Last modified: 26 January 2001 by Ian Maude, G0VGS -
This section describes the installation of DX Spider v1.35 on a -RedHat Linux Distribution. -I do not intend to try and cover the installation of Linux or the setup -of the AX25 utilities. If you need help on this then read Iains original -HOWTO on the -DXSpider -website. -
-
I am assuming a general knowledge of Linux and its commands. You should -know how to use tar and how to edit files using your favourite editor. -
-
The crucial ingredient for all of this is -Perl 5.004. Now I know Perl 5.005 -is out and this will almost certainly work with it, but -RedHat 5.1 comes with 5.004. -Be Warned, earlier versions of -RedHat do not come -with 5.004 as standard, you need to -upgrade
-
In addition to the standard Red Hat distribution you will require the -following -CPAN modules: - -
-
-
-
-
Do get the latest versions of these packages and install them -but use the above list as the earliest versions usable. -
-
From DXSpider version 1.48, major changes were introduced to the way +node connections are treated. This is part of an ongoing process to +remove problems with loops and to enable talk and other functions to +propagate across the whole of the worldwide cluster network. In fact, +in a Spider network, it would be useful, perhaps even necessary to +have loops. This would give real resilience to the network, meaning +that if a link dropped, the information flow would simply come in and +go out via a different route. Of course, we do not have a complete +network of Spider nodes, there are other programs out there. Some of +these do not have any protection from loops. Certainly AK1A does not +handle loops well at all. It is therefore necessary to have some form +of protection for these nodes. +
+
This is achieved by using filtering on a route basis. There is a +default setting to help to protect the network, especially useful for new +and inexperienced SysOps. The idea is simple. When Spider is started +for the first time and a connection is made to or from another node, +the default is to only send the nodes you already have that are in your +own zone. For example, in the UK the default setting would be to send +only UK nodes to any connection. This can be filtered further (down to +a single node if needed) or expanded as required. +
+
+
I will assume that you have already downloaded the latest tarball of -the DXSpider software and are ready to install it. I am assuming version -1.35 for this section but of course you would use the latest version. -
-
Login as root and create a user to run the cluster under. UNDER -NO CIRCUMSTANCES USE ROOT AS THIS USER!. I am going to use -the name sysop. You can call it anything you wish. Depending -on your security requirements you may wish to use an existing user, -however this is your own choice. -
+
As mentioned in the introduction, a default setting exists. If this is +all you want to use then that is fine, you have nothing else to do. +However, if you want to make any alterations then you need to know +a bit about filters. +
+
It is possible to reset the default setting for node connections should +you wish to do so, however this can be dangerous to the network unless +you have some experience in how all this works.... be careful! It is +also possible to change settings for one connection only. You can, +therefore, have many different filters set dependent on the amount of +node links you have. +
+
I should at this stage give a little bit of background on filters. All +the filters in Spider work in basically the same way. You can either +accept or reject various options in order to create the filter rules +you wish to achieve. Some filters are user settable, others can only +be altered by the sysop. Route filtering can only be done by the sysop. +
+
As discussed previously, a default setting exists that only sends nodes +from your own zone. This can be overridden by using the default_node +filter option like this ...
-# adduser -m sysop
+reject/route default_node <filter_option>
+
+or
+
+accept/route default_node <filter_option>
-
Now set a password for the user ... +
where filter_option is one of the following ...
-# passwd sysop
-# New UNIX password:
-# Retype new UNIX password:
-passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully
+call <prefixes>
+call_dxcc <numbers>
+call_itu <numbers>
+call_zone <numbers>
+origin <prefixes>
+origin_dxcc <numbers>
+origin_itu <numbers>
+origin_zone <numbers>
-
Please be careful if you alter this setting, it will affect +ALL your links! +
+
Now to unpack the DX Spider distribution, set symbolic links and group -permissions. Copy the tarball to /home/sysop and do the following. +
Exactly the same rules apply for general route filtering. You would +use either an accept filter or a reject filter like this ...
