The DXSpider Installation and Administration Manual: Installation (Original version by Iain Philipps, G0RDI)

This section describes the installation of DX Spider v1.46 on a -RedHat Linux Distribution. -Wherever possible I will try to include differences for other distributions. -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 -installation guide that comes with the Spider distribution. -

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. Earlier versions of -Spider required perl 5.004, however it is now STRONGLY recommended -that you use at least version 5.005_03 as this is the version being used -in the development of Spider. -

In addition to the standard Red Hat distribution you will require the -following modules from -http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html ... -

Do get the latest versions of these packages and install them -but use the above list as the earliest versions usable. -

1.2 Preparation -

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 -1.46 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. -

1.3 Installing the software -

Now to unpack the DX Spider distribution, set symbolic links and group -permissions. Copy the tarball to /home/sysop and do the following. -

If you do not have the command groupadd available to you simply -add a line in /etc/group by hand. -

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 -

The next step is to set the permissions on the Spider directory tree and files .... -

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. -

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 .. -

1.4 Setting callsigns etc -

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 .... -

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 .... -

There appears to be an extra slash in there. However this has to be there -for the file to work so leave it in. -

DON'T alter any 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! -

Now type the following command which creates the basic user file with you as -the sysop. -

1.5 Starting up for the first time -

We can now bring spider up for the first time and see if all is well or not! -It should look something like this ... -

If all is well then login on another term or console as sysop and -cd to /spider/src. Now issue the following command ... -

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 .... -

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 .... -

1.6 The Client program -

In earlier versions of Spider, all the processes were Perl scripts. This -was fine but with a lot of users your computer memory would soon be used up. -To combat this a new client was written in "C". This client only works for -incoming connects at the moment. Before you can use it though it -has to be "made". CD to /spider/src and type make. You -should see the output on your screen and hopefully now have a small C program -called client. Leave it in this directory. -

10. Databases

Spider allows the creation of local or remote databases. It supports -chained databases, allowing several different databases to be scanned -with one simple command. Importing of databases is limited at present -to the standard AK1A databases such as OBLAST and the DB0SDX QSL -database but will expand with time. -

10.1 Creating databases -

Creating a database could not be more simple. All the commands are -sent from the cluster prompt as the sysop user. -

To create a database you use the command dbcreate. It can -be used in 3 different ways like so .. -

To simply create a database locally, you just tell the command the -name of the database. This does not create the actual database, it -simply defines it to say that it exists. -

This creates a chained database entry. The first database will be -scanned, then the second, the third etc... -

This creates a remote entry. the first name field is the database -name at the remote node, then the remote switch, then the actual -node_call of the remote node, for example... -

Remote databases cannot be chained, however, the last database in a -chain can be a remote database. -

10.2 Importing databases -

The only databases that Spider can currently import are the standard -AK1A databases such as OBLAST or the DB0SDX qsl and address database. -This will be added to with time. -

To import such a database, first put the file somewhere useful like /tmp -and then issue the following command ... -

This will update the existing local oblast database or create it if -it does not exist. -

10.3 Checking available databases -

Once a database is created, you will want to check that it has been -added. To do this use the dbavail command. This will -output the available databases. For example ... -

10.4 Looking up databases -

To look for information in a defined database, simply use the dbshow -command, for example ... -

will show the information for the callsign G0YLM from the buckmaster -database if it exists. To make things more standard for the users -you can add an entry in the Aliases file so that it looks like a standard -show command like this ... -

10.5 Removing databases -

To delete an existing database you use the dbremove command. -For example ... -

would remove the oblast database and its associated datafile from the -system. There are no warnings or recovery possible from this command. -If you remove a database it ceases to exist and would have to be created -from scratch if you still required it. -

11. Information, files and useful programs

11.1 MOTD -

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. -

11.2 Downtime message -

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. -

11.3 Other text messages -

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 .... -

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 .... -

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 .... -

You can now read any file in this directory using the type command, like this .... -

11.4 The Aliases file -

You will find a file in /spider/cmd/ called Aliases. First, copy this file to -/spider/local_cmd/Aliases and edit this file. You will see something like this ... -

You can create aliases for commands at will. Beware though, these may not -always turn out as you think. Care is needed and you need to test the -results once you have set an alias. -

11.5 Console.pl -

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. -

11.6 Updating kepler data -

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 ... -

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 ... -

11.7 The QRZ callbook -

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. -

12. CVS

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 ... -

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. -

The next step will create a brand new 'spider' directory in your current -directory. -

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. -

Now if you are doing a new installation, that's it. Carry on as if you have -just downloaded and untarred the lastest tarball. -

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????? -

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! -

Now the magic part! From now on when you want to update, simply connect to the -Internet and then, as the user sysop ... -

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. -

13. The DXSpider command set

Below is a complete list of commands available from the cluster prompt. -Most maintenance tasks are automatic but there are some commands that are useful -for a sysop. These are listed below in alphabetical order. The number in -brackets following the command name is the permissions level needed to use -the command. -

13.1 accept/announce (0) -

An accept filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is -passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this -to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on. -

This filter would only allow announces that were posted buy UK stations. -You can use the tag 'all' to accept everything eg: -

13.2 accept/announce (extended for sysops) (8) -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.3 accept/spots (0) -

An accept filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is -passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this -to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on. -

For frequencies, you can use any of the band names defined in -SHOW/BANDS and you can use a subband name like: cw, rtty, data, ssb - -thus: hf/ssb. You can also just have a simple range like: 0/30000 - -this is more efficient than saying simply: freq HF (but don't get -too hung up about that) -

13.4 accept/spots (extended for sysops) (8) -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.5 accept/wcy (0) -

It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can -filter on the following fields:- -

There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place and -you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want them). -

13.6 accept/wcy (extended for sysops) (8) -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.7 accept/wwv (0) -

It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can -filter on the following fields:- -

is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV broadcasts -by stations in the US). -

13.8 accept/wwv (extended for sysops) (8) -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.9 announce (0) -

Send an announcement to LOCAL users only, where <text> is the text -of the announcement you wish to broadcast -

13.10 announce full (0) -

13.11 announce sysop (5) -

13.12 apropos (0) -

Search the help database for <string> (it isn't case sensitive), -and print the names of all the commands that may be relevant. -

13.13 bye (0) -

13.14 catchup (5) -

When you send messages the fact that you have forwarded it to another node -is remembered so that it isn't sent again. When you have a new partner -node and you add their callsign to your /spider/msg/forward.pl file, all -outstanding non-private messages will be forwarded to them. This may well -be ALL the non-private messages. You can prevent this by using these -commmands:- -

13.15 clear/spots (0) -

This command allows you to clear (remove) a line in a spot filter or to -remove the whole filter. -

13.16 connect (5) -

Start a connection process that will culminate in a new connection to the -DX cluster <callsign>. This process creates a new 'client' process which will -use the script in /spider/connect/<callsign> to effect the 'chat' exchange -necessary to traverse the network(s) to logon to the cluster <callsign>. -

13.17 dbavail (0) -

The title says it all really, this command lists all the databases defined -in the system. It is also aliased to SHOW/COMMAND. -

13.18 dbcreate (9) -

dbcreate <name> Create a database entry

-dbcreate <name> chain <name> [<name>..] Create a chained database entry

-dbcreate <name> remote <node> Create a remote database
-entry

DBCREATE allows you to define a database in the system. It doesn't actually -create anything, just defines it. -

The databases that are created are simple DB_File hash databases, they are -therefore already 'indexed'. -

You can also chain databases with the addition of the 'chain' keyword. -This will search each database one after the other. A typical example -is: -

No checking is done to see if the any of the chained databases exist, in -fact it is usually better to do the above statement first then do each of -the chained databases. -

Databases can exist offsite. To define a database that lives on another -node do: -

Remote databases cannot be chained; however, the last database in a -a chain can be a remote database eg: -

It would be normal for you to add an entry into your local Aliases file -to allow people to use the 'SHOW/<dbname>' style syntax. So you would -need to add a line like:- -

See DBIMPORT for the importing of existing AK1A format data to databases. -See DBSHOW for generic database enquiry -

13.19 dbimport (9) -

If you want to import or update data in bulk to a database you can use -this command. It will either create or update entries into an existing -database. For example:- -

will import the standard OBLAST database that comes with AK1A into the -oblast database held locally. -

13.20 dbremove (9) -

DBREMOVE will completely remove a database entry and also delete any data -file that is associated with it. -

will remove the oblast database from the system and it will also remove -the associated datafile. -

13.21 dbshow (0) -

This is the generic user interface to the database to the database system. -It is expected that the sysop will add an entry to the local Aliases file -so that users can use the more familiar AK1A style of enquiry such as: -

but if he hasn't and the database really does exist (use DBAVAIL or -SHOW/COMMAND to find out) you can do the same thing with: -

13.22 debug (9) -

Executing this command will only have an effect if you are running the cluster -in debug mode i.e. -

