From: hedrick@dartagnan.rutgers.edu (Charles Hedrick) Subject: Re: ka9q documentation! where? Date: 20 May 1992 20:36:53 GMT
peterw@archsci.arch.su.oz.au (Peter Williams ) writes:
>I am at the point where I wish to data link between the uni sun network and my
>pc at home. I am presuming that ka9q is the best medium for this endeavour but
>have no idea how to run it and have been unsuccessful in locating documentation.
>Could some kind person please tell me where I can find ka9q documentation.
There should be at least some documentation with the binary
distribution. READ.ME contains a list of commands and advice on how
to configure. That won't help people who want to use the ham
interfaces, etc., but should be fine for someone who wants to use
SLIP, as you do. Your problem is likely not to be with KA9Q but with
getting something to talk to at the other end. I have heard reliable
rumors that there are implementations of SLIP for Sun, but I don't
know where they are available. To use them, you'll need to build a
new kernel on the Sun and change its configuration so it acts as a
router. Alternatively, it's possible to support SLIP on a terminal
server or router. That's what we do at Rutgers. Our modems are all
connected to cisco terminal servers. They are configured to handle
SLIP. One way or the other, you're going to need cooperation from
systems staff at your university to arrange for SLIP access at their
end. Once they tell you how to connect via SLIP, the Linux end is
pretty easy, and should be handled via KA9Q. The one thing the
READ.ME won't tell you is how to start up the session. Generally I
use kermit to dial the modem. I talk to the terminal server at
Rutgers, login, and startup SLIP. Then I exit from Kermit and start
KA9Q. Ideally KA9Q should have the ability to do this automatically,
but I didn't really want to reimplement Kermit as part of KA9Q.
Kermit has a fairly good script language, so you should be able to
write a script for kermit that will make the connection and do
whatever setup you need to start up slip.
While READ.ME for KA9Q tells you the relevant commands, if you aren't
experienced with networking, you're probably going to need help from
your network staff to get the details right. This isn't just an issue
of needing documentation that's appropriate for novices. In order to
make some of the choices you have to know how your campus network is
set up. I believe if you hand READ.ME to any network support person,
they can tell you pretty easily what you need to do.