httpport 14501 ipwatchport 14502 hub domain.name port [user pass]The first two, httpport and ipwatchport, will be enabled by default even if you don't add them to aprsd.conf. If you want different ports or want to disable these features will you need to edit the config file. Documentation on these can be found in ports.html
The httpport (14501) port suppiles server status information in HTML format. This port is accessed with any web browser by entering the URL: http://wa4dsy.net:14501/(replace "wa4dsy.net" with the domain name of the aprsd server you want ) To refresh the data click the RELOAD button on your browser.
The ipwatchport (14502) provides all data streams without dup filtering with
a special header prepended. The header contains the source IP address of the
packet and the user login name, "IGATE" or "UDP". An example:
!44.36.16.48:WA4DSY! Packets from other igates this server connected to will
show the domain name instead of the IP address and the user will be "IGATE".
Packets from the UDP port will have the IP address and the user field will be
"UDP". Packets from the TNC will have "TNC" in the IP address field and "*" in
the user field . Use telnet or nc optionally with grep to determine the source
of packets.
eg: telnet first.aprs.net 23 | grep '199.45.66.88'
Will
display only packets from IP address 199.45.66.88.
The new "hub" command is used like the "igate" command. The syntax is the same. Unlike "igate" only one hub will be active at any time. If the hub connection fails aprsd will try to connect to the next hub listed and if that fails, the next and so on.
Everyone: You will need to compile the code get a working executable for your system. This is done automatically by the install script. Be advised you need the c++ compiler installed on your system. You can also type "make" to compile the program. It is designed to work on RedHat 5.1 and later Linux distributions. This includes Mandrake. Others may or may not work. Early versions before 5.1 will not work. Go the the Installing for more details.
"We should not have included the timestamp when the conversion was done by an IGate just for the reasons that we dropped the time stamp in all other stations back in 1996. It was a mistake and we should fix it by simply replacing the "@DDHHMMz" portion of the conversion with a "!" for TAPR Mic-E's and to a "=" format for Message capable Mic-E's (Kenwoods). This would eliminate this nuisance immediately. "
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
HAMS may apply the APRS formats in the TRANSMISSION of position, weather, and status packets. However, the author reserves the ownership of these protocols for exclusive commercial application and for all reception and plotting applications. Other persons desiring to include APRS RECEPTION in their software for sale within or outside of the amateur community will require a license from the author. Also TRANSMISSION of APRS protocols in any NON-AMATEUR commercial application or software will require a license from the author.
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR
115 Old Farm CT
Glen Burnie, MD 21060
It has only been tested on RedHat Linux 5.1 , 5.2, 6.0 and Mandrake 5.3 and later. It requires libstdc++ 2.8.0 or later to run. It will NOT run on RedHat 4.2.
The program gets data from a TNC connected to a serial port and sends it to
all clients who have connected to any of several user defined tcp ports. Some
defaults are 1313, 10151, 10152 and 14579. It was designed to duplicate most if
not all of the functionality of APRServe, a Macintosh APRS server designed and
coded by Steve Dimse, K4HG.
See
http://www.aprs.net/aprserve.dcc.html
It can also gate data coming from
the Internet to the TNC for transmission on the local VHF RF network.
Clients can use telnet to watch TNC data.
eg: telnet www.wa4dsy.net 14579
If raw TNC data is desired port 14580 can be used.
Scripts written in languages such as perl can connect to the server and interact with the data. A UDP port is provided to simplify injection of data into the aprs stream by scripts.
The system operator can use telnet to monitor the server status by connecting
to any port and enter entering his Linux user name, password and entering
"monitor" for the version field. Also he can enter remote sysop mode and gain
direct control of the TNC.
eg: user WA4ZZZ pass 12345 vers monitor
There is also a quota system to further reduce the quanity of data in the history list. Each AX25 source call sign is allowed three packets in the history list. One position report, one weather report and one "other". Only the most receint of each type is retained.
aprsd The APRS server executable
aprspass Computes aprs passcodes from callsigns
user.deny List of users with restrictions placed on them
welcome.txt This file is sent to users when they connect
INIT.TNC This file is read into the TNC when the server starts
RESTORE.TNC This file is read into the TNC when the server closes
history.txt Created by the server when it closes to save the
history buffer.