13.23 directory (0) -

directory List messages
 directory all List all messages

-directory own List your own messages

-directory new List all new messages

-directory to <call> List all messages to <call>

-directory from <call> List all messages from <call>

-directory subject <string> List all messages with <string> in subject

-directory <nn> List last <nn> messages

-directory <from>-<to> List messages <from> message <to> message

If there is a 'p' one space after the message number then it is a -personal message. If there is a '-' between the message number and the -'p' then this indicates that the message has been read. -

You can use shell escape characters such as '*' and '?' in the <call> -fields. -

13.24 directory (extended for sysops) (5) -

13.25 disconnect (8) -

13.26 dx (0) -

This is how you send a DX Spot to other users. You can, in fact, now -enter the <freq> and the <call> either way round. -

will all give the same result. You can add some remarks to the end -of the command and they will be added to the spot. -

The <freq> is compared against the available bands set up in the -cluster. See SHOW/BANDS for more information. -

13.27 export (9) -

Export a message to a file. This command can only be executed on a local -console with a fully privileged user. The file produced will be in a form -ready to be imported back into the cluster by placing it in the import -directory (/spider/msg/import). -

This command cannot overwrite an existing file. This is to provide some -measure of security. Any files written will owned by the same user as the -main cluster, otherwise you can put the new files anywhere the cluster can -access. For example:- -

13.28 export_users (9) -

Export the users database to a file in ascii format. If no filename -is given then it will export the file to /spider/data/user_asc. -

If the file already exists it will be renamed to <filename>.o. In fact -up to 5 generations of the file can be kept each one with an extra 'o' on the -suffix. -

BE WARNED: this will write to any file you have write access to. No check is -made on the filename (if any) that you specify. -

13.29 forward/latlong (8) -

forward/latlong <node_call> Send latitude and longitude information to another cluster -

This command sends all the latitude and longitude information that your -cluster is holding against callsigns. One advantage of recieving this -information is that more locator information is held by you. This -means that more locators are given on the DX line assuming you have -set/dxgrid enabled. This could be a LOT of information though, so -it is not recommended on slow links. -

13.30 forward/opername (1) -

This command sends out any information held in the user file which can -be broadcast in PC41 protocol packets. This information is Name, QTH, Location -and Homenode. PC41s are only sent for the information that is available. -

13.31 help (0) -

All commands can be abbreviated, so SHOW/DX can be abbreviated -to SH/DX, ANNOUNCE can be shortened to AN and so on. -

Look at the APROPOS <string> command which will search the help database -for the <string> you specify and give you a list of likely commands -to look at with HELP. -

13.32 init (5) -

This command attempts to re-initialise a link to a (usually) AK1A node -that has got confused, usually by a protocol loop of some kind. It may -work - but you usually will be better off simply disconnecting it (or -better, if it is a real AK1A node, doing an RCMD <node> DISC/F <your -node>). -

13.33 kill (0) -

Delete a message from the local system. You will only be able to -delete messages that you have originated or been sent (unless you are -the sysop). -

13.34 kill (5) -

kill <msgno> [<msgno> ...] Remove or erase a message from the system

-kill from <call> Remove all messages from a callsign

-kill to <call> Remove all messages to a callsign

You can get rid of any message to or originating from your callsign using -this command. You can remove more than one message at a time. -

13.35 kill full (5) -

This uses the subject field, so any messages that have exactly the same subject -will be deleted. Beware! -

13.36 links (0) -

This is a quick listing that shows which links are connected and -some information about them. See WHO for a list of all connections. -

13.37 load/aliases (9) -

Reload the /spider/cmd/Aliases file after you have editted it. You will need to -do this if you change this file whilst the cluster is running in order for the -changes to take effect. -

13.38 load/baddx (9) -

Reload the /spider/data/baddx.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst -the cluster is running. This table contains the DX Calls that, if spotted, -will not be passed on. FR0G and TEST are classic examples. -

13.39 load/badmsg (9) -

Reload the /spider/msg/badmsg.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst -the cluster is running. This table contains a number of perl regular -expressions which are searched for in the fields targetted of each message. -If any of them match then that message is immediately deleted on receipt. -

13.40 load/badwords (9) -

Reload the /spider/data/badwords file if you have changed it manually whilst -the cluster is running. This file contains a list of words which, if found -on certain text portions of PC protocol, will cause those protocol frames -to be rejected. It will all put out a message if any of these words are -used on the announce, dx and talk commands. The words can be one or -more on a line, lines starting with '#' are ignored. -

13.41 load/bands (9) -

Reload the /spider/data/bands.pl file if you have changed it manually whilst -the cluster is running. -

13.42 load/cmd_cache (9) -

Normally, if you change a command file in the cmd or local_cmd tree it will -automatially be picked up by the cluster program. Sometimes it can get confused -if you are doing a lot of moving commands about or delete a command in the -local_cmd tree and want to use the normal one again. Execute this command to -reset everything back to the state it was just after a cluster restart. -

13.43 load/forward (9) -

Reload the /spider/msg/forward.pl file if you have changed it -manually whilst the cluster is running. -

13.44 load/messages (9) -

If you change the /spider/perl/Messages file (usually whilst fiddling/writing ne -commands) you can have them take effect during a cluster session by executing this -command. You need to do this if get something like :- -

13.45 load/prefixes (9) -

Reload the /spider/data/prefix_data.pl file if you have changed it manually -whilst the cluster is running. -

13.46 merge (5) -

MERGE allows you to bring your spot and wwv database up to date. By default -it will request the last 10 spots and 5 WWVs from the node you select. The -node must be connected locally. -

You can request any number of spots or wwv and although they will be appended -to your databases they will not duplicate any that have recently been added -(the last 2 days for spots and last month for WWV data). -

13.47 msg (9) -

Alter message parameters like To, From, Subject, whether private or bulletin -or return receipt (RR) is required or whether to keep this message from timing -out. -

13.48 pc (8) -

Send some arbitrary text to a locally connected callsign. No processing is done on -the text. This command allows you to send PC Protocol to unstick things if problems -arise (messages get stuck etc). eg:- -

You can also use in the same way as a talk command to a connected user but -without any processing, added of "from <blah> to <blah>" or whatever. -

13.49 ping (1) -

his command allows you to send a frame to another cluster node on -the network and get a return frame. The time it takes to do this -is a good indication of the quality of the link. The actual time -it takes is output to the console in seconds. -Any visible cluster node can be PINGed. -

13.50 rcmd (1) -

This command allows you to send nearly any command to another DX Cluster -node that is connected to the system. -

Whether you get any output is dependant on a) whether the other system knows -that the node callsign of this cluster is in fact a node b) whether the -other system is allowing RCMDs from this node and c) whether you have -permission to send this command at all. -

13.51 read (0) -

read Read the next unread personal message addressed to you

-read <msgno> Read the specified message

You can read any messages that are sent as 'non-personal' and also any -message either sent by or sent to your callsign. -

13.52 read (extended for sysops) (5) -

13.53 reject/announce -

An reject filter line means that if the announce matches this filter it is -passed onto the user. See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this -to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on. -

13.54 reject/announce (extended for sysops) (8) -

reject/announce <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern> Announce filter sysop version -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.55 reject/spots (0) -

A reject filter line means that if the spot matches this filter it is -dumped (not passed on). See HELP FILTERS for more info. Please read this -to understand how filters work - it will save a lot of grief later on. -

13.56 reject/spots (extended for sysops) (8) -

reject/spots <call> [input] [0-9] <pattern>
-Reject spot filter sysop version

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.57 reject/wcy (0) -

It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can -filter on the following fields:- -

There are no examples because WCY Broadcasts only come from one place and -you either want them or not (see UNSET/WCY if you don't want them). -

13.58 reject/wcy (extended for sysops) (8) -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.59 reject/wwv (0) -

It is unlikely that you will want to do this, but if you do then you can -filter on the following fields:- -

is probably the only useful thing to do (which will only show WWV broadcasts -by stations in the US). -

13.60 reject/wwv (extended for sysops) (8) -

This version allows a sysop to set a filter for a callsign as well as the -default for nodes and users eg:- -

13.61 reply (0) -

reply Reply (privately) to the last message that you have read

-reply <msgno> Reply (privately) to the specified message

-reply B <msgno> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified message

-reply NOPrivate <msgno> Reply as a Bulletin to the specified
-message

-reply RR <msgno> Reply to the specified message with read receipt

You can reply to a message and the subject will automatically have -"Re:" inserted in front of it, if it isn't already present. -

You can also use all the extra qualifiers such as RR, PRIVATE, -NOPRIVATE, B that you can use with the SEND command (see SEND -for further details) -

13.62 send (0) -

send <call> [<call> ...] Send a message to one or more callsigns

-send RR <call> Send a message and ask for a read receipt

-send COPY <msgno> <call> Send a copy of a  message to someone

-send PRIVATE <call> Send a personal message

-send NOPRIVATE <call> Send a message to all stations

All the SEND commands will create a message which will be sent either to -an individual callsign or to one of the 'bulletin' addresses. -

