Netrom-Node mini-Howto: Some Details of the AX.25 Utilities

3. Some Details of the AX.25 Utilities

Below is a list of all the applications and files that are needed to set up a working ax.25 system. The Applications are all in the /usr/sbin/ directory and the Configuration files are in the /etc/ax25/ directory. Note: Kissattach is used only if you have TNC's in the Kiss Mode.

kissattach Application
call Application
ax25d Application
ax25d.conf Configuration file
axspawn Application
axspawn.conf Configuration file
axports Configuration file

There are several names that a ax25-util user must invent. Since this paper uses the files of k5di, a listing of those names can be made.



Name            Call-sign       Alias           Other   

ax0             k5di-9                          ax25 9600 baud
ax1             k5di-10                         ax25 1200 baud
Netrom          k5di-1          #CRUCE          Real Netrom 
netnod          k5di-4          CRUCES          Node node-list
netbbs          k5di-3          LCBBS           BBS  node-list
netdx           k5di-5          LCDX            DX-Cluster

It's a good idea to make a list like this on paper before you start to change things. It is easy to put the wrong name in a control file.

Kissattach is an application that connects the kernel to the TNC, sets the tcp/ip address up, sets the speed of the connection, and is given the serial port to use.

Axports is a file that defines the name of the ax.25 ports and tells kissattach what call-sign, baud-rate and window size to use. Below is an example of a 2 TNC system.


# /etc/ax25/axports
# Be very careful with the speed setting. This is the speed in
# bits/second that data passes from the computer to the TNC, and has
# nothing to do with the radio baud rate! 
#
# The format of this file is:
#
# name call-sign speed paclen window description
#
ax0     K5DI-9          9600    255     3       445.1 (9600 bps)
ax1     K5DI-10         9600    255     1       145.07 (1200 bps)

AX25D is the application that reads the ax25d.conf Configuration file and answers calls made to the system. Below is a sample ax25d.conf that has no Netrom defined. In fact all it will do is answer calls to k5di-9 and k5di-10. When it answers it starts the node application and logs the caller in.


# /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
#
#  AX25D Configuration File.
#
# AX.25 ports begin with a '['.
#
[k5di-4 VIA ax0]
default  * *    *   *   *    0 - root   /usr/sbin/node  node 
[k5di-4 VIA ax1]
default  * *    *   *   *     0 - root  /usr/sbin/node  node 
#

The next step is to get ax25d to answer a call to the alias CRUCES as well as the call-sign. This is easy to do and is shown below:



# /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
#
#  AX25D Configuration File.
#
# AX.25 ports begin with a '['.
#
[CRUCES VIA ax0]
default  * *    *   *   *    0 - root   /usr/sbin/node  node
[k5di-4 VIA ax0]
default  * *    *   *   *    0 - root   /usr/sbin/node  node 
[CRUCES VIA ax1]
default  * *    *   *   *    0 - root   /usr/sbin/node  node
[k5di-4 VIA ax1]
default  * *    *   *   *     0 - root  /usr/sbin/node  node 
#

If you have trouble, as root kill ax25d if it is running and then at the prompt type ax25d &. As ax25d loads the ax25d.conf file it will print out any errors it finds. This print out is very accurate and tells you which row in the file is wrong.

A connect from any adjacent node to k5di-4 or CRUCES will connect to the k5di node. But Netrom is not transmitting a node listing for CRUCES or k5di-4. This is done by changing some Netrom Configuration files.

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