CVS stands for "Concurrent Versions System" and the CVS for DXSpider is held -at -Sourceforge. This means -that it is possible to update your DXSpider installation to the latest -sources by using a few simple commands. -
-
THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED!!! ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE A TEST -INSTALLATION OR ARE WILLING TO HAVE YOUR CLUSTER CRASH ON YOU!!! -THIS MUST BE CONSIDERED AT LEAST BETA TESTING AND MAYBE EVEN ALPHA!! -YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! -
-
DID I MENTION..... ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE -CONSEQUENCES!!! -
-
I am of course assuming that you have a machine with both DXSpider and -Internet access running. -
-
BEFORE YOU EVEN CONSIDER STARTING WITH THIS MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR -ENTIRE SPIDER TREE!! -
-
Assuming you are connected to the Internet, you need to login to the -CVS repository and then update your Spider source. There are several -steps which are listed below ... -
-
First login as the user sysop. Next you need to connect to the CVS -repository. You do this with the command below ... +
One of the more important things a cluster sysop needs to do is to get +information to his users. The simplest way to do this is to have a banner +that is sent to the user on login. This is know as a "message of the day" +or "motd". To set this up, simply create a file in /spider/data called motd +and edit it to say whatever you want. It is purely a text file and will be +sent automatically to anyone logging in to the cluster.
+ +This message of the day file lives in the same directory as the standard +motd file but is only sent to non-registered users. Once registered they +will receive the same message as any other user.
+ +If for any reason the cluster is down, maybe for upgrade or maintenance but +the machine is still running, a message can be sent to the user advising them +of the fact. This message lives in the /spider/data directory and is called +"offline". Simply create the file and edit it to say whatever you wish. +This file will be sent to a user attempting to log into the cluster when +DXSpider is not actually running.
+ +You can set other text messages to be read by the user if they input the file +name. This could be for news items or maybe information for new users. +To set this up, make a directory under /spider called packclus. +Under this directory you can create files called news or newuser +for example. In fact you can create files with any names you like. These can +be listed by the user with the command ....
+
-cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.DXSpider.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dxspider login
+show/files
-You will get a password prompt. Simply hit return here and your machine should
-return to a normal linux prompt.
-
-
What happens next depends on whether you have an existing installation that
-you want to update with the latest and greatest or whether you just want
-to see what is there and/or run it on a new machine for testing.
-
If you are installing Spider from CVS then change directory to /home/sysop
-
If you are wanting to update Spider then cd to /tmp
-
-
The next step will create a brand new 'spider' directory in your current
-directory.
+
They can be read by the user by typing the command ....
+
-cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.DXSpider.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dxspider co spider
+type news
-This command is all on one line.
+
If the file they want to read is called news. You could also set +an alias for this in the Alias file to allow them just to type news
+ +You can also store other information in this directory, either directly or +nested under directories. One use for this would be to store DX bulletins +such as the OPDX bulletins. These can be listed and read by the user. +To keep things tidy, make a directory under /spider/packclus called +bulletin. Now copy any OPDX or similar bulletins into it. These +can be listed by the user in the same way as above using the show/files +command with an extension for the bulletin directory you have just created, +like this ....
-
Hopefully your screen should show you downloading files. The -z3 simply compresses -the download to improve speed. -When this has finished, you will have exactly the same as if you had untarred a full -tarball PLUS some extra directories and files that CVS needs to do the magic that -it does. +
+
+show/files bulletin
+
+An example would look like this ....
-
Now if you are doing a new installation, that's it. Carry on as if you have -just downloaded and untarred the lastest tarball. +
+
+sh/files
+bulletin DIR 20-Dec-1999 1715Z news 1602 14-Dec-1999 1330Z
+
+You can see that in the files area (basically the packclus directory) there is a +file called news and a directory called bulletin. You can +also see that dates they were created. In the case of the file news, +you can also see the time it was last modified, a good clue as to whether the +file has been updated since you last read it. To read the file called +news you would simply issue the command ....
-
If you want to upgrade your current installation then do this ... +
+
+type news
+
+To look what is in the bulletin directory you issue the command ....
-tar cvfz /tmp/s.tgz spider
-cd /
-tar xvfzp /tmp/s.tgz
+show/files bulletin
+opdx390 21381 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx390.1 1670 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx390.2 2193 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx391 25045 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx392 35969 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx393 15023 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx394 33429 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx394.1 3116 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx395 24319 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx396 32647 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx396.1 5537 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx396.2 6242 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx397 18433 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx398 19961 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx399 17719 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx400 19600 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx401 27738 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx402 18698 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx403 24994 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx404 15685 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx405 13984 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx405.1 4166 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx406 28934 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx407 24153 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+opdx408 15081 29-Nov-1999 1621Z opdx409 23234 29-Nov-1999 1621Z
+Press Enter to continue, A to abort (16 lines) >
This is assuming you downloaded to the /tmp directory of course. +
+You can now read any file in this directory using the type command, like this ....
-
NOTE: the 'p' on the end of the 'xvfz' is IMPORTANT! It keeps the permissions -correct. YOU WERE LOGGED IN AS THE USER SYSOP WEREN'T YOU????? -
Remember to recompile the C client (cd /spider/src; make) +
+
+type bulletin/opdx391
+Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 391
+The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
+DX Bulletin No. 391
+BID: $OPDX.391
+January 11, 1999
+Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
+Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
+Online at 440-237-8208 28.8k-1200 Baud 8/N/1 (New Area Code!)
+Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX
+Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, K1XN & Golist, WB2RAJ/WB2YQH
+& The 59(9) DXReport, W3UR & The Daily DX, K3TEJ, KN4UG, W4DC, NC6J, N6HR,
+Press Enter to continue, A to abort (508 lines) >
+
+The page length will of course depend on what you have it set to!
+ +You will find a file in /spider/cmd/ called Aliases. This is the file that +controls what a user gets when issuing a command. It is also possible to +create your own aliases for databases and files you create locally.
+ +You should not alter the original file in /spider/cmd/ but create a new file +with the same name in /spider/local_cmd. This means that any new Aliases files +that is downloaded will not overwrite your self created Aliases and also that +you do not override any new Aliases with your copy in /spider/local_cmd/. You +must remember that any files you store in /spider/local/ or /spider/local_cmd +override the originals if the same lines are used in both files.
+ +The best way of dealing with all this then is to only put your own locally +created Aliases in the copy in /spider/local_cmd. The example below is +currently in use at GB7MBC.
-
At this point the files have been upgraded. You can (usually) restart the cluster -in your own time. However, if you attempt to use any new commands or features -expect it to be fatal! At least your cluster will have been restarted then so it -will be too late to worry about it! +
+
+
+#
+# Local Aliases File
+#
+
+package CmdAlias;
+
+%alias = (
+ 'n' => [
+ '^news$', 'type news', 'type',
+ ],
+ 's' => [
+ '^sh\w*/buck$', 'show/qrz', 'show',
+ '^sh\w*/hftest$', 'dbshow hftest', 'dbshow',
+ '^sh\w*/qsl$', 'dbshow qsl', 'dbshow',
+ '^sh\w*/vhf$', 'dbshow vhf', 'dbshow',
+ '^sh\w*/vhftest$', 'dbshow vhftest', 'dbshow',
+ ],
+)
+
+Each alphabetical section should be preceded by the initial letter and the section +should be wrapped in square brackets as you can see. The syntax is straightforward. +The first section on each line is the new command that will be allowed once the +alias is included. The second section is the command it is replacing and the last +section is the actual command that is being used.
+ +The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that in the first section, the new +alias command has a '^' at the start and a '$' at the end. Basically these force +a perfect match on the alias. The '^' says match the beginning exactly and the +'$' says match the end exactly. This prevents unwanted and unintentional matches +with similar commands.
+ +I have 3 different types of alias in this file. At the top is an alias for 'news'. +This is a file I have created in the /spider/packclus/ directory where I can inform +users of new developments or points of interest. In it's initial form a user would +have to use the command type news. The alias allows them to simply type +news to get the info. Second is an alias for the show/qrz +command so that those users used to the original show/buck command in +AK1A will not get an error, and the rest of the lines are for locally created +databases so that a user can type show/hftest instead of having to use +the command dbshow hftest which is not as intuitive.
+ +This file is just an example and you should edit it to your own requirements. +Once created, simply issue the command load/alias at the cluster +prompt as the sysop user and the aliases should be available.
+ + +In later versions of Spider a simple console program is provided for the sysop. +This has a type ahead buffer with line editing facilities and colour for spots, +announces etc. To use this program, simply use console.pl instead of client.
+ +To edit the colours, copy /spider/perl/Console.pl to /spider/local and edit the +file with your favourite editor.
+ +Spider has a powerful and flexible show/satellite command. In order for +this to be accurate, the kepler data has to be updated regularly. In +general, this data is available as an email or via cluster mail. +Updating it is simple. First you need to export the mail message as a +file. You do this with the export command from the cluster prompt +as the sysop. For example ...
-
Now the magic part! From now on when you want to update, simply connect to the -Internet and then, as the user sysop ... +
+
+export 5467 /spider/perl/keps.in
+
+would export message number 5467 as a file called keps.in in the +/spider/perl directory.
+ +Now login to a VT as sysop and cd /spider/perl. There is a command in +the perl directory called convkeps.pl. All we need to do now is +convert the file like so ...
-cd /spider
-cvs -z3 update -d
+./convkeps.pl keps.in
and your files will be updated. As above, remember to recompile the "C" client -if it has been updated (CVS will tell you) and restart if any of the perl scripts -have been altered or added, again, CVS will tell you. +
+ +Now go back to the cluster and issue the command ...
-
You will find any changes documented in the /spider/Changes file. +
+
+load/keps
+
+That is it! the kepler data has been updated.
+ +The command sh/qrz will only work once you have followed a few +simple steps. First you need to get a user ID and password from qrz.com. +Simply go to the site and create one. Secondly you need to copy the file +/spider/perl/Internet.pm to /spider/local and alter it to match your user +ID and password. You also at this point need to set $allow=1 to complete +the setup. Many thanks to Fred Lloyd, the proprieter of +qrz.com for allowing this access.
+ +There appear to be very few logging programs out there that support telnet +especially the popular ones like LogEQF, Turbolog etc. This can make it +difficult to connect to your own cluster! +The way to do it is to make the logging program think it has a TNC attached +to a com port on the logging PC and 'push' a linux login out to it. +This is achieved very simply by the use of agetty.
+ +All that is required is to add a line in /etc/inittab to have the client +ready for a connection on the com port of your choice. Remember that in +Linux, the com ports start at ttyS0 for com1, ttyS1 for com2 etc.
+
+
+c4:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L 9600 ttyS1
+
+Add this after the standard runlevel lines in /etc/inittab. The above +line works on ttyS1 (com2). Now as root, issue the command telinit q +and it should be ready for connection. All that is required is a 3 wire +serial lead (tx, rx and signal ground). Tell you logging program to use +8n1 at 9600 baud and you should see a Linux login prompt. Login as normal +and then telnet from there to the cluster.
+