SEND <call> on its own acts as though you had typed SEND PRIVATE, that is -it will mark the message as personal and send it to the cluster node that -that callsign is connected to. -

which should send a copy of message 123 to G1TLH and G0RDI and you will -receive a read receipt when they have read the message. -

SB is an alias for SEND NOPRIVATE (or send a bulletin in BBS speak) -SP is an alias for SEND PRIVATE -

13.63 set/address (0) -

13.64 set/announce (0) -

13.65 set/arcluster (5) -

set/arcluster <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make
-the node_call an AR-Cluster type node

13.66 set/baddx (8) -

set/baddx <call> Stop words we do not wish to see in the callsign field
-of a dx spot being propagated

Setting a word as 'baddx' will prevent spots with that word in the callsign -field of a DX spot from going any further. They will not be displayed and they -will not be sent onto other nodes. -

13.67 set/badnode (6) -

Setting a callsign as a 'badnode' will prevent spots from that node -going any further. They will not be displayed and they will not be -sent onto other nodes. -

13.68 set/badspotter (8) -

Setting a callsign as a 'badspotter' will prevent spots from this callsign -going any further. They will not be displayed and they will not be -sent onto other nodes. -

will stop anything from VE2STN. If you want SSIDs as well then you must -enter them specifically. -

13.69 set/beep (0) -

13.70 set/clx (5) -

13.71 set/debug (9) -

13.72 set/dx (0) -

13.73 set/dxgrid (0) -

Some logging programs do not like the additional information at -the end of a DX spot. If this is the case, use the unset/dxgrid -command to remove the grid squares. -

13.74 set/dxnet (5) -

set/dxnet <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make
-the node_call a DXNet type node

13.75 set/echo (0) -

If you are connected via a telnet session, different implimentations -of telnet handle echo differently depending on whether you are -connected via port 23 or some other port. You can use this command -to change the setting appropriately. -

13.76 set/here (0) -

Let others on the cluster know you are here by only displaying your -callsign. If you are away from your terminal you can use the unset/here -command to let people know you are away. This simply puts brackets -around your callsign to indicate you are not available. -

13.77 set/homenode (0) -

Tell the cluster system where you normally connect to. Any Messages sent -to you will normally find their way there should you not be connected. -eg:- -

13.78 set/hops (8) -

This command allows you to set up special hop counts for a node -for currently: announce, spots, wwv and wcy broadcasts. -

Set SHOW/HOPS for information on what is already set. This command -creates a filter and works in conjunction with the filter system. -

13.79 set/isolate (9) -

Connect a node to your system in such a way that you are a full protocol -member of its network and can see all spots on it, but nothing either leaks -out from it nor goes back into from the rest of the nodes connected to you. -

13.80 set/language (0) -

You can select the language that you want the cluster to use. Currently -the languages available are en (English) and nl (Dutch). -

13.81 set/location (0) -

You can set your latitude and longitude manually or alternatively use the -set/qra command which will do the conversion for you. -

13.82 set/sys_location (9) -

In order to get accurate headings and such like you must tell the system -what your latitude and longitude is. If you have not yet done a SET/QRA -then this command will set your QRA locator for you. For example:- -

13.83 set/logininfo (0) -

Show users and nodes when they log in and out of the local cluster. You -can stop these messages by using the unset/logininfo command. -

13.84 set/lockout (9) -

You can show who is locked out with the show/lockout command. -To allow the user to connect again, use the unset/lockout command. -

13.85 set/name (0) -

13.86 set/node (9) -

Tell the system that the call(s) are to be treated as AK1A cluster and -fed PC Protocol rather normal user commands. -

13.87 set/obscount (9) -

From version 1.35 onwards neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals (see -SET/PINGINTERVAL), usually 300 seconds or 5 minutes. There is a 'pump-up' -counter which is decremented on every outgoing ping and then reset to -the 'obscount' value on every incoming ping. The default value of this -parameter is 2. -

What this means is that a neighbouring node will be pinged twice at -(default) 300 second intervals and if no reply has been heard just before -what would be the third attempt, that node is disconnected. -

If a ping is heard then the obscount is reset to the full value. Using -default values, if a node has not responded to a ping within 15 minutes, -it is disconnected. -

13.88 set/page (0) -

Tell the system how many lines you wish on a page when the number of lines -of output from a command is more than this. The default is 20. Setting it -explicitly to 0 will disable paging. -

13.89 set/password (9) -

The password for a user can only be set by a full sysop. The string -can contain any characters but any spaces are removed (you can type in -spaces - but they won't appear in the password). You can see the -result with STAT/USER. The password is the usual 30 character baycom -type password. -

13.90 set/pinginterval (9) -

As from version 1.35 all neighbouring nodes are pinged at regular intervals -in order to determine the rolling quality of the link and, in future, to -affect routing decisions. The default interval is 300 secs or 5 minutes. -

But if you do the value you enter is treated as minutes up 60 and seconds -for numbers greater than that. -

This is used also to help determine when a link is down at the far end -(as certain cluster software doesn't always notice), see SET/OBSCOUNT -for more information. -

13.91 set/privilege (9) -

Set the privilege level on a callsign. The privilege levels that pertain -to commands are as default:- -

If you are a sysop and you come in as a normal user on a remote connection -your privilege will automatically be set to 0. -

13.92 set/spider (5) -

set/spider <node_call> [<node_call> ...] Make
-the node_call a DXSpider type node

13.93 set/sys_qra (9) -

13.94 set/qra (0) -

Tell the system what your QRA (or Maidenhead) locator is. If you have not -done a SET/LOCATION then your latitude and longitude will be set roughly -correctly (assuming your locator is correct ;-). For example:- -

13.95 set/qth (0) -

13.96 set/talk (0) -

Allow talk messages to arrive at your console. You can switch off -talks with the unset/talk command. -

13.97 set/wcy (0) -

Allow WCY information to be seen at your console. You can switch off -WCY messages with the unset/wcy command. -

13.98 set/wwv (0) -

Allow WWV information to be seen at your console. You can switch off -WWV messages with the unset/wwv command. -

13.99 set/wx (0) -

Allow WX information to be seen at your console. You can switch off -WX messages with the unset/wx command. -

13.100 show/baddx (1) -

Display all the bad dx callsigns in the system, see SET/BADDX -for more information. -

13.101 show/badnode (6) -

Display all the bad node callsigns in the system, see SET/BADNODE -for more information. -

13.102 show/badspotter (1) -

Display all the bad spotter's callsigns in the system, see SET/BADSPOTTER -for more information. -

13.103 show/configuration (0) -

This command allows you to see all the users that can be seen -and the nodes to which they are connected. With the optional node, -you can specify a particular node to look at. -

13.104 show/configuration/node (0) -

13.105 show/connect (1) -

This command shows information on all the active connections known to -the node. This command gives slightly more information than WHO. -

13.106 show/date (0) -

This is very nearly the same as SHOW/TIME, the only difference the format -of the date string if no arguments are given. -

If no prefixes or callsigns are given then this command returns the local -time and UTC as the computer has it right now. If you give some prefixes -then it will show UTC and UTC + the local offset (not including DST) at -the prefixes or callsigns that you specify. -

13.107 show/debug (9) -

13.108 show/dx (0) -

If you just type SHOW/DX you will get the last so many spots -(sysop configurable, but usually 10). -

In addition you can add any number of these options in very nearly -any order to the basic SHOW/DX command, they are:- -

13.109 show/dxcc (0) -

This command takes the <prefix> (which can be a full or partial -callsign if desired), looks up which internal country number it is -and then displays all the spots as per SH/DX for that country. -

13.110 show/files (0) -

SHOW/FILES on its own will show you a list of the various fileareas -available on the system. To see the contents of a particular file -area type:- -

where <filearea> is the name of the filearea you want to see the -contents of. -

You can also use shell globbing characters like '*' and '?' in a -string to see a selection of files in a filearea eg:- -

13.111 show/filter (0) -

Show the contents of all the filters that are set by you. This command -displays all the filters set - for all the various categories. -

13.112 show/filter (extended for sysops) (5) -

13.113 show/hops (8) -

This command shows the hop counts set up for a node. You can specify -which category you want to see. If you leave the category out then -all the categories will be listed. -

13.114 show/isolate (1) -

13.115 show/lockout (9) -

Show a list of callsigns that have been excluded (locked out) of the -cluster locally with the set/lockout command -

13.116 show/log (8) -

This command outputs a short section of the system log. On its own -it will output a general logfile. With the optional callsign it will -show output from the log associated with that callsign. -

13.117 show/moon (0) -

Show the Moon rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns, -together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those -locations. -

If you don't specify any prefixes or callsigns, it will show the times for -your QTH (assuming you have set it with either SET/LOCATION or SET/QRA), -together with the current azimuth and elevation. -

In addition, it will show the gain or loss dB relative to the nominal -distance of 385,000Km due to the ellipsoidal nature of the orbit. -