Also updated every 10 minutes during operaton.
It's also is read into the servers history
list when server starts.
Log Files:
aprsd.log Created by server to log all user connections
stsm.log Station to station msgs gated to RF
udp.log Data from the UDP port logged here
rf.log Data from our TNC after being digipeated
Install files:
INSTALLDAEMON Installation script for running as a daemon
INSTALLPGM Installation script for running as a program
REMOVE UnInstall script - deletes /home/aprsd2/*
/home/aprsd2
aprsd
aprspass
user.deny
welcome.txt
INIT.TNC
RESTORE.TNC
aprsd.log
stsm.log
rf.log
udp.log
aprsd.conf
history.txt
/etc/rc.d/init.d
aprsd.init
/etc/rc.d/rc3.d
link to aprsd.init
/etc/rc.d/rc5.d
link to aprsd.init
/etc/rc.d/rc6.d
link to aprsd.init
You can also start it as a daemon by using the -d option. eg: ./aprsd -d
The serial device for TNC data and tcp port numbers are set in the /home/aprsd2/aprsd.conf file. You can edit this file in the directory you used to uncompress the distribution files then run INSTALL to make the changes effective. INSTALL also will copy the distribution welcome.txt, INIT.TNC and RESTORE.TNC to /home/aprsd so be sure you make changes to these in the distribution directory before running INSTALL.
To stop the server go to the /etc/rc.d/init.d directory and enter "./aprsd.init stop". To restart enter "./aprsd.init start" .
First, stop the aprsd daemon by entering: /etc/rc.d/init.d/aprsd.init stop .
It can be re-started as a user program changing to the /home/aprsd2 directory and typing its name " ./aprsd " Note: you will need to be logged on as root unless your user name has write priviliges on the directory /home/aprsd2 and all the files in it.
If you want to be able to log on as remote sysop and take control of the TNC you will need to add a "tnc" group to the /etc/group file. See "REMOTE TNC SYSOP ACCESS" below for more details.
While running, once each minute this server will emit a status message to the console. Also, it tells you each time it sends out a packet and to how many users. It also shows you what it's sending to the TNC. One field in the status message is aprsString Objs. This is a debugging tool to help find memory leaks. It should be no more than 1 or 2 higher than the History items field. Sometimes it will read much higher but should return to a difference of 1 or 2 within a minute or so.
Ctrl-C or "q" will shut down the server in an orderly manner and save the current history list (last 30 mins of select received data) to disk.
#aprsd 2.1.4 server configuration file # #This file is read ONCE on server startup. #You must restart aprsd for changes to take effect. #eg: /etc/rc.d/init.d/aprsd.init stop (then start) # #Lines starting with "#" are comments and are ignored #Key words such as "mycall" and "maxusers" are NOT case sensitive. #MyCall is the same as mycall. # #*** There is no error checking so be careful ****** # # #Servercall is the ax25 source call used in packets #sent from the server to Internet users. (9 chars max) #Note: Does not go out on the air. # servercall aprsdATL # #MyCall This is over written by the MYCALL string in INIT.TNC MyCall N0CALL MyLocation Atlanta_GA #This email address will be sent in replies to ?IGATE? queries. MyEmail sysop@myisp.net # #Set MaxUsers to a value that your Internet connection can support. MaxUsers 25 # #This determines if Mic-E packets are converted to classic APRS packets. #Put 'no' unless you have a good reason to do conversions. (NEW in 2.1.4) ConvertMicE no # #Define beacon text. The server will supply the ax25 path header. #The first number after "NetBeacon" is the time interval in minutes. #Comment out the line or set time interval to 0 to disable beacon. #The rest of the line can be any aprs protocol conforming packet. # NetBeacon 10 !0000.00N/00000.00WI aprsd Linux APRS Server # #Define the TNC beacon. The TNC will supply the ax25 path header. #It's optional and you may use the TNC BTEXT in the INIT.TNC file instead. # #TncBeacon 