-# cd ~sysop
-# tar xvfz spider-1.35.tar.gz
-# ln -s ~sysop/spider /spider
-# groupadd -g 251 spider (or another number)
+reject/route <node_call> <filter_option>
+
+or
+
+accept/route <node_call> <filter_option>
If you do not have the command groupadd available to you simply -add a line in /etc/group by hand. +
+
where filter_option is one of the following ...
-# vi /etc/group (or your favorite editor)
+call <prefixes>
+call_dxcc <numbers>
+call_itu <numbers>
+call_zone <numbers>
+origin <prefixes>
+origin_dxcc <numbers>
+origin_itu <numbers>
+origin_zone <numbers>
You also need to add some others to the group, including your own callsign -(this will be used as an alias) and root. The finished line in /etc/group -should look something like this -
spider:x:251:sysop,g0vgs,root
-
The next step is to set the permissions on the Spider directory tree and files .... +
Here are some examples of route filters ...
-# chown -R sysop.spider spider
-# find . -type d -exec chmod 2775 {} \;
-# find . -type f -exec chmod 775 {} \;
+rej/route gb7djk call_dxcc 61,38 (everything except UK+EIRE nodes)
+rej/route all (equiv to [very] restricted mode)
+acc/route gb7djk call_dxcc 61,38 (send only UK+EIRE nodes)
+acc/route gb7djk call gb7djk (equiv to SET/ISOLATE)
-
This last step allows various users of the group spider to have -write access to all the directories. This is not really needed just yet -but will be useful when web interfaces start to appear. +
Upto v1.44 it was not possible for the user to set their own filters. From +v1.45 though that has all changed. It is now possible to set filters for just +about anything you wish. If you have just updated from an older version of +DXSpider you will need to update your new filters. You do not need to do +anything with your old filters, they will be renamed as you update. +
+
There are 3 basic commands involved in setting and manipulating filters. These +are accept, reject and clear. First we will look +generally at filtering. There are a number of things you can filter in the +DXSpider system. They all use the same general mechanism. +
+
In general terms you can create a 'reject' or an 'accept' filter which can have +up to 10 lines in it. You do this using, for example ...
-
Finally, you need to fix the permissions on the ax25_call and netrom_call -programs. Check where they are with the locate command and alter -the permissions with the chmod command like this .. +
+
+
+accept/spots .....
+reject/spots .....
+
+where ..... are the specific commands for that type of filter. There are filters +for spots, wwv, announce, wcy and (for sysops) connects. See each different +accept or reject command reference for more details. +
There is also a command to clear out one or more lines in a filter. They are ...
-# chown root ax25_call netrom_call
-# chmod 4775 ax25_call netrom_call
+clear/spots 1
+clear/spots all
There is clear/xxxx command for each type of filter. +
+
and you can check that your filters have worked by the command ...
-
+
+
+show/filter
+
++
For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply the same +principles to all types of filter. +
+
Now login to your machine as the user you created earlier. In my case that -user is called sysop. Once logged in, issue the following commands .... +
There are two main types of filter, accept or reject. You +can use either to achieve the result you want dependent on your own preference +and which is more simple to do. It is pointless writing 8 lines of reject +filters when 1 accept filter would do the same thing! Each filter has 10 +lines (of any length) which are tried in order. If a line matches then the +action you have specified is taken (ie reject means ignore it and accept +means take it) +
+
If you specify reject filters, then any lines that arrive that match the filter +will be dumped but all else will be accepted. If you use an accept filter, +then ONLY the lines in the filter will be accepted and all else will be dumped. +For example if you have a single line accept filter ...
-$ cd /spider
-$ mkdir local
-$ mkdir local_cmd
-$ cp perl/DXVars.pm.issue local/DXVars.pm
-$ cd local
-$ vi DXVars.pm (or your favourite editor)
+accept/spots on vhf and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
then you will ONLY get VHF spots from or to CQ zones +14, 15 and 16.
-
Using the distributed DXVars.pm as a a template, set your cluster callsign, -sysop callsign and other user info to suit your own environment. Note that -this a perl file which will be parsed and executed as part of the cluster. If -you get it wrong then perl will complain when you start the cluster process. -It is important only to alter the text of any section. Some of the lines look -a little odd. Take this line for example .... -
$myemail = "ianmaude\@btinternet.com";
+
If you set a reject filter like this ...