If all else fails it will show the Moonrise and set times for the node -that you are connected to. -

13.118 show/muf (0) -

This command allow you to estimate the likelihood of you contacting -a station with the prefix you have specified. The output assumes a modest -power of 20dBW and receiver sensitivity of -123dBm (about 0.15muV/10dB SINAD) -

The result predicts the most likely operating frequencies and signal -levels for high frequency (shortwave) radio propagation paths on -specified days of the year and hours of the day. It is most useful for -paths between 250 km and 6000 km, but can be used with reduced accuracy -for paths shorter or longer than this. -

The command uses a routine MINIMUF 3.5 developed by the U.S. Navy and -used to predict the MUF given the predicted flux, day of the year, -hour of the day and geographic coordinates of the transmitter and -receiver. This routine is reasonably accurate for the purposes here, -with a claimed RMS error of 3.8 MHz, but much smaller and less complex -than the programs used by major shortwave broadcasting organizations, -such as the Voice of America. -

The command will display some header information detailing its -assumptions, together with the locations, latitude and longitudes and -bearings. It will then show UTC (UT), local time at the other end -(LT), calculate the MUFs, Sun zenith angle at the midpoint of the path -(Zen) and the likely signal strengths. Then for each frequency for which -the system thinks there is a likelihood of a circuit it prints a value. -

The value is currently a likely S meter reading based on the conventional -6dB / S point scale. If the value has a '+' appended it means that it is -1/2 an S point stronger. If the value is preceeded by an 'm' it means that -there is likely to be much fading and by an 's' that the signal is likely -to be noisy. -

By default SHOW/MUF will show the next two hours worth of data. You -can specify anything up to 24 hours worth of data by appending the no of -hours required after the prefix. For example:- -

indicating that you will have weak, fading circuits on top band and -80m but usable signals on 40m (about S3). -

will get you the above display, but with the next 24 hours worth of -propagation data. -

Gives you an estimate of the long path propagation characterics. It -should be noted that the figures will probably not be very useful, nor -terrible accurate, but it is included for completeness. -

13.119 show/node (1) -

Show the type and version (if connected) of the nodes specified on the -command line. If no callsigns are specified then a sorted list of all -the non-user callsigns known to the system will be displayed. -

13.120 show/prefix (0) -

This command takes the <callsign> (which can be a full or partial -callsign or a prefix), looks up which internal country number -it is and then displays all the relevant prefixes for that country -together with the internal country no, the CQ and ITU regions. -

13.121 show/program (5) -

Show the name and location where every program module was load from. This -is useful for checking where you think you have loaded a .pm file from. -

13.122 show/qra (0) -

show/qra <locator> [<locator>] Show the distance
-between locators

-show/qra <lat> <long> Convert latitude and longitude to a locator

This is a multipurpose command that allows you either to calculate the -distance and bearing between two locators or (if only one locator is -given on the command line) the distance and beraing from your station -to the locator. For example:- -

The first example will show the distance and bearing to the locator from -yourself, the second example will calculate the distance and bearing from -the first locator to the second. You can use 4 or 6 character locators. -

It is also possible to convert a latitude and longitude to a locator by -using this command with a latitude and longitude as an argument, for -example:- -

13.123 show/qrz (0) -

This command queries the QRZ callbook server on the internet -and returns any information available for that callsign. This service -is provided for users of this software by http://www.qrz.com -

13.124 show/route (0) -

This command allows you to see to which node the callsigns specified are -connected. It is a sort of inverse sh/config. -

13.125 show/satellite (0) -

Show the tracking data from your location to the satellite of your choice -from now on for the next few hours. -

If you use this command without a satellite name it will display a list -of all the satellites known currently to the system. -

If you give a name then you can obtain tracking data of all the passes -that start and finish 5 degrees below the horizon. As default it will -give information for the next three hours for every five minute period. -

13.126 show/sun (0) -

Show the sun rise and set times for a (list of) prefixes or callsigns, -together with the azimuth and elevation of the sun currently at those -locations. -

If all else fails it will show the sunrise and set times for the node -that you are connected to. -

13.127 show/time (0) -

13.128 show/wcy (0) -

show/wcy Show the last 10 WCY broadcasts

-show/wcy <n> Show the last <n> WCY broadcasts

13.129 show/wwv (0) -

show/wwv Show the last 10 WWV broadcasts

-show/wwv <n> Show the last <n> WWV broadcasts

13.130 shutdown (5) -

Shutdown the cluster and disconnect all the users. If you have Spider -set to respawn in /etc/inittab it will of course restart. -

13.131 spoof (9) -

This is a very simple yet powerful command for the sysop. It allows you to -issue commands as if you were a different user. This is very useful for the -kind of things that users seem to always get wrong.. like home_node for -example. -

13.132 stat/db (5) -

Depending on your privilege level you will see more or less information. -This command is unlikely to be of much use to anyone other than a sysop. -

13.133 stat/channel (5) -

Show the internal status of the channel object either for the channel that -you are on or else for the callsign that you asked for. -

13.134 stat/msg (5) -

This command shows the internal status of a message and includes information -such as to whom it has been forwarded, its size, origin etc etc. -

13.135 stat/user (5) -

Shows the full contents of a user record including all the secret flags -and stuff. -

13.136 sysop (0) -

The system automatically reduces your privilege level to that of a -normal user if you login in remotely. This command allows you to -regain your normal privilege level. It uses the normal system: five -numbers are returned that are indexes into the character array that is -your assigned password (see SET/PASSWORD). The indexes start from -zero. -

You are expected to return a string which contains the characters -required in the correct order. You may intersperse those characters -with others to obscure your reply for any watchers. For example (and -these values are for explanation :-): -

They will all match. If there is no password you will still be offered -numbers but nothing will happen when you input a string. Any match is -case sensitive. -

13.137 talk (0) -

talk <callsign> Enter talk mode with <callsign>

-talk <callsign> <text> Send a text message to <callsign>

-talk <callsign> > <node_call> [<text>]
-Send a text message to <callsign> via <node_call>

Send a short message to any other station that is visible on the cluster -system. You can send it to anyone you can see with a SHOW/CONFIGURATION -command, they don't have to be connected locally. -

The second form of TALK is used when other cluster nodes are connected -with restricted information. This usually means that they don't send -the user information usually associated with logging on and off the cluster. -

If you know that G3JNB is likely to be present on GB7TLH, but you can only -see GB7TLH in the SH/C list but with no users, then you would use the -second form of the talk message. -

If you want to have a ragchew with someone you can leave the text message -out and the system will go into 'Talk' mode. What this means is that a -short message is sent to the recipient telling them that you are in a 'Talking' -frame of mind and then you just type - everything you send will go to the -station that you asked for. -

All the usual announcements, spots and so on will still come out on your -terminal. -

If you want to do something (such as send a spot) you precede the normal -command with a '/' character, eg:- -

13.138 type (0) -

Type out the contents of a file in a filearea. So, for example, in -filearea 'bulletins' you want to look at file 'arld051' you would -enter:- -

See also SHOW/FILES to see what fileareas are available and a -list of content. -

13.139 who (0) -

This is a quick listing that shows which callsigns are connected and -what sort of connection they have -

13.140 wx (0) -

wx <text> Send a weather message to local users

-wx full <text>  Send a weather message to all cluster users

Weather messages can sometimes be useful if you are experiencing an extreme -that may indicate enhanced conditions -

13.141 wx (enhanced for sysops) (5) -

2. Quick installation guide (Linux version)

This section is designed for experienced Spider sysops who want to install -Spider from scratch. It is simply a check list of things that need to be -done without any explanations. The name in brackets at the end of each line -is the user that should be doing that process. -

Spider should now be running and you should be able to login using the -client program. -

3. Configuration

3.1 Allowing ax25 connects from users -

As stated previously, the aim of this document is not to tell you how to -configure Linux or the ax25 utilities. However, you do need to add a line -in your ax25d.conf to allow connections to DXSpider for your users. For -each interface that you wish to allow connections on, use the following format ... -

For most purposes this is not desirable. The only time you probably will -need this is when you need to allow other cluster nodes that are using SSID's -in. In this case it would probably be better to use the first example and -then add a specific line for that node like this: -

3.2 Allowing telnet connects from users -

-From version 1.47 there is a new (more efficient) way of doing this -(see next section) but, if you prefer, the method of doing it described -here will continue to work just fine. -

Allowing telnet connections is quite simple. Firstly you need to add a line -in /etc/services to allow connections to a port number, like this .... -

Now login as sysop and cd spider/src. You can test that spider -is accepting telnet logins by issuing the following command .... -

You should get a login prompt and on issuing a callsign, you will be given -access to the cluster. Note, you will not get a password login. There seems -no good reason for a password prompt to be given so it is not asked for. -

3.3 Setting up telnet connects (from 1.47 onwards) -

From version 1.47 you can choose to allow the perl cluster.pl program to -allow connections directly (i.e. not via the /spider/src/client -interface program). If you are using Windows then this is the only method -available of allowing incoming telnet connections. -