15 !0000.00N/00000.00WI aprsd Linux APRS Server # # #Send 2 extra message acks is addition to each received ack to TNC #Range 0 to 9 ackrepeats 2 # #Send extra acks at 5 second intervals #Range 1 to 30 seconds ackrepeattime 5 # #Set history list items to expire in 30 minutes expire 30 # #Define the TNC serial port (9600 baud) #Note: This device must have write permissions #If undefined all TNC related functions are disabled. tncport /dev/ttyS0 # # Allow Internet to RF message passing. rf-allow yes # #Set the minimum time between TNC transmit packets in milliseconds TncPktSpacing 1500 # # Disallow packets transmitted from our own TNC from # being igated back to the Internet after being digipeated. igateMyCall no # #Set this to 'yes' if you want to log ALL PACKETS heard on RF to /home/aprsd2/rf.log #If 'no' then only packets with your callsign will be logged. (New in 2.1.4) logAllRF no # #igate and hub connection definitions #usage: igate <host name> <host port> <optional user name> <optional user password> #Note: Use user/pass option (below) ONLY if you intend to feed data TO the igate. # Usually the igate will connect to you and read your data. # #hub is like igate except only ONE hub connection is active at a time. #If the hub connection fails the next hub is tried in rotation until one accepts a connection. # hub first.aprs.net 23 hub second.aprs.net 23 hub third.aprs.net 23 igate nashville.aprs.net 14579 #igate www.aprs.net 1313 #igate sanfran.aprs.net 10148 #igate kb2ear.aprs.net 14580 #igate socal.aprs.net 14579 # #Use the following format (host port user pass) to allow sending #data from this server to to another server. #You need a user name and password for the server host system. #The aprs passcode for your callsign can be found with the aprspass program. #The password "99999" is not valid. # #igate www.aprs.net 23 N0CALL 99999 #igate www.wa4dsy.net 14579 N0CALL 99999 # #Define server listen ports (see ports.html) rawtncport 14580 localport 14579 mainport 10151 mainport-nh 10152 linkport 1313 msgport 1314 udpport 1315 httpport 14501 ipwatchport 14502 # #define trusted users of the UDP port. #usage: trust <ip address> <subnet mask> #trust 208.148.145.151 #trust 208.148.145.144 255.255.255.240 # #Selected call signs which are always gated to RF #if they are not seen locally. All packets from #these are gated in real time. Do not use unless #you really need real time data. Consider posit2rf below. #They are case sensitive! Use upper case. Up to 64 may be defined. #gate2rf K4HG-8 N4NEQ-9 #gate2rf W7LUS-14 # #Call signs of stations whose posits are gated #to RF every 15 minutes. Only posit packets are #gated. Posits are taken from the history list. #They are case sensitive! Use upper case. posit2rf K4HG-8 N4NEQ-9 #posit2rf W7LUS-14 # #Define a list of message destination call signs or aliases #to gate to RF full time. Note: the CQGA example #below is CQ GA (Georgia). Edit to suite your locale. #Up to 64 of these may be defined. They are case sensitive. # msgdest2rf SCOUTS KIDS CQGA # #end
Which ports on the distant igates do you connect to? There are two ways to go. You can connect to the ports which emit only local data (APRServe 1313 or aprsmon 14580) or you can choose one reliable server and connect to the port which supplies the complete data stream (APRServe 23 or aprsd 10152). In either case it should be a port which doesn't do the history file dump when you first connect. Connecting to local ports on ALL other servers will be more reliable since a single failure won't cut off all your external data.
This server has a port (1314) which only supplies station to station messages and corresponding posits. Other servers which will be used ONLY to relay 3rd party station to station messages to their local VHF network may want to connect to this port to greatly reduce the amount of data on their tcpip connection.
Be sure the device ( dev/ttyS* ) has the proper read/write permissions or the server will not be able to access it.