-
There appears to be an extra slash in there. However this has to be there -for the file to work so leave it in. +
+
+reject/spots on hf/cw
+
+Then you will get everything EXCEPT HF CW spots. You could make this +single filter even more flexible. For example, if you are interested in IOTA +and will work it even on CW even though normally you are not interested in +CW, then you could say ...
-
PLEASE USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR CALLSIGNS +
+
+reject/spots on hf/cw and not info iota
+
+But in that case you might only be interested in iota and say:-
-
DON'T alter the DXVars.pm (or any other file) in /spider/perl, they are -overwritten with every release. Any files or commands you place in /spider/local -or /spider/local_cmd will automagically be used in preference to the ones in -/spider/perl EVEN while the cluster is running! +
+
+accept/spots not on hf/cw or info iota
+
+which achieves exactly the same thing. You should choose one or the other +until you are comfortable with the way it works. You can mix them if you +wish (actually you can have an accept AND a reject on the same line) but +don't attempt this until you are sure you know what you are doing!
-
Save the new file and change directory to ../perl .... +
You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your own +understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ...
-$ cd ../perl
+reject/spots 1 on hf/cw
+reject/spots 2 on 50000/1400000 not (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
What this does is to ignore all HF CW spots and also rejects any spots on VHF +which don't either originate or spot someone in Europe. +
+
This is an example where you would use a line number (1 and 2 in this case), if +you leave the digit out, the system assumes '1'. Digits '0'-'9' are available. +This make it easier to see just what filters you have set. It also makes it +more simple to remove individual filters, during a contest for example.
-
Now type the following command which creates the basic user file with you as -the sysop. +
You will notice in the above example that the second line has brackets. Look +at the line logically. You can see there are 2 separate sections to it. We +are saying reject spots that are VHF or above APART from those in +zones 14, 15 and 16 (either spotted there or originated there). If you did +not have the brackets to separate the 2 sections, then Spider would read it +logically from the front and see a different expression entirely ...
-$ create_sysop.pl
+(on 50000/1400000 and by_zone 14,15,16) or call_zone 14,15,16
The simple way to remember this is, if you use OR - use brackets. Whilst we are +here CASE is not important. 'And BY_Zone' is just the same as 'and by_zone'. +
As mentioned earlier, setting several filters can be more flexible than +simply setting one complex one. Doing it in this way means that if you want +to alter your filter you can just redefine or remove one or more lines of it or +one line. For example ...
-
We can now bring spider up for the first time and see if all is well or not! -It should look something like this ... +
+
+reject/spots 1 on hf/ssb
+
+would redefine our earlier example, or
-$ cluster.pl
-DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.35
-Copyright (c) 1998 Dirk Koopman G1TLH
-loading prefixes ...
-loading band data ...
-loading user file system ...
-starting listener ...
-reading existing message headers
-reading cron jobs
-orft we jolly well go ...
+clear/spots 1
To remove all the filter lines in the spot filter ...
-
If all is well then login on another term or console as sysop and -cd to /spider/perl. Now issue the following command ... +
+
+clear/spots all
+
++
You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in the +various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter. +
+
Sometimes all that is needed is a general rule for node connects. This can +be done with a node_default filter. This rule will always be followed, even +if the link is isolated, unless another filter is set specifically. Default +rules can be set for nodes and users. They can be set for spots, announces, +WWV and WCY. They can also be used for hops. An example might look like +this ...
-$ client.pl
+accept/spot node_default by_zone 14,15,16,20,33
+set/hops node_default spot 50
This filter is for spots only, you could set others for announce, WWV and WCY. +This filter would work for ALL nodes unless a specific filter is written to +override it for a particular node. You can also set a user_default should +you require. It is important to note that default filters should be +considered to be "connected". By this I mean that should you override the +default filter for spots, you need to add a rule for the hops for spots also. +
+
Once you are happy with the results you get, you may like to experiment.