To do this you need first to remove any line that you may previously have set -up in /etc/inetd.conf. Remember to:- -

Having done that, you need to copy the file -/spider/perl/Listeners.pm to /spider/local and -then edit it. You will need to uncomment the line containing "0.0.0.0" -and select the correct port to listen on. So that it looks like this:- -

As standard, the listener will listen on all interfaces simultaneously. -If you require more control than this, you can specify each interface -individually:- -

This will only be successful if the IP addresses on each interface are static. -If you are using some kind of dynamic IP addressing then the 'default' method -is the only one that will work. -

One important difference with the internal listener is that no echoing -is done by the cluster program. Users will need to set 'local-echo' on in -their telnet clients if it isn't set automatically (as per the standards). -Needless to say this will probably only apply to Windows users. -

3.4 Setting up for AGW Engine (1.47 onwards) -

AGW Engine is a Windows based ax25 stack. You can connect to an AGW engine -from Linux as well as Windows based machines. -

In order to enable access to an AGW Engine you need to copy -/spider/perl/AGWConnect.pm to /spider/local and edit it. -Specifically you must:- -

3.5 Setting up node connects -

In order to allow cluster node connections, spider needs to know that the -connecting callsign is a cluster node. This is the case whether the connect -is incoming or outgoing. In spider this is a simple task and can be done in -runtime. -

Later versions of Spider can distinguish different software and treat them -differently. For example, the WCY beacon cannot be handles by AK1A type -nodes as AK1A does not know what to do with PC73. There are 4 different -types of node at present and although they may not have any major -differences at the moment, it allows for compatibility. The 4 types are ... -

For now, we will assume that the cluster we are going to connect to is an -AK1A type node. -

Start up the cluster as you did before and login as the sysop with client. -The cluster node I am wanting to make a connection to is GB7BAA but you would -obviously use whatever callsign you required. At the prompt type ... -

The case does not matter as long as you have a version of DXSpider later than -1.33. Earlier versions required the callsign to be in upper case. -

That is now set, it is as simple as that. To prove it, login on yet another -console as sysop, cd to spider/src and issue the command ... -

If the callsign you just set up as a cluster node is for an incoming connect, -this is all that needs to be done. If the connection is to be outgoing then -a connection script needs to be written. -

Sometimes you make a mistake... Honest, it does happen. If you want to make a node -back to being a normal user, regardless -of what type it is, do: -

3.6 Connection scripts -

Because DXSpider operates under Linux, connections can be made using just about -any protocol; AX25, NETRom, tcp/ip, ROSE etc are all possible examples. -Connect scripts live in the /spider/connect directory and are simple ascii files. -Writing a script for connections is therefore relatively simple. -

The connect scripts consist of lines which start with the following keywords -or symbols:- -

There are many possible ways to configure the script but here are three examples, -one for a NETRom/AX25 connect, one for AGW engines and one for tcp/ip. -

Both these examples assume that everything is set up properly at the other end. -You will find other examples in the /spider/examples directory. -

3.7 Starting the connection -

You start the connection, from within a sysop enabled cluster login, by typing -in the word connect followed by a script name like this .... -

This will start a connection using the script called gb7djk-1. You can -follow the connection by watching the term or console from where you started -cluster.pl. From version 1.47 onwards, you will need to set/debug connect first. -You should see something like this ... -

With later versions of Spider there is a set/login command for users. This -tells them when a user or node logs in or out. If you do not add a line to -your scripts after the final line (or before the client line which should always -be last if needed) then the login/logout information will be sent to users -before the login actually completes. This means if a node is -unreachable, it will continue sending logins and logouts to users even though it -is not actually connecting. To avoid this use the following line ... -

3.8 Telnet echo -

Cluster links in particular suffer greatly from the presence of telnet echo. -This is caused by the telnet negotiation itself and can create at worst severe -loops. At best it creates unnecessary bandwidth and large logfiles! There are -things that can be done to limit this problem but will not always work dependent -on the route taken to connect. -

Telnet echo itself should only be a problem if the connection is being made to -the telnet port (23). This port uses special rules that include echo negotiation. -If the connection is to a different port, such as 7300, this negotiation does -not happen and therefore no echo should be present. -

Sometimes it is not possible to make a direct connection to another node and this -can cause problems. There is a way of trying to suppress the telnet echo but -this will not always work, unfortunately it is difficult to be more specific. -Here is an example of what I mean ... -

So, the first connection is made by Spider. This is fine as Spider uses the -Net_Telnet script from within perl. This actually uses TCP rather than TELNET -so no negotiation will be done on the first connection. Once connected to -mary.lancs.ac.uk, the command is sent to suppress echo. Now a telnet is made -to a cluster node that is accepting connections on port 23. The problem with -this link is that the negotiation is made by the remote machine, therefore you -have no control over it. The chances are that this link will create echo and -there will be no way you can stop it. -

4. Automating things

Ok, you should now have DXSpider running nicely and allowing connects by cluster -nodes or users. However, it has to be shutdown and restarted manually and if -connection scripts fail they have to be started again manually too, not much use -if you are not at the console! So, in this section we will automate both. -Firstly starting the cluster. -

4.1 Autostarting the cluster -

This is not only a way to start the cluster automatically, it also works as a -watchdog, checking the sanity of DXSpider and respawning it should it crash for -any reason. Before doing the following, shutdown the cluster as you did earlier. -

Login as root and bring up the /etc/inittab file in your favourite editor. Add -the following lines to the file near the end ... -

This line works fine for RedHat distributions. It is also fine for SuSE up to -7.0. From Suse 7.1 you need to add runlevels 2 and 5 like this ... -

The line required for Slackware distributions is slightly different. My thanks to -Aurelio, PA3EZL for this information. -

This will automatically start DXSpider on tty7 (ALT-F7) on bootup and restart -it should it crash for any reason. -

As root type the command telinit q. DXSpider should start up -immediately. You will see the output on tty7 and if you login as sysop -you should find everything running nicely. -

4.2 The crontab file -

Login as sysop and create a file in /spider/local_cmd called crontab. -Edit it with your favourite editor and add a line like this (I have included -a comment) -

The callsign involved will be the callsign of the cluster node you are -going to connect to. This will now check every 10 minutes to see if -gb7xxx is connected, if it is then nothing will be done. If it is not, -then a connect attempt will be started. -

There are probably lots of other things you could use this crontab file for. -If you want to know more about it, look at the -DXSpider website -at the cron page where it is explained more fully. -

5. Hop control

Starting with version 1.13 there is simple hop control available on a per -node basis. Also it is possible to isolate a network completely so that you -get all the benefits of being on that network, but can't pass on information -from it to any other networks you may be connected to (or vice versa). -

5.1 Basic hop control -

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 ... -

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. -

5.2 Isolating networks -

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 -nodes 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 .... -

6. Filtering (Old Style upto v1.44)

Filters can be set for spots, announcements and WWV. You will find the -directories for these under /spider/filter. You will find some examples in -the directories with the suffix .issue. There are two types of -filter, one for incoming information and one for outgoing information. -Outgoing filters are in the form CALLSIGN.pl and incoming filters -are in the form in_CALLSIGN.pl. Filters can be set for both nodes -and users. -

All filters work in basically the same way. There are several elements -delimited by commas. There can be many lines in the filter and they are -read from the top by the program. When writing a filter you need to think -carefully about just what you want to achieve. You are either going to write -a filter to accept or to reject. Think of a filter as -having 2 main elements. For a reject filter, you would have a line or multiple -lines rejecting the things you do not wish to receive and then a default line -accepting everything else that is not included in the filter. Likewise, for an -accept filter, you would have a line or multiple lines accepting the things you -wish to receive and a default line rejecting everthing else. -

In the example below, a user requires a filter that would only return SSB spots -posted in Europe on the HF bands. This is achieved by first rejecting the CW -section of each HF band and rejecting all of VHF, UHF etc based on frequency. -Secondly, a filter rule is set based on CQ zones to only accept spots posted in -Europe. Lastly, a default filter rule is set to reject anything outside the filter. -

The actual elements of each filter are described more fully in the following -sections. -

6.1 Spots -

There are 3 elements here to look at. Firstly, the action element. This is -very simple and only 2 possible states exist, accept (1) or drop (0). -

The second element is the field_no. There are 13 possiblities to choose from -here .... -

The third element tells us what to expect in the fourth element. There are -4 possibilities .... -

The fifth element is simply the hops to set in this filter. This would only -be used if the filter was for a node of course and overrides the hop count in -hop_table.pl. -

So, let's look at an example spot filter. It does not matter in the example -who the filter is to be used for. So, what do we need in the filter? We need -to filter the spots the user/node requires and also set a default rule for -anything else outside the filter. Below is a simple filter that stops spots -arriving from outside Europe. -