Root can set the serial port so it can be written to by anyone with the following command:
chmod ugo+w /dev/ttyS0
NOTE: If you don't define a device for the com port in the aprsd.conf file all TNC related functions in the server are disabled.
Ctrl-\ shuts down without saving anything.
Note: The server also saves the history list (history.txt) to disk every 10 minutes automatically.
You'll be prompted for your user name and password. These must match an entry in the Linux password file. In other words, a valid Linux login user/password. If the password is incorrect remote sysop mode will be exited. The user must also belong to the "tnc" group. This group must be created in the /etc/group file. Here is an example line:
tnc::102:root,wa4dsy,bozo
In this example users root,wa4dsy and bozo are assigned to the tnc group.
After you have logged on, everything you type goes to the TNC and all TNC output data goes only to you. The TNC is effectivly disconnected from all other internet users. Hit control-C to get the TNC into command mode.
To exit remote TNC access hit the REMEMBER TO ENTER THE TNC "K" COMMAND BEFORE YOU EXIT.
To disconnect hit ctrl-D .
/home/aprsd2/aprsd.log User logons and logoffs and some system activity msgs.
/home/aprsd2/stsm.log Station to station 3rd party messages sent on RF.
/home/aprsd2/udp.log Record of data entering from the UDP port.
/home/aprsd2/rf.log Record our own packets heard on RF by the TNC.
(After being digipeated)
These can be viewed in real time with: tail -f /home/aprsd2/aprsd.log or
the name of the log you want to monitor.
You can also use the "less" program to view it. After entering "less /home/aprsd2/aprsd.log" you type "F" to follow it in real time. Type ctrl-C to exit "F" mode.
All 3rd party station to station messages relayed from the Internet to RF are logged in /home/aprsd2/stsm.log
3rd party formatted packets received by the TNC will never be sent anywhere.
Data from the UDP port are logged in /home/aprsd2/udp.log .
All data heard on RF with the "MYCALL" callsign with be logged in rf.log . This feature lets you see what you have sent out on RF if you are being digipeated by someone else.
To keep the log files from getting too large they need to be rotated on a regular basis. Add the following to your /etc/logrotate.conf file. Log files will be rotated daily or weekly and the oldest deleted after 4 rotations. Feel free to modify the schedule to suit your needs.
/home/aprsd2/aprsd.log {
weekly
rotate 4
}
/home/aprsd2/stsm.log {
daily
rotate 4
}
/home/aprsd2/udp.log {
daily
rotate 4
}
/home/aprsd2/rf.log {
daily
rotate 4
}
It came from a logged on verified registered user.
and
The originator was not seen on the TNC RF data stream in the past 30 minutes.
and
The destination HAS been seen on the TNC RF data stream in the past 30 minutes and doesn't have "GATE*" in his path and has been repeated less than 3 times.
and
The line "rf-allow yes" is in the /home/aprsd2/aprsd.conf file.
Version 2.0.8 and later allows you to define up to 64 message destination call signs or aliases which will always be gated to RF if "rf-allow yes" has been defined. See the example aprsd.conf file for an example of how to use the "msgdest2rf" command to enable this feature. For each 3rd party messge delivered to RF the latest position report packet of the originating station will also be sent after reformating the path in 3rd party format. The program pulls the posit from the history list if it's in there.
eg:
KE6DJZ>AP0917,KB6TLJ-5,RELAY,WIDE:=3415.99N/11844.34WyAPRS+SA
becomes:
}KE6DJZ>AP0917,TCPIP,WA4DSY*:=3415.99N/11844.34WyAPRS+SA
(assuming "MyCall" is WA4DSY )
During a series of messages the position packet will only be sent with a message every 10 minutes unless the station emits and new one.
This server will NOT igate a 3rd party _reformatted_ message from RF to the Internet. This is strictly one way.
Users of unregisterd client programs can send their own station-to-station messages to other Internet users. These messages will not go out on the TNC RF channel and the path will be modified (TCPIP is changed to TCPXX*) so other hubs will know not to send these messages out on their RF channels. Unregistered users cannot Igate packets other than their own. In other words, the ax25 source call in their packets must match their logon call and "TCPIP" must be in the path. (TCPIP* or TCPXX* will not work either)
eg; assume N0CALL is unregistered and attempts to send the following into the server.
