• Testing from packet

    From VE3XEC@VERT/ECBBS to All on Saturday, March 23, 2013 18:04:00
    I'm posting this message as an AX.25 client on my BBS, just to see how Synchronet's line editor works here.
    Not so great - I may need to come up with something different.

    -echicken

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From W6RAY@VERT/US99 to VE3XEC on Sunday, March 24, 2013 16:04:00
    VE3XEC wrote to All <=-

    I'm posting this message as an AX.25 client on my BBS, just to see
    how Synchronet's line editor works here.
    Not so great - I may need to come up with something different.

    I have yet to set up mine here due to the fact that my TNC's are in service
    on a mountain top 35 miles away connected via REMSERIAL to the JNOS packet
    BBS here in the "shack". Our links are Ubiquity 5 gHz link radios, one from here and the other from the local airport. I think the JNOS computer has a real serial port, so that may give me something to do.

    I have managed to forward some mailing lists into JNOS using Synchronet's listserve. I would like to move the packet floods (bulletins, general messages, etc.) to/from Syncronet, but have given up for the time being as
    to how to accomplish this.

    I do have another TNC here that I use to make sure JNOS is functioning properly that I could use, but it is simply much easier to allow for Telnet access to JNOS from within Synchronet, which I do for licensed amateurs.
    The message format is a bit different than most BBS softwares, but a common format is used in packet; plain text.

    Available through the AMateur Packet Radio Network (AMPR Net)
    w6ray.ampr.org sjvbbs.ampr.org 44.2.10.1 and the BBS listed below.
    HTTP port 44040, the usual ports remain standard. No one may post messages until they have been verified and upgraded, much like Synchronet.


    echicken, if you are looking for another programming challenge, I urge you
    to consider this one. Speaking of challenges, I need to figure out why the radio for my APRS tracker isn't working. W6RAY-14

    73F in Visalia today. 80 by Friday. 90's by June, 110 in July/August.




    73 de Ray Quinn W6RAY
    Visalia, CA USA DM06ih


    ... The solution to a problem changes the nature of the problem.
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    Synchronet US 99 BBS - Visalia, CA - bbs.quinnnet.org
  • From echicken@VERT/ECBBS to W6RAY on Sunday, March 24, 2013 22:57:45
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: W6RAY to VE3XEC on Sun Mar 24 2013 16:04:00

    I have managed to forward some mailing lists into JNOS using Synchronet's listserve. I would like to move the packet floods (bulletins, general messages, etc.) to/from Syncronet, but have given up for the time being as
    to how to accomplish this.

    I've just done a total rewrite of the AX.25 support for Synchronet, so we now have pretty decent native support for the protocol available to work with in Javascript. (We had this before, but my previous library had some problems.) So if there is something in particular that you're hoping to accomplish, there's a good chance that it's now possible to do with some ease.

    I've written a script that serves as a gateway between AX.25 clients (via a KISS TNC) and Synchronet's terminal server (via RLogin.) With this script running on your BBS, an unproto AX.25 client can connect to your station, and then interact with your BBS as would any telnet, ssh, rlogin, dial-up user. I am mostly done writing a custom command shell that takes into account some of the requirements of AX.25 clients.

    I'll post an update here once all of the pieces of the puzzle are in place and this becomes a usable system. I'll also update the documentation on the Synchronet wiki, which is now outdated in some areas.

    echicken
    electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com - 416-273-7230

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From W6RAY@VERT/US99 to echicken on Monday, March 25, 2013 19:14:00
    echicken wrote to W6RAY <=-

    I've written a script that serves as a gateway between AX.25 clients
    (via a KISS TNC) and Synchronet's terminal server (via RLogin.) With

    If I understand the JNOS manual, it can act as an AX.25 client, or at least you can attach to it. I will have to look into if further to make sure I understand correctly...

    this script running on your BBS, an unproto AX.25 client can connect
    to your station, and then interact with your BBS as would any telnet,
    ssh, rlogin, dial-up user. I am mostly done writing a custom command shell that takes into account some of the requirements of AX.25
    clients.

    The only thing that worries me is often times there is profanity on DOVE-, Fido-, and othernets, a no-no on the air, even digital modes.