So the filter is wrapped in between a pair of square brackets. This tells -Spider to look in between these limits. Then each line is contained within -its own square brackets and ends with a comma. Lets look carefully at the first -line. The first element is 0 (drop). Therefore anything we put on this line -will not be accepted. The next element is 4. This means we are filtering by -the spotter. The third element is the letter "a" which tells the program to -expect an alphanumeric expression in the fourth element. The fourth element -is a list of letters separated by the pipe symbol. -

What this line does is tell the program to drop any spots posted by anyone in -the USA, Canada or Japan. -

The second line is the default rule for anything else. The "d" tells us this -and the line simply reads... accept anything else. -

You can add as many lines as you need to complete the filter but if there are -several lines of the same type it is neater to enclose them all as one line. -An example of this is where specific bands are set. We could write this like -this .... -

6.2 Announcements -

In this example, only the prefixes listed will be allowed. It is possible to -be quite specific. The Dutch prefix "P" is followed by several secondary -identifiers which are allowed. So, in the example, "PA" or "PE" would be ok -but not "PG". It is even possible to allow information from a single callsign. -In the example this is DK0WCY, to allow the posting of his Aurora Beacon. -

6.3 WWV -

It should be noted that the filter will start to be used only once a user/node -has logged out and back in again. -

I am not going to spend any more time on these filters now as they will become -more "comprehensive" in the near future. -

7. Filtering (New Style v1.45 and later)

7.1 General filter rules -

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 ... -

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 ... -

For now we are going to use spots for the examples, but you can apply the same -principles to all types of filter. -

7.2 Types of filter -

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 ... -

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 ... -

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! -

You can arrange your filter lines into logical units, either for your own -understanding or simply convenience. Here is an example ... -

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. -

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 ... -

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 ... -

7.3 Filter options -

You can filter in several different ways. The options are listed in the -various helpfiles for accept, reject and filter. -

7.4 Default filters -

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 ... -

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. -

7.5 Advanced filtering -

The previous example that filters hf/cw spots and accepts vhf/uhf spots from EU -can be written with a mixed filter, for example ... -

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. -

8. Other filters

8.1 Filtering Mail -

In the /spider/msg directory you will find a file called badmsg.pl.issue. Rename -this to badmsg.pl and edit the file. The original looks something like this .... -

I think this is fairly self explanatory. It is simply a list of subject -headers that we do not want to pass on to either the users of the cluster or -the other cluster nodes that we are linked to. This is usually because of -rules and regulations pertaining to items for sale etc in a particular country. -

8.2 Filtering DX callouts (Depricated) -

In the same way as mail, there are some types of spot we do not wish to pass on -to users or linked cluster nodes. In the /spider/data directory you will find -a file called baddx.pl.issue. Rename this to baddx.pl and edit the file. The -original looks like this .... -

Again, this is simply a list of names we do not want to see in the spotted -field of a DX callout. -

8.3 Filtering words from text fields in Announce, Talk and DX spots -

Create a file in /spider/data called badwords. The format is quite -simple. Lines beginning with # are ignored so comments can be added. An -example file is below ... -

Multiple words can be used on the same line as shown. Obviously these -are just examples :-) -

9. Mail

DXSpider deals seamlessly with standard AK1A type mail. It supports both -personal and bulletin mail and the sysop has additional commands to ensure -that mail gets to where it is meant. DXSpider will send mail almost -immediately, assuming that the target is on line. However, only one -mail message is dealt with at any one time. If a mail message is already -being sent or recieved, then the new message will be queued until it has -finished. -

The cluster mail is automatically deleted after 30 days unless the sysop -sets the "keep" flag using the msg command. -

9.1 Personal mail -

Personal mail is sent using the sp command. This is actually the -default method of sending mail and so a simple s for send will do. -A full list of the send commands and options is in the command set -section, so I will not duplicate them here. -

9.2 Bulletin mail -

Bulletin mail is sent by using the sb command. This is one of the -most common mistakes users make when sending mail. They send a bulletin -mail with s or sp instead of sb and of course -the message never leaves the cluster. This can be rectified by the sysop -by using the msg command. -

9.3 Forward.pl -

DXSpider receives all and any mail sent to it without any alterations needed -in files. Because personal and bulletin mail are treated differently, there -is no need for a list of accepted bulletin addresses. It is necessary, however, -to tell the program which links accept which bulletins. For example, it is -pointless sending bulletins addresses to "UK" to any links other than UK -ones. The file that does this is called forward.pl and lives in /spider/msg. -At default, like other spider files it is named forward.pl.issue. Rename it -to forward.pl and edit the file to match your requirements. -The format is below ... -

Simply insert a bulletin address and state in the brackets where you wish -that mail to go. For example, you can see here that mail sent to "UK" will -only be sent to the UK links and not to PA4AB-14. -

9.4 The msg command -

The msg command is a very powerful and flexible tool for the -sysop. It allows the sysop to alter to and from fields and make other -changes to manage the cluster mail. -

9.5 Message status -

You can check on a message from within the cluster by using the command -stat/msg. This will give you additional information on the -message number including which nodes have received it, which node it -was received from and when etc. Here is an example of the output of -the command ... -

9.6 Filtering mail -

This is described in the section on Other filters so I will not -duplicate it here. -

9.7 Distribution lists -

Distribution lists are simply a list of users to send certain types of -mail to. An example of this is mail you only wish to send to other -sysops. In /spider/msg there is a directory called distro. You -put any distibution lists in here. For example, here is a file called -SYSOP.pl that caters for the UK sysops. -

9.8 BBS interface -

Spider provides a simple BBS interface. No input is required from the sysop -of the cluster at all. The BBS simply sets the cluster as a BBS and pushes -any required mail to the cluster. No mail can flow from Spider to the BBS, -the interface is one-way. -

Please be careful not to flood the cluster network with unnecessary mail. -Make sure you only send mail to the clusters that want it by using the -Forward.pl file very carefully. -

The DXSpider Installation and Administration Manual

Ian Maude, G0VGS, (ianmaude@btinternet.com)

1. Installation (Original version by Iain Philipps, G0RDI)

2. Quick installation guide (Linux version)

3. Configuration

4. Automating things

5. Hop control

6. Filtering (Old Style upto v1.44)

7. Filtering (New Style v1.45 and later)

8. Other filters

9. Mail

10. Databases

11. Information, files and useful programs

12. CVS

13. The DXSpider command set

1. Introduction

What you'll be left with once you've followed these instructions -is (hopefully) a working DX Spider v1.47 system that is capable -of accepting or originating "internet" connections, plus inbound -AX.25 and TCP/IP radio connections. If the absence of outbound -radio connections is a serious limitation for you, it would be -better for you to wait a couple more weeks until this support has -been added. -

On the other hand, you may have an enquiring mind, or better yet, -may be looking for a useful way of connecting your current -(perhaps) AK1A cluster "to the internet" via some networking -mechanism (BPQEther, etc) or other. I won't be producing -instructions for the latter case, because I don't have an AK1A to -play with. But someone might ... -

Whatever, this document is intended to get you started with DX -Spider in a Microsoft Windows ™ environment. It's not -intended to teach you anything other than how to perform a -minimum configuration of a DX Spider installation and have it -able to connect across "the internet" to other DX Clusters, while -accepting inbound TELNET and radio connections. -

1.1 The requirements -

1.2 The system -

The platform I used to generate these instructions was a -"vanilla" Microsoft Windows Me 4.90.3000 system, with a 700MHz -AMD Athlon processor and 96 Mb memory. I've also personally -verified that it runs on my laptop (Pentium 266MHz, 32 Mb memory, -Windows 98 SE v4.10.2222 A) and a computer that I assembled from -a random pile of junk (AMD K6-2 333MHz, 64 Mb memory, Windows 98 -v4.10.1998). As a result, I have reason to believe that what I'm -about to describe will perform equally on any 32-bit MS Windows -environment with 32 Mb of memory. -

Because of the changes that have recently been made to the core -"cluster.pl" module and the introduction of a very lightweight -"winclient.pl", I have a sneaking suspicion that this will now -run on any platform that has reasonably complete support for -Perl. Is there someone out there with both an enquiring mind and -(say) a Macintosh, for instance? -

Please bear in mind, though, that my instructions relate solely -to how to get this going under a Microsoft Windows environment, -and I have zero intention of trying to make them say otherwise. -

1.3 Perl -

Install your chosen Perl environment. Unless you have a very good -reason for not doing so, I strongly suggest that you use -ActivePerl v5.6. For my testing & development, I used build 623. -You can get this from:- -http://www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePerl/Download.html

You will need to choose either the MSI or the AS package. My -recommendation is that you choose the MSI package and deal with -the consequences if your system isn't equipped with support for -the latest MS Installer; you'll be better off in the long run. -The build 623 download is 7,460 KB, so now is a really good time -to have some tea if you're on a slow dial-up connection. -

During installation, please ensure that you do choose the options -to "Add Perl to the PATH environment variable" and "Create Perl -file extension association"; it will make your life so much -easier. Once the installation is finished, be sure to reboot your -PC. You probably won't be told anywhere else that this needs to -be done now, but it does. Really. -