N0CALL>APRS,TCPIP:>TESTING
This will be converted to
N0CALL>APRS,TCPXX*:>TESTING and gated to other users (but not to RF!)
However...
W4ZZZ>APRS,TCPIP:>TESTING
or
N0CALL>APRS,TCPIP*:>TESTING
will be deleted and not sent
anywhere.
Telnet users must provide a user name or call sign before any of
their data can be relayed to the internet. They need to enter "user callsign
pass -1" so the server will accept the data. The ax25 FROM call in packets they
send must match the call sign they loggon with. If they provide a valid password
full priviliges are granted since they used the keyboard to emulate a client
program logon string. (Not that anyone would want to do this except for testing)
This server will also accept valid user/password combinations for the Linux system it is running on. These users must be in the aprs group. This group can be added by editing the /etc/group file.
Note:
This program trusts other versions of itself and APRServe to flag the paths of data from unregistered Internet users with "TCPXX*". Station to station messages flagged this way will not be sent out on RF. The IGATE commands in the aprsd.conf file should specify a remote host port which is secure. For IGATES it must be a port which doesn't echo any Internet user data, only TNC data. Full function servers such as APRServe and this version (2.x.x) of aprsd will change TCPIP* to TCPXX* in the paths of unregistered users on all ports.
Users of the current java APRS applet don't log at all and are granted read-only access
If the users APRS name and pass code aren't valid the validate module tries the Linux pass word validator for the "aprs" group. If that also fails it waits 10 seconds then returns the bad news to aprsd which notifies the user.
NOTE: aprsd must be run as root for the Linux password validator to work.
However, the APRS user and passwords (from Mac/WinAPRS users) will be
properly tested regardless of what user is running aprsd if "aprsPass yes" is in
the aprsd.conf file.
The logon format:
user eg: user N0CALL pass 00001 vers MacAPRS 3.0 You can telent to a port and enter the following, assuming your Linux user
name is bozo and you password is xyzzy and you are part of the aprs group as
defined in the /etc/group file.
user bozo pass xyzzy
To monitor some server status data you can enter:
user bozo pass xyzzy vers monitor
The aprs data stream is turned off and "Monitor Mode" is entered. Once a
minute the server will send a status message to you.
Once you have logged on, ctrl-D will not cause a disconnect. You have to use
your Telnet escape key then do a quit. I had to do this to prevent inadvertant
disconnects due to possible spurious control codes in some users data.
might be sent by a MacAPRS
user.
As pass code of -1 means you are an unregistered user, not a hacker
trying out an bogus password.
user.deny example: W4EVIL L <--- Prevents sending of packets into the server or RF W4SOB R <--- Prevents any of his packets from getting on RF even if they came from another igate. NOTE: This file is read every time aprsd needs to check users so you will NOT need to restart the server when you change it.If the abuse becomes serious enough you might consider putting "aprsPass no" in the aprsd.conf file. This turns off the checking of aprs passcodes and only allows Linux user/passwords. You will need to have all your users in the Linux passwd file.
There are three "modes" of doing this. The most permissive allows all packets from a selected station to be sent to RF in real time. The second mode only allows position report packets to be sent on RF every 14.9 minutes. This puts much less strain on the RF network and is the recommended mode.
The third mode which was new in version 2.0.8 gates 3rd party station to station messages to RF full time if the DESTINATION call sign or alias is defined in the aprsd.conf file after the msgdest2rf keyword.
You select the stations by entering them in the /home/aprsd2/aprsd.conf file. Up to 64 stations can be defined. Several can be put on each line. The server must be restarted before any changes to aprsd.conf take effect.