    I'll post an update here once all of the pieces of the puzzle are in
    place and this becomes a usable system. I'll also update the documentation on the Synchronet wiki, which is now outdated in some
    areas.

    I lool forward to it. I will also look at the new pieces as well await your Wiki update.

    Thanks for giving us yet another option.

    ---





    73 de Ray Quinn W6RAY
    Visalia, CA USA DM06ih


    ... Is it Friday yet?
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    Synchronet US 99 BBS - Visalia, CA - bbs.quinnnet.org
  • From echicken@VERT/ECBBS to W6RAY on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 10:01:23
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: W6RAY to echicken on Mon Mar 25 2013 19:14:00

    If I understand the JNOS manual, it can act as an AX.25 client, or at least you can attach to it. I will have to look into if further to make sure I understand correctly...

    Depends on exactly what you're hoping to accomplish.

    If you for some reason wanted to run JNOS and Synchronet in parallel off of the same TNC, the best bet would be to let JNOS manage the AX.25 side of things for you. Clients could simply use JNOS' built-in telnet client to then connect to your Synchronet BBS.

    If you want to exchange mail between a Synchronet and a JNOS system, that'd be a different story. My understanding is that there are a few "protocols" in place that allow packet BBSs to exchange mail with one another (over an AX.25 link.) The F6FBB BBS package has documentation about its protocol on its website, and I'm sure there's info about the others out there as well (which I think pretty much amount to sending menu commands to the remote BBS.)

    I intend to, at some point, write some scripts to allow Synchronet to talk to these other BBS packages, so that you could bring the typical packet bulletin and message data into Synchronet message areas.

    The only thing that worries me is often times there is profanity on DOVE-,
    Fido-, and othernets, a no-no on the air, even digital modes.

    Yes, that is a concern, and one that I've already thought of (and had handled in my previous version of this software.) I'll be adding a text filter to the ax25tunnel.js script right at the point where it sends text over the air to the client, and it will mask out any words that match against a sysop-maintained list of bad words.

    echicken
    electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com - 416-273-7230

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From echicken@VERT/ECBBS to W6RAY on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 10:36:12
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: W6RAY to echicken on Mon Mar 25 2013 19:14:00

    The only thing that worries me is often times there is profanity on DOVE-, Fido-, and othernets, a no-no on the air, even digital modes.

    The greatest issue that I'm having with this is trying to define a realistic set of *actual* banned words. Every list of "bad" words that I encounter has some very silly entries on it.

    I can't see how "anus", "penis", and "vagina" are offensive words, yet almost every list includes them. One may wish to filter various permutations of "ass" but not valid words such as "assume", "assertion", etc. Some lists include "gay" and "queer", which are perfectly valid words. "Faggot" I can understand, since online discussions about firewood are likely few and far between, and even then unlikely to use such a dated term.

    Other lists take it to the extreme and attempt to filter out hundreds of intentional (or otherwise) misspellings of known swear words, so there are lines dedicated to "fukk" and "sh1t", etc. Many of these variants could be arrived at procedurally, so I could possibly catch them.

    So, I suppose I will gather as many sure-to-offend words from these lists as I can, ignore the rest, and try to come up with some way to filter their permutations. I'll leave the rest of it up to the sysop, who will have to determine what words they are uncomfortable with having their packet station transmit.

    echicken
    electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com - 416-273-7230

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From opusx@VERT/ECBBS to echicken on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 17:52:20
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: echicken to W6RAY on Sun Mar 24 2013 22:57:45

    Good to here there is some new code to test out on Synch AX25 setup. I installed the plugin on my Raspberry Pi Synch install and it was outputing packet data via soundmodem.

    Now I've built a TNC-Pi for this kit and am hoping to get it on the air soon enough. It seems that using this in conjuction with JNOS and telnet access is a good way to go. Not sure how I'm going to approach this, but so far this bbs has been a great source of information.

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From echicken@VERT/ECBBS to opusx on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 23:54:23
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: opusx to echicken on Wed Mar 27 2013 17:52:20

    Now I've built a TNC-Pi for this kit and am hoping to get it on the air soon enough. It seems that using this in conjuction with JNOS and telnet access is a good way to go. Not sure how I'm going to approach this, but so far this bbs has been a great source of information.