Once you've rebooted, open a "DOS box" (Start > Run > command -might do it, if you can't find it elsewhere) and from wherever it -lands, type PERL -v <ENTER> (it's better if that's a lower-case -'v', because an upper-case 'V' means something else. You should -be rewarded with some interesting information about your Perl -installation. If you're not, you must go back to the beginning -and discover what went wrong and fix it. It's pointless to -proceed unless this simple check is passed. Assuming it did work, -you may now move on. -

1.4 Additional packages -

Some extensions ("packages") need to be added to the base Perl -distribution, and we'll do this next. If you're using the Perl I -recommended, and don't know any better for yourself, then just -blindly following these instructions will work just fine. If that -didn't describe you, then you're on your own. -

Make yourself a convenient directory to unpack all of these zip -files into (I put mine in "D:\ppm>") and do the following (the -bits you type in are blue ). Note that where these files land -will be directly related to where you chose to install your -ActivePerl (mine, as you can probably guess from what follows, -went into "D:\Perl"):- -

I'm not going to bother you with exhaustive details of the rest -of them, but suffice it to say you need to: -

If all that seemed to work OK, time to move along. Before anyone -who is familiar with PPM tells me that we didn't need to download -and keep those files locally, I knew that. I also knew that PPM -is sometimes awkward to configure via firewalls, and that -sometimes the repositories don't always work the way we'd hope. I -do it that way because it suits me. -

1.5 Getting Spider -

Get the current version of the DX Spider distribution. This needs -to be v1.47 or later. You've got two ways (currently) of getting -this; either get a CVS update from sourceforge (if you don't know -what this is, then it isn't for you) or get my package from:- -

If you went down the CVS route, then everything will be nicely -set out on your local disk. If you got the ZIP file, unpack it to -somewhere convenient. The following examples assume that you put -it on drive "C:\", for convenience. -

NOTE: This distribution method will go away as soon as the first -v1.47 tarball is released. You can use WinZip to unpack that, and -my life will be made easier by not needing to keep this .ZIP file -updated. -

2. Installing the software

Ensure that your CVS session or your unZIPped file have left you -with a directory "C:\spider\local"; if not, go to "C:\spider\" -and create one. If "C:\spider" is missing, go back and figure out -why, because it shouldn't be. -

Now you'll need to edit this file using a text editor. If nothing -else, you can simply -

to bring up an editor window containing the file. As an absolute -minimum you must adjust the following items in DXVars.pm:- -

You really also ought to update the $mylatitude, $mylongitude, -$myqth and $myemail variables. And unless you are absolutely -certain you know what you're doing, you should change nothing -else in this file. -

2.1 The AGW packet engine -

On the assumption that you'll be using the SV2AGW Packet Engine -to interface your radios to the cluster, you should now create -your own local copy of AGWConnect.pm by:- -

to bring up an editor window containing the file. You must -consider adjusting the following items in AGWConnect.pm:- -

2.2 Setting up the initial user files -

Next you need to create the initial user files, etc. A tool is -supplied which will do this for you. To run the tool:- -

If all goes according to plan, you will see no output from this -program, and after a brief wait, your DOS prompt will be -returned. -

If you did everything you were told, your DOS window will now -hold a display which looks something like:- -

Now, if that's what you've got, you are very nearly home and dry -(in as far as these particular experiments are concerned, anyhow) -

To access your new cluster (from the local machine) find yourself another -"DOS box" and do the following:- -

You've arrived. Try some commands, and see how they feel. (In -case you were wondering, "Iain", "M0ADI" and "GB7SJP" all came -from the version of DXVars.pm that was on the machine when I -started the winclient.pl) -

2.3 Incoming telnets -

If you want to enable inbound "TELNET" connections, you've got a -little more work to do. From a handy "DOS box" that's not doing -anything else, do the following:- -

On my machine, I've simply uncommented the "0.0.0.0" entry by -removing the '#' from the front of the line. -

If you don't have a static hostname for your machine, and you -intend to allow folk to connect to your machine across the -internet, then I'd suggest you pay a visit to www.dyndns.org and -create one for yourself. While it's free, it will take a modest -an amount of effort on your part to read, understand and -implement what needs to be done to set this up. -

2.4 Connecting to other clusters -

If you want to connect this to another cluster, then you'll want -to negotiate a link with someone. For experimental purposes, I'm -happy to allow folk to connect to GB7DXA (spud.ath.cx), on the -understanding that the system may or may not be there and may or -may not be connected to anything particularly useful at any given -moment. Contact me by Email if you want me to set up a connection -for you. -

The Installation Guide for DXSpider under Microsoft Windows

Iain Philipps, G0RDI (g0rdi@77hz.com)

1. Introduction

2. Installing the software

- - - -The Installation Guide for DXSpider under Microsoft Windows -Iain Philipps, G0RDI (g0rdi@77hz.com) -$Date$ $Revision$ - -DX Spider under Microsoft Windows ™ - - - - - - - -Introduction - -

-IMPORTANT: - -What you'll be left with once you've followed these instructions -is (hopefully) a working DX Spider v1.47 system that is capable -of accepting or originating "internet" connections, plus inbound -AX.25 and TCP/IP radio connections. If the absence of outbound -radio connections is a serious limitation for you, it would be -better for you to wait a couple more weeks until this support has -been added. - -On the other hand, you may have an enquiring mind, or better yet, -may be looking for a useful way of connecting your current -(perhaps) AK1A cluster "to the internet" via some networking -mechanism (BPQEther, etc) or other. I won't be producing -instructions for the latter case, because I don't have an AK1A to -play with. But someone might ... - -Whatever, this document is intended to get you started with DX -Spider in a Microsoft Windows ™ environment. It's not -intended to teach you anything other than how to perform a -minimum configuration of a DX Spider installation and have it -able to connect across "the internet" to other DX Clusters, while -accepting inbound TELNET and radio connections. - -The requirements - -

-The very first things you're going to need are (in order of -importance):- - - -A cup of good, strong tea -A supported Windows platform with an internet connection so you can -download the necessary software bits and bobs directly to it. There are other ways, but this is preferable. -Another cup of good, strong tea -If all goes according to plan, about an hour to spare -Plenty of good, strong tea - - -The system - -

-The platform I used to generate these instructions was a -"vanilla" Microsoft Windows Me 4.90.3000 system, with a 700MHz -AMD Athlon processor and 96 Mb memory. I've also personally -verified that it runs on my laptop (Pentium 266MHz, 32 Mb memory, -Windows 98 SE v4.10.2222 A) and a computer that I assembled from -a random pile of junk (AMD K6-2 333MHz, 64 Mb memory, Windows 98 -v4.10.1998). As a result, I have reason to believe that what I'm -about to describe will perform equally on any 32-bit MS Windows -environment with 32 Mb of memory. - -Because of the changes that have recently been made to the core -"cluster.pl" module and the introduction of a very lightweight -"winclient.pl", I have a sneaking suspicion that this will now -run on any platform that has reasonably complete support for -Perl. Is there someone out there with both an enquiring mind and -(say) a Macintosh, for instance? - -Please bear in mind, though, that my instructions relate solely -to how to get this going under a Microsoft Windows environment, -and I have zero intention of trying to make them say otherwise. - -Perl - -

-Install your chosen Perl environment. Unless you have a very good -reason for not doing so, I strongly suggest that you use -ActivePerl v5.6. For my testing & development, I used build 623. -You can get this from:- - -You will need to choose either the MSI or the AS package. My -recommendation is that you choose the MSI package and deal with -the consequences if your system isn't equipped with support for -the latest MS Installer; you'll be better off in the long run. -The build 623 download is 7,460 KB, so now is a really good time -to have some tea if you're on a slow dial-up connection. - -During installation, please ensure that you do choose the options -to "Add Perl to the PATH environment variable" and "Create Perl -file extension association"; it will make your life so much -easier. Once the installation is finished, be sure to reboot your -PC. You probably won't be told anywhere else that this needs to -be done now, but it does. Really. - -Once you've rebooted, open a "DOS box" (Start > Run > command -might do it, if you can't find it elsewhere) and from wherever it -lands, type PERL -v <ENTER> (it's better if that's a lower-case -'v', because an upper-case 'V' means something else. You should -be rewarded with some interesting information about your Perl -installation. If you're not, you must go back to the beginning -and discover what went wrong and fix it. It's pointless to -proceed unless this simple check is passed. Assuming it did work, -you may now move on. - -Additional packages - -

