[FADCA] Re: Internet/FBB/LINUX/FPAC

[bud Thompson]

Deltona, FL
Tuesday Feb 26 1800EST

I've waited for a while to respond ....

A system already exists...

See my response to this note from Russ:

----- Original Message -----
From: <highlandfl@telocity.com>
TO: <snip>
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 10:15 PM
Subject: Internet/FBB/LINUX/FPAC

<snip>

>What is this all about?

>It is research to build a radio to internet emergency communication system
>I had proposed last week. What will that do?
>It will allow portable packet stations entering a disaster area without
>telephone and internet service, to connect to the
>nearest internet equipped FBB site or FPA switch to reach the state EOC or
>>County EOC over a wire line that can
>handle any amount of file traffic and tactical keyboard traffic needed to
>respond to the disaster. This is the "radio for
>the 'last mile' and wire line connection over existing circuits" concept.

>What will that do?

>It will enable packet stations to suppor ALL of the communications needs
>from a disaster area to an EOC or State
>EOC without trying to use the vagarities of HF or the slow, low bandwidth
>of a single frequency vhf packet system.

Russell
N4KOX

Russ:

Yes, we need to make the connection between radio and wires just outside the
Last Mile (the disaster area where there are no conventional wire line
connections... dial up, cable modem, DSL, cell phone, "wireless", etc.)  The
Last Mile may be 1sq. mile to 500sq miles in area.

Several considerations - LINUX and KEYBOARDING (w/o a direct connection to
the wired world.)

I have no problem with LINUX - except it is not very universal.  Unless a
WinDoz (universal mess) to LINUX connection is made, LINUX may not be the
best answer.  We have precious few hams who can operate a portable packet
station, much less use LINUX in the process.

"Keyboarding" as we have known it may be a thing of the past.. How
many  tactical digital hams really know how to keyboard through the maze of
nodes, links, etc, to get to the land line connection, much less use LINUX?

The most appropriate way of transferring messages over digital radio links
is as message files
under BBS-to-BBS protocol/transfers.  Prepare off line- then SEND.

Tactical opns must be simple - the mobile/portable digital radio station to
the EOC/incident
command server (which may make the Last Mile link via HF or a wire line) may
actually be
"operated" by persons w/o radio experience. In digital opns -more typists
are needed than
radio operators.

If the route includes LINUX that part must be transparent/hidden to the
tactical (WinDoz) user.

Why LINUX?

There is presently a WinDoz-based system in place  to accomplish this -.

It is Winlink 2000 (WL2K) http://winlink.org/ which is a radio-to-internet
e-mail scheme between hams and third parties.  The local ham user employs
an e-mail client terminal program Airmail
http://www.airmail2000.com/down.htm.

Airmail runs HF ARQ modes with many data controllers, and packet with some.
It also  has telnet capability.  After routing configuration, Airmail looks
much like any e-mail program - including address book, speller, and
click-and-send capability. Messages in e-mail form go out the radio or
telnet ports as set up in the routing/address book.  Such "e-mail" may be
addressed to a BBS or Internet e-mail target.

Airmail will run on a laptop in tactical opns with radio ports, and can run
at the EOC/incident command with radio and telnet ports - the connection
 between the Last Mile and the Internet/World.

Here in Central Florida I'm (slowly) developing the application of this
system to support the Last Mile for tactical ops as well as the magic
connection to the Internet.  While Airmail would support BBS-to-BBS
forwarding via the Telnet port, it is far more appropriate to make virtually
all tactical-to-EOC-to-anywhere messages as pseudo e-mail so that once the
"connection" is made - internet e-mail addressing protocols/routing take
over.  They are far
more efficient than BBS protocols once on wires.

It may be several months before I have time to provide a
proof-of-principle -
and I still need to convince  the AirMail author to make some (minor?)
changes
to provide the emergency support we need at the tactical level...

A tip of the Penguin's Red Hat to you for your LINIX investigations... but
WinDoz will do the job - and
there are a lot more folks out there doing it with WinDoz and by e-mail than
using LINUX and BBS protocol.

Just thought you would want to know.

73,
bud N0IA