLink Interoperability

[Bill V WA7NWP]

Hi Maiko and the group...

> Just wanted to share some thoughts and the status on the latest
> stuff going on with my attempts at integrating JNOS 2.0 with the
> WinLink world.

Being able to talk with WL2K is a really good thing.

> The good news is that the latest version of JNOS 2.0 seems to do B2F
> protocol very nicely with the new RMS Packet Gateway running here. I
> initiated a mbox kick and 2 messages were picked off Winlink nicely
> over RF, as well I was able to send a message to a particular call on
> the winlink system. The B2F protocol stuff I think is more or less a
> done deal, it's working pretty good, just a few minor things to do.
>
> BUT, the 2 messages were SYSTEM messages, meaning they had multiple
> recipients. After checking, JNOS only delivered the 2 messages to the
> first recipient in each of them, not all of them like it should. So,
> there is one of the things I have to deal with. Not quite there, but
> getting there.

Yup.  That's what bit me back when I was testing JNOS to WL2K.  Of
course the messages for my station were never the first one so they
all just disappeared.

> The real remaining issues to deal with at this point are Addressing
> and figuring out how to deal with a system that does not really have
> an AREA concept like NOS uses. There are some creative ways a few
> people can deal with it, but it needs work as well.

Is that really an issue with WL2K?   It's just an simple email system
and there is no group messaging or bulletins to deal with.

I guess we could bring up the incredible catalog of data available
from WL2k by EMail requests.  That would be another good addition to
either the JNOS or *NIX packet world.

> LASTLY
>
> I wanted to share my setup. I only have one radio, one TNC or Baycom
> when it's not being repaired, and one VHF antenna at a height of 42
> feet. I don't have the resources for another radio, so what I did was
> setup a wired KISS link between my JNOS on linux and my Windows machine
> running RMS Packet. On the JNOS side you can then use that really COOL
> feature known as 'rxecho' on BOTH the vhf port and the wired kiss port
> to allow the windows app to *share* the TNC, and it works very nicely.

This sharing of TNC ports is where AGWPE really shines..   It would be
another very useful feature for JNOS if we were *PE (Packet Engine)
server and client functionality availabe...    Just something to have
on our backlog for the long quiet winters some year in the future.

Note that this is less important now that there's a PE available for Linux:

  http://www.on7lds.net/ldsped/index.html

> The bonus is that both systems get the benefit of the high antenna.

A bonus of the *PE scheme is that it's a TCP application and it's easy
to access over the net.   I know that can be down with serial port
links but it takes yet another layer of fragile widgets.

> Regards to all,

And thanks once again for your support of JNOS.


> Maiko Langelaar / VE4KLM
> http://www.langelaar.net

73
Bill - WA7NWP