-Some extensions ("packages") need to be added to the base Perl -distribution, and we'll do this next. If you're using the Perl I -recommended, and don't know any better for yourself, then just -blindly following these instructions will work just fine. If that -didn't describe you, then you're on your own. - -Visit the following URL: - - - -and download the following files:- - - -Data-Dumper.zip -Net-Telnet.zip -TimeDate.zip -Time-HiRes.zip -DB_File.zip - - -Make yourself a convenient directory to unpack all of these zip -files into (I put mine in "D:\ppm>") and do the following (the -bits you type in are blue ). Note that where these files land -will be directly related to where you chose to install your -ActivePerl (mine, as you can probably guess from what follows, -went into "D:\Perl"):- - - -D:\ppm>ppm install Data-Dumper.ppd -Installing package 'Data-Dumper.ppd' -Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.bs -Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.dll -Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.exp -Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.lib -Installing D:\Perl\html\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.html -Installing D:\Perl\site\lib\Data\Dumper\Dumper.pm -Writing D:\Perl\site\lib\auto\Data\Dumper\Dumper.packlist -D:\ppm> - - -I'm not going to bother you with exhaustive details of the rest -of them, but suffice it to say you need to: - - -ppm install DB_File.ppd -ppm install Net-Telnet.ppd -ppm install TimeDate.ppd -ppm install Time-HiRes.ppd - - -If all that seemed to work OK, time to move along. Before anyone -who is familiar with PPM tells me that we didn't need to download -and keep those files locally, I knew that. I also knew that PPM -is sometimes awkward to configure via firewalls, and that -sometimes the repositories don't always work the way we'd hope. I -do it that way because it suits me. - -Getting Spider - -

-Get the current version of the DX Spider distribution. This needs -to be v1.47 or later. You've got two ways (currently) of getting -this; either get a CVS update from sourceforge (if you don't know -what this is, then it isn't for you) or get my package from:- - - - -or if you want the lastest CVS version (which is produced every night) - - - -If you went down the CVS route, then everything will be nicely -set out on your local disk. If you got the ZIP file, unpack it to -somewhere convenient. The following examples assume that you put -it on drive "C:\", for convenience. - -NOTE: This distribution method will go away as soon as the first -v1.47 tarball is released. You can use WinZip to unpack that, and -my life will be made easier by not needing to keep this .ZIP file -updated. - -Installing the software - -

-Ensure that your CVS session or your unZIPped file have left you -with a directory "C:\spider\local"; if not, go to "C:\spider\" -and create one. If "C:\spider" is missing, go back and figure out -why, because it shouldn't be. - -Now create your own local copy of the DXVars.pm file by:- - - -copy c:\spider\perl\DXVars.pm.issue -c:\spider\local\DXVars.pm - - -Now you'll need to edit this file using a text editor. If nothing -else, you can simply - - -cd \spider\local - - -and then - - -notepad DXVars.pm - - -to bring up an editor window containing the file. As an absolute -minimum you must adjust the following items in DXVars.pm:- - - - $mycall - Should hold the callsign of your DX Cluster - $myname - The SysOp's first name - $myalias - the SysOp's callsign. Cannot be the same as $mycall! - - -You really also ought to update the $mylatitude, $mylongitude, -$myqth and $myemail variables. And unless you are absolutely -certain you know what you're doing, you should change nothing -else in this file. - -The AGW packet engine - -

-On the assumption that you'll be using the SV2AGW Packet Engine -to interface your radios to the cluster, you should now create -your own local copy of AGWConnect.pm by:- - - -copy c:\spider\perl\AGWConnect.pm -c:\spider\local\AGWConnect.pm - - -and then - - -notepad AGWConnect.pm - - -to bring up an editor window containing the file. You must -consider adjusting the following items in AGWConnect.pm:- - - -$enable - set to '1' to enable AGWPE interface -$login - the login ID you chose when you set up the SV2AGW security :-) -$passwd - password that matches $login - - -Setting up the initial user files - -

-Next you need to create the initial user files, etc. A tool is -supplied which will do this for you. To run the tool:- - - -cd \spider\perl -perl create_sysop.pl - - -If all goes according to plan, you will see no output from this -program, and after a brief wait, your DOS prompt will be -returned. - -Depending on how brave you are, you might now care to try the -following:- - - -perl cluster.pl - - -If you did everything you were told, your DOS window will now -hold a display which looks something like:- - - -DXSpider DX Cluster Version 1.47 -Copyright (c) 1998-2001 Dirk Koopman G1TLH -loading prefixes ... -loading band data ... -loading user file system ... -starting listeners ... -Internal port: localhost 27754 -load badwords: Ok -reading in duplicate spot and WWV info ... -reading existing message headers ... -load badmsg: Ok -load forward: Ok -load swop: Ok -@msg = 0 before delete -@msg = 0 after delete -reading cron jobs ...v cron: reading /spider/cmd/crontab -cron: adding 1 0 * * 0 -DXUser::export("$main::data/user_asc") -reading database descriptors ... -doing local initialisation ... -orft we jolly well go ... -queue msg (0) - - -Now, if that's what you've got, you are very nearly home and dry -(in as far as these particular experiments are concerned, anyhow) - -To access your new cluster (from the local machine) find yourself another -"DOS box" and do the following:- - - -cd \spider\perl -perl winclient.pl - - -If you are rewarded with a display which looks something like:- - - -Hello Iain, this is GB7SJP in Amersham, Bucks running DXSpider V1.47 -Cluster: 1 nodes, 1 local / 1 total users Max users 2 Uptime 0 00:00 -M0ADI de GB7SJP 4-Mar-2001 1511Z > - - -You've arrived. Try some commands, and see how they feel. (In -case you were wondering, "Iain", "M0ADI" and "GB7SJP" all came -from the version of DXVars.pm that was on the machine when I -started the winclient.pl) - -Incoming telnets - -

-If you want to enable inbound "TELNET" connections, you've got a -little more work to do. From a handy "DOS box" that's not doing -anything else, do the following:- - - -copy \spider\perl\listeners.pm \spider\local -cd \spider\local -notepad listeners.pm - - -The following lines need attention:- - - -["0.0.0.0", 7300], - - -On my machine, I've simply uncommented the "0.0.0.0" entry by -removing the '#' from the front of the line. - -If you don't have a static hostname for your machine, and you -intend to allow folk to connect to your machine across the -internet, then I'd suggest you pay a visit to www.dyndns.org and -create one for yourself. While it's free, it will take a modest -an amount of effort on your part to read, understand and -implement what needs to be done to set this up. - -Connecting to other clusters - -

-If you want to connect this to another cluster, then you'll want -to negotiate a link with someone. For experimental purposes, I'm -happy to allow folk to connect to GB7DXA (spud.ath.cx), on the -understanding that the system may or may not be there and may or -may not be connected to anything particularly useful at any given -moment. Contact me by Email if you want me to set up a connection -for you. - -Last updated: 15-Apr-01 - -

1. Installation (Original version by Iain Philipps, G0RDI)

1.1 Introduction -

1.2 Preparation -

1.3 Installing the software -

1.4 Setting callsigns etc -

1.5 Starting up for the first time -

1.6 The Client program -

10. Databases

10.1 Creating databases -

10.2 Importing databases -

10.3 Checking available databases -

10.4 Looking up databases -

10.5 Removing databases -

11. Information, files and useful programs

11.1 MOTD -

11.2 Downtime message -

11.3 Other text messages -

11.4 The Aliases file -

11.5 Console.pl -

11.6 Updating kepler data -

11.7 The QRZ callbook -

12. CVS

13. The DXSpider command set

13.1 accept/announce (0) -

13.2 accept/announce (extended for sysops) (8) -

13.3 accept/spots (0) -

13.4 accept/spots (extended for sysops) (8) -

13.5 accept/wcy (0) -

13.6 accept/wcy (extended for sysops) (8) -

13.7 accept/wwv (0) -

13.8 accept/wwv (extended for sysops) (8) -

13.9 announce (0) -

13.10 announce full (0) -

13.11 announce sysop (5) -

13.12 apropos (0) -

13.13 bye (0) -

13.14 catchup (5) -

13.15 clear/spots (0) -

13.16 connect (5) -

13.17 dbavail (0) -

13.18 dbcreate (9) -

13.19 dbimport (9) -

13.20 dbremove (9) -

13.21 dbshow (0) -

13.22 debug (9) -

13.23 directory (0) -

13.24 directory (extended for sysops) (5) -

13.25 disconnect (8) -

13.26 dx (0) -

13.27 export (9) -

13.28 export_users (9) -

13.29 forward/latlong (8) -

13.30 forward/opername (1) -

13.31 help (0) -

13.32 init (5) -

13.33 kill (0) -

13.34 kill (5) -

13.35 kill full (5) -

13.36 links (0) -

13.37 load/aliases (9) -

13.38 load/baddx (9) -

13.39 load/badmsg (9) -

13.40 load/badwords (9) -

13.41 load/bands (9) -

13.42 load/cmd_cache (9) -

13.43 load/forward (9) -

13.44 load/messages (9) -

13.45 load/prefixes (9) -

13.46 merge (5) -

13.47 msg (9) -

13.48 pc (8) -

13.49 ping (1) -

13.50 rcmd (1) -

13.51 read (0) -

13.52 read (extended for sysops) (5) -

13.53 reject/announce -

13.54 reject/announce (extended for sysops) (8) -

13.55 reject/spots (0) -

13.56 reject/spots (extended for sysops) (8) -

13.57 reject/wcy (0) -