    At one point I was using JNOS as a telnet gateway to my Synchronet BBS. It was a bit hacky for me if only because I wasn't particularly interested in using any of JNOS' other features. I recall having some mixed results, but it was a passable solution.

    My latest AX.25 stuff for Synchronet takes care of gating between an AX.25 client and Synchronet's terminal server, and so far has been more reliable than the previous version (and will be easier for me to maintain.) So far so good.

    echicken
    electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com - 416-273-7230

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From Khelair@VERT/TINFOIL to echicken on Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:42:59
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: echicken to W6RAY on Tue Mar 26 2013 10:01:23

    Yes, that is a concern, and one that I've already thought of (and had handle in my previous version of this software.) I'll be adding a text filter to t ax25tunnel.js script right at the point where it sends text over the air to client, and it will mask out any words that match against a sysop-maintained list of bad words.

    Forgive my butting in and lack of foreknowledge about the subject, but are all AX.25 communications assumed or required to be cleartext?

    -The opinions expressed are not necessarily an advocation of any of the aforementioned ideologies, concepts, or actions. We still have the freedom of speech, for now, and I enjoy using it in a satirical or ficticious manner to amuse myself.-

    “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.”-- George Orwell

    ---
    Synchronet Tinfoil Tetrahedron : telnet bismaninfo.hopto.org 8023 : http:8080
  • From Khelair@VERT/TINFOIL to echicken on Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:50:43
    Re: Testing from packet
    By: echicken to W6RAY on Tue Mar 26 2013 10:36:12

    The greatest issue that I'm having with this is trying to define a realistic set of *actual* banned words. Every list of "bad" words that I encounter ha some very silly entries on it.

    Again, I haven't researched this yet, so forgive my intrusion if I'm missing bits here. Assuming that the FCC is the entity that would be regulating these transmissions, would not permutations of the 'Seven Dirty Words' being censored be sufficient?
    I'm going to risk stepping outside of discussion group guidelines and pass along this link that I found a bit amusing while JFGIng (http://tinyurl.com/3cauqa). It's regarding the seven dirty words, but it's nothing to do with George Carlin. Just a vaguely amusing dissident page.

    -The opinions expressed are not necessarily an advocation of any of the aforementioned ideologies, concepts, or actions. We still have the freedom of speech, for now, and I enjoy using it in a satirical or ficticious manner to amuse myself.-

    “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.”-- George Orwell

    ---
    Synchronet Tinfoil Tetrahedron : telnet bismaninfo.hopto.org 8023 : http:8080
  • From echicken@VERT/ECBBS to Khelair on Thursday, March 28, 2013 20:14:04
    Re: Re: Testing from packet
    By: Khelair to echicken on Thu Mar 28 2013 12:42:59

    Forgive my butting in and lack of foreknowledge about the subject, but are all AX.25 communications assumed or required to be cleartext?

    The radiocommunication regulations in most countries prohibit the use of encryption on the amateur bands (it's a bit more involved than that, but that's the gist of it.)

    AX.25 could conceivably be used on bands or media where this is not an issue.

    echicken
    electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com - 416-273-7230

    ---
    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
  • From echicken@VERT/ECBBS to Khelair on Thursday, March 28, 2013 20:35:26
    Re: AX.25 'bad words' list
    By: Khelair to echicken on Thu Mar 28 2013 12:50:43

    Again, I haven't researched this yet, so forgive my intrusion if I'm missing bits here. Assuming that the FCC is the entity that would be regulating these transmissions, would not permutations of the 'Seven Dirty Words' being censored be sufficient?

    Up here, it's Industry Canada and not the FCC that manages the amateur bands. Of course, that raises a larger issue - I can't possibly know that any list I produce will meet the decency requirements of every English-speaking country. And I'll admit I haven't given any consideration to including swears from other languages.

    Regarding your question, I don't know if the FCC publishes a list of words that are banned from use in certain scenarios (eg. before and after 9PM, over the air versus on cable TV, etc.), nor am I aware of any such list from Industry Canada. I should investigate that - it could help me here. For now I'll just plan on keeping my list short, and stick with something similar to Carlin's list.

    echicken
    electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com - 416-273-7230

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    Synchronet electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com