From: miltonm@inetnode.austin.ibm.com (Milton Miller)
Subject: Re: SLIP - What is (answer) - NOS versions, 'dialer', SLIP timeout., finger (questions) Thanks!
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 16:18:53 GMT
Organization: IBM, Austin

In article <9301050143.AA00731@westport.trirex.com> bmehlman@trirex.COM (Ben Mehlman) writes:
>I am trying to set up dial-in and dial out SLIP on my KA9Q NOS box.   
>On the dial in, I have one problem to solve, which is that I want the  
>modem to hang up on the caller if there is no activity on the port  
>for a few minutes.  I don't think the NOS is equipped to do this.  My  
>solution so far is to bastardize the 'dialer' code to create a  
>'watcher'.  The watcher watches for data transmissions and carrier  
>status on a port.  If CD stays true for XX time without any activity,  
>it (depending on how ambitious I get) drops DTR fora couple of  
>seconds or executes a hangup script.
>
>I was wondering: has anyone else has approached this problem, and how  
>did you solve (or fail to solve) it?
>

My understanding is Phil Karn has done it.  He released the code in June,
although the initial release had a "peter waiting on paul waiting on peter"
syndrome.   I don't rember the fix.  Phil also just released a new
set of code today (yesterday?) on ucsd.  Since there were several problems
with the June release (Phil called it beta code; it was somewhere between
alpha and beta quality), none of the other enhancers picked up the code,
opting to stick with the known 12/21/91 release.

>
>Anyway, there are two things I am trying to accomplish re dialing: 
>
>
>1 - Keep a line up, ie dial a connection to another site and keep it  
>going, redialing automatically if the link should drop.  The version  
>of 'dialer' described in my docs seems like it is written  
>specifically for this purpose.
>

This is the code in the 12/21/91 release and derivatives (PA0GRI, 
WG7J, etc).

>2 - Demand dial a line, ie when I try to send a packet through that  
>port, if the connection is down it dials.  If the connection should  
>be terminated (ie ma bell gives up or the other side times out), my  
>side does nothing unless another packet is sent.  I was also thinking  
>another that a timeout on my end would be nice, ie set a maximum time  
>that my end will keep the connection going in the absence of traffic.
>

Phil has done the above.  According to his last post, the latest
code is split into up, down, and ring scripts so he can share
his modem line with his autoswitch fax!

>Another question:  What is the difference between the current KA9Q  
>release of NOS and the version maintained by PA0GRI?
>

PA0GRI added several usablity features and started mailbox enhancements.
WG7J took that code and turned it into something close to a full service
bbs, fixing forwarding, starting finger, etc).  WG7J is at least at version
1.07b.

>Re: finger and fingerd
>I am having a problem with finger where I can finger the NOS box from  
>my unix box, and get the system info and a list of all 'users' ie  
>files in /nos/cfg/finger (on my system \nos\cfg is passed to  
>net.exe).  However, when I try to finger a particular user it says  
>'user not known'.  I was wondering if I am doing something really  
>dumb.  I also have those same users listed in my ftpusers file.
>
does the file have a .txt extension?

>In the source I have, you cannot finger someone on your own machine.   
>I was wondering if there is any reason why one couldn't modify finger  
>to assume the local hostname where none is supplied.  

No, you can connect to a local socket.   For it to work without a
domain.txt for the hostname, use the loopback address (127.0.0.1).

>
>Thanks and 73, 
>
>
>Ben KB2ERP

Your welcome,

Milton Miller
KB5TKF
miltonm@inetnode.austin.ibm.com

"These statements are made by my self and not IBM.  They may or may not
reflect the views of IBM."