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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Bill,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>As the song goes, “Welcome to the jungle.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>A few suggestions:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>For JNOS, you’ll want a copy of “NOSintro – TCP/IP over Packet Radio – An Introduction to the KA9Q Network Operating System”, by Ian Wade, G3NRW. You can find used copies on Amazon or else Ian has posted a scanned version online in PDF format (http://g3nrw.net/NOSintro/). A couple of the pages are messed up in the scan, but it’s readable. It’s really the bible for JNOS. For me, the most important page is the diagram on p144 because it shows all of the message flows and how each part of JNOS touches the message.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The BBS specification is important for understanding how BBSs talk to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet/docs/BBS_Specification.pdf">http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet/docs/BBS_Specification.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>The FBB protocol spec is important for understanding compressed, binary forwarding.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.f6fbb.org/protocole.html">http://www.f6fbb.org/protocole.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>If you want to carry bulletins, you’ll need to know the distributions in use in your area so you can set up the JNOS rewrite file properly. Perhaps someone in your state can help. As an example, this web page covers the distributions in use in my neck of the woods (silicon valley):<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet/packet-addressing.html#bull-addr">http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet/packet-addressing.html#bull-addr</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Our county web page for packet may contain info that is helpful to you. It contains links to lots of info, including our training classes. A lot of the training and documentation is specific to our local operational procedures. And it’s mostly targeted at end users, not sysops. But there’s bound to be something there that’s helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet.html">http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Finally, you should really consider running on Linux. I’m not a Linux fan boy by any means. I curse it daily. But, after all, a BBS is a server-type environment, not an end-user client. The ability to manage scripting, security, and other operations is invaluable. And if you want to connect to a modern mail gateway, like Postfix, you’ll definitely want Linux. A Windows person will find the Ubuntu Desktop version fairly easy to navigate. Whether you prefer published books or websites, there are plenty available for Ubuntu. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hope that helps.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Michael<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>N6MEF<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt'><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> nos-bbs [mailto:nos-bbs-bounces@tapr.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>bill - K7WXW<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, July 8, 2017 12:08 PM<br><b>To:</b> nos-bbs@tapr.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [nos-bbs] self-intro and pointer help...<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>GM all,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>First of all... this is long. Completely understand if it is TL;DR...<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>I am new to the list. As you all probably know, the packet radio network around Portland has fallen apart, but I am really interested in packet modes, so I am going to roll my own, albeit small, version. I am starting from scratch.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>While I am trained as a EE, and have done a fair amount of networking and digital stuff over the years, this is a whole new area for me. I built a winlink/APRS capable VHF station around a signalink soundcard, which works, and I am learning a little about combination of RF and packet technologies from that. I will build winlink and APRS gateways next, which should teach me more. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>My goal, however is to build a more reliable, old-fashioned VHF packet gateway with mailboxes, a BBS and the like. And then get some other people to use it then build them, too. To that end, I have acquired and repaired a PK-232MBX and a Kenwood 2 meter transceiver for my TNC/radio combination. Since I want to make small steps, I am not going to dive into Pi/Linux quite yet and so will work in Windows. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>And here is where I get overwhelmed... I've found websites and instructions that give "cookbook" approaches to getting a packet gateway going or very high level overviews of packet but little that really steps through the various protocols, what the various pieces of software do, or how to actually maintain a system and be a sysop. The books available in the 90s are out of print and so far, impossible to find. And there aren't any packet gurus in my neighborhood. Most of the stuff you all talk about here is, unfortunately, gibberish to my untrained ears. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>So... where to start? websites or books that I might find helpfu? Youtube videos? Wizened packet gurus lurking in the Cascade range? What's a beginner to do?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="bloop_customfont"><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>73 de bill K7WXW<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>