[FADCA] Points of Clarification

[Chuck Hast]

Bud:
I am going to zero in on your one question, see my comments below...

On Thursday 11 April 2002 07:40 L, you wrote:
> Deltona
> Thursday April 11 0730EST
>
> Hi, Gang:
>feel that we should have a suggested plan for the two
> networks to work together to better cover the state.
>
> I AM STILL AWAITING INPUT FROM FADCA ON THAT LAST POINT!  (Maybe with all
> my e-mail I've missed that.)

This is one of my reasons for trying to get the LINUX FPAC boxes going. Once
done we can then support all the common networking protocols on the same box.
IP, FPAC(ROSE), NetRom (X1J et al SEDAN uses X1J) APRS and anything else
that people want to play with. It all comes already as part of the AX.25 
packages and those that are running these boxes are doing just exactly that.

I feel that if we can have all the different protocols up and running in the
same box with different ports (in some cases they co-exist on the same
channel you just access them with a different SSID) either physical or
virtual. I am setting up a test bench for this very thing right now and hope
to get a box going so I can convert the kp4djt switch over to LINUX and
give it a total shake down. I am still not very good at getting the packages
all together and making it run, I understand that once you do it there is not
much to it. I just need to get it done.

As far as day to day operation it will not look any different from the way you
do it now. If you are using FPAC you will either do a connection via the
switch,address or you will connect to the switch call and issue a connect
to the target through the switch. (same sort of thing as the NR side does it)
If you are running IP you will just go through the IP side of it or you can
use FPAC and pass IP packets on that network (turns out to be a bit faster
that way due to the way FPAC handles upper layer protocols).

The neat thing is this box will no longer limit that site to one and only one
protocol. There are also drivers for the HF side of the house so a LINUX
site could have a HF port to link to over the horizon sites, and you can
by various means limit what and who transits through that path, so you
could in theory have a WL2K box talking on VHF to a remote HF link and
reduce the amount of gear at the WL2K site. I have been following several
threads on the LINUX Hams list and it appears there are now drivers that
will allow the use of PACTOR and other HF modes to pass AX25 frames
which of course will contain whatever the site specifies. But prior to even
going there I want to get my switch converted, just get the FPAC part up
and running and doing tunneling over IP (that is important in order to be
able to do IP links, the IP part rides free as part of the kernel anyhow) then
I would start adding the other bits and pieces.

-- 
Chuck Hast
KP4DJT
kp4djt@tampabay.rr.com
To paraphrase my flight instructor;
"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my
going out and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of
torn and twisted metal."