Examples:
These stations posits are sent to RF every 15 minutes: posit2rf K4HG-8 N4NEQ-9 posit2rf W7LUS-14 All packets from this station are gated to RF full time. gate2rf N0CLU-9 This allows any message addressed to SCOUTS, KIDS or CQGA to go to RF even though these "call signs" were not heard locally. msgdest2rf SCOUTS KIDS CQGANote: The posits of stations in the "posit2rf" list are sent at 14 second intervals. It takes 14.9 minutes to scan the list of 64 before it repeats. The posits are taken from the 30 minute history list. If no posit is available for the station then no data is transmitted.
The unconverted raw Mic_E packets from the local TNC can be observed by telneting to port 14580.
Example:
trust 198.162.50.5You may also provide a subnet mask after the ip address to open up an entire sub net. The example below allows 16 address from 198.162.50.0 to 198.162.50.15 .
Example:
trust 198.162.50.0 255.255.255.240The script can format packets to be sent to the TNC for RF transmission or TCPIP. The routing is determined by the "TO-CALL" field. If it's "TNC" the packet goes on on RF via the TNC after the path is striped off.
This goes to the TNC: WA4DSY>TNC:Data for TNC here
This goes to TCPIP:
WA4DSY>APRS:Data for the Internet
The complete string including the path goes out on the Internet.
See the file "udp_example" for a sample perl script.
WA4DSY>APRS:?IGATE?
or
WA4DSY>APRS::IGATE :?IGATE?{0
or
WA4DSY>APRS::aprsd :?IGATE?{0
or
WA4DSY>APRS::aprsdATL :?IGATE?{0
The first three examples will cause ALL aprsd servers to respond. The last
will get you a response only from the aprsdATL server. The server first sends
and ack packet the station initiating the query then sends response data such as
the following example: aprsdATL>APRS,TCPIP*::WA4DSY :WA4DSY Atlanta_GA wa4dsy.net 216.254.33.225
sysop@mail.net aprsd 2.1.4 {1
Most of the data comes from the aprsd.conf file../aprspass N0CALL APRS passcode for N0CALL = 12345The program will print the passcode "12345". You may use this 5 digit number as a password to connect and login to other igates and APRServe. The callsign and passcode are used as follows in aprsd.conf.
igate second.aprs.net 23 N0CALL 12345This causes aprsd to connect the second.aprs.net, port 23. Data from that server becomes available at your server. Your TNC data and logged on Internet user data is sent to second.aprs.net over the two way connection.
To disable this feature add to your aprsd.conf file: httpport 0
To disable this feature add to your aprsd.conf file: ipwatchport 0
To get the fix for 5.1surf over to ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/upgrades/5.1/i386/
Then get this file: The memory leak seems to be fixed in this version. To install do: rpm -U
glibc-2.0.7-19.i386.rpm then reboot. You don't need to recompile aprsd!
Determining the source IP address of aprs packets (new in 2.1.2)
This
TCPIP port (default 14502) supplies all data streams without dup filtering with
a special header prepended. The header contains the source IP address of the
packet and the user login name, "IGATE" or "UDP". An example:
!44.36.16.48:WA4DSY! Packets from other igates this server connected to will
show the domain name instead of the IP address and the user will be "IGATE".
Packets from the UDP port will have the IP address and the user field will be
"UDP". Packets from the TNC will have "TNC" in the IP address field and "*" in
the user field . Use telnet or nc optionally with grep to determine the source
of packets.
eg: telnet first.aprs.net 23 | grep '199.45.66.88'
Will
display only packets from IP address 199.45.66.88.
KNOWN BUGS
Slow connection establishment to igates and hubs
Due to bugs in the
"thread-safe" gethostbyname2_r() function I had to put mutual exclusion
semaphores around it. The result is that when igate and hub connections are
being established, only one host name lookup can be in progress at any
time. If the host name is not found due to the name server being down, it can
take up to a minute for that name lookup to complete. If you have 30 aprs.net
igates in the list and the aprs.net name server is down, it can take up to 30
minutes to try them all.
Memory Leak
Under RedHat 5.1 this program leaks 8K of memory for each
user connect/disconnect event. This appears to be a problem with one or more C
libraries in the thread creation/destruction code. It has been fixed in 5.2.
glibc-2.0.7-19.i386.rpm