-
This should log you into the cluster as the sysop under the alias callsign we -set earlier. In this case the callsign is G0VGS. The cluster callsign is set -in the DXVars.pm file in /spider/local. In this case we will assume that this -was set as GB7MBC. You should therefore see this when you login .... +
The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU +can be written with a mixed filter, for example ...
-G0VGS de GB7MBC 19-Nov-1999 2150Z >
+rej/spot on hf/cw
+acc/spot on 0/30000
+acc/spot 2 on 50000/1400000 and (by_zone 14,15,16 or call_zone 14,15,16)
If you do, congratulations! If not, look over the instructions again, you -have probably missed something out. You can shut spider down again with the -command .... +
Note that the first filter has not been specified with a number. This will +automatically be assumed to be number 1. In this case, we have said reject all +HF spots in the CW section of the bands but accept all others at HF. Also +accept anything in VHF and above spotted in or by operators in the zones +14, 15 and 16. Each filter slot actually has a 'reject' slot and +an 'accept' slot. The reject slot is executed BEFORE the accept slot. +
+
It was mentioned earlier that after a reject test that doesn't match, the default +for following tests is 'accept', the reverse is true for 'accept'. In the example +what happens is that the reject is executed first, any non hf/cw spot is passed +to the accept line, which lets through everything else on HF. The next filter line +lets through just VHF/UHF spots from EU. +
+
In /spider/data you will find a file called hop_table.pl. This is the file +that controls your hop count settings. It has a set of default hops on the +various PC frames and also a set for each node you want to alter the hops for. +You may be happy with the default settings of course, but this powerful tool +can help to protect and improve the network. The file will look something +like this ...
-shutdown
+#
+# hop table construction
+#
+
+package DXProt;
+
+# default hopcount to use
+$def_hopcount = 5;
+
+# some variable hop counts based on message type
+%hopcount =
+(
+ 11 => 10,
+ 16 => 10,
+ 17 => 10,
+ 19 => 10,
+ 21 => 10,
+);
+
+
+# the per node hop control thingy
+
+
+%nodehops =
+
+ GB7ADX => { 11 => 8,
+ 12 => 8,
+ 16 => 8,
+ 17 => 8,
+ 19 => 8,
+ 21 => 8,
+ },
+
+ GB7UDX => { 11 => 8,
+ 12 => 8,
+ 16 => 8,
+ 17 => 8,
+ 19 => 8,
+ 21 => 8,
+ },
+ GB7BAA => {
+ 11 => 5,
+ 12 => 8,
+ 16 => 8,
+ 17 => 8,
+ 19 => 8,
+ 21 => 8,
+ },
+};
-
and both the cluster and the client should return to Linux prompts. +
Each set of hops is contained within a pair of curly braces and contains a +series of PC frame types. PC11 for example is a DX spot. The figures here +are not exhaustive but should give you a good idea of how the file works. +
+
You can alter this file at any time, including whilst the cluster is running. +If you alter the file during runtime, the command load/hops will +bring your changes into effect. +
+
It is possible to isolate networks from each other on a "gateway" node using the +set/isolate <node_call> command. +
+
The effect of this is to partition an isolated network completely from another +node connected to your node. Your node will appear on and otherwise behave +normally on every network to which you are connected, but data from an isolated +network will not cross onto any other network or vice versa. However all the +spot, announce and WWV traffic and personal messages will still be handled +locally (because you are a real node on all connected networks), that is locally +connected users will appear on all networks and will be able to access and +receive information from all networks transparently. All routed messages will +be sent as normal, so if a user on one network knows that you are a gateway for +another network, he can still still send a talk/announce etc message via your +node and it will be routed across. +
+
The only limitation currently is that non-private messages cannot be passed down +isolated links regardless of whether they are generated locally. This will change +when the bulletin routing facility is added. +
+
If you use isolate on a node connection you will continue to receive all +information from the isolated partner, however you will not pass any information +back to the isolated node. There are times when you would like to forward only +spots across a link (maybe during a contest for example). To do this, isolate +the node in the normal way and put in a filter in the /spider/filter/spots +directory to override the isolate. This filter can be very simple and consists +of just one line .... +
+
+
+$in = [
+ [ 1, 0, 'd', 0, 3] # The last figure (3) is the hop count
+];
+
+