mirror of https://github.com/aredn/aredn.git
795 lines
36 KiB
HTML
795 lines
36 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
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<html>
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<head>
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<title>AREDN™ Node Help</title>
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<meta http-equiv='expires' content='0'>
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<meta http-equiv='cache-control' content='no-cache'>
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<meta http-equiv='pragma' content='no-cache'>
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<link rel=StyleSheet href='/style.css' type='text/css'>
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</head>
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<body>
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Table of Contents:
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<ul>
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<li><a href='#status'>Status Page</a></li>
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<li>Setup</li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href='#setup'>Basic Setup</a></li>
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<li><a href='#lanmode'>LAN Mode</a></li>
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<li><a href='#ports'>Port Forwarding, DHCP, and Services</a></li>
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<li><a href='#admin'>Administration</a></li>
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</ul>
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<li><a href='#appendix'>Appendix</a></li>
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<ul><li><a href='#failsafe'>Failsafe Mode</a></li></ul>
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<ul><li><a href='#tftp'>Installing firmware with tftp</a></li></ul>
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</ul>
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<hr>
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Please take note:
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<ul>
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<li>Javascript and page redirection must be enabled in your browser for the
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web interface to work.<br><br></li>
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<li>Some operations can take several seconds, or even longer, to
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complete. There is currently no feedback while the node is working on your
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request. Be patient and wait for the web interface to respond before trying
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to click other buttons.<br><br></li>
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<li>Avoid the use of your browser's back, forward, and reload buttons. Every
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page has navigation controls to take you where you want to go.<br><br></li>
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<li>The various pages of the web interface are intended to be used by only one
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person at a time. This is especially important on the setup pages where
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using them from multiple browsers or multiple computers at the same time
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will almost certainly cause problems. Viewing different pages at the same
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time should not cause any conflicts.</li>
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</ul>
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<hr>
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<a name=status><h2>Status Page</h2></a>
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<p>
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This is the first page you will see when
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accessing <b>http://localnode:8080/</b> or <b>http://your-node-name:8080/</b>.
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The top bar displays the node name and also a tactical name if one has been
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assigned. For more about tactical names see the <a href='#setup'>Basic Setup</a>
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section.
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</p>
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<p>
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Below the name bar there will be a few control buttons. Some of these
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buttons may not be available depending on the current configuration:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Refresh</strong> will update the page with current data.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Mesh Status</strong> takes you to a page which shows what
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Neighbor nodes and Remote nodes are visible as well as what services are being
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provided through those nodes.
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<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>OLSR Status</strong> takes you to the web pages that OLSR itself
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provides which gives you detailed information about the current state of the
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OLSR routing software.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>WiFi Scan</strong> provides a list of the WiFi networks that the
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node can see. It cannot show you which other nodes are visible, that is what the
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Mesh Status and OLSR Status pages are for. There is an automatic scan mode but it
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is recommended that it not be used continuously because the mesh performance
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will suffer due to the node spending much of its time on other channels
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looking for other networks.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Setup</strong> takes you to the setup pages of the web
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interface. You will need to supply a username and password to access those
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pages. The username is always "root", and the password is the one you set on
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the Basic Setup page. If the node has not yet been configured, the password is
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"hsmm". Note that the password given to log in to the setup pages is encrypted
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in transit, so this is safe to do over a wireless connection.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Select Theme</strong> switches display themes/styles. Black on white was chosen because it provides the best screen visibility on a laptop exposed to direct sunlight. Red on black is much
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better suited for night time use as it helps preserve night vision.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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<br>The left column contains the details of the network interfaces used on
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this node, the default gateway if one is available, and the IP address and
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name (if known) of the device accessing this page.
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</p>
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<p>
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The right column contains the signal strength reading and other attributes of
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your node. The <b>Signal/Noise/Ratio</b> is a reading of the WiFi signal
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strength in dBm, and it is available only when the node is in a Mesh or Client
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configuration. The <strong>Auto</strong> button will take you to an
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automatically refreshing display of the current signal strength and an average
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of the last 20 readings. This is provided as an aid to assist in antenna
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aiming. It is of no use until another node is visible, so it is best used a a
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fine-tuning tool. Also, this reading is of little use if your node can
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directly see more than one other node. In this case you should temporarily
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change the wireless SSID of the two nodes you are aiming antennas for so that
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the other visible nodes will be excluded from this reading. Just remember to
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change the SSID back when you are finished. Note that the
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use of the <b>Auto</b> feature will negatively impact the mesh performance of
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the node it is running on so it is best used for short periods of time while
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aiming an antenna. For the best results it should be accessed from the LAN
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side of your local node. Running this page on a remote node will be less
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responsive due to the mesh performance degradation.
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</p>
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<p>
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The <b>system time</b> is kept in UTC and begins at midnight on Jan
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1, 2000. There is no internal battery or real time clock so the time will
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reset every time the node is booted. If an internet connection becomes
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available the internal NTP (network time protocol) client will connect with an
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internet time server and the time will be kept in sync with atomic time for as
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long as the internet connection is available.
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</p>
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<p>
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The <b>uptime</b> shows how long the node has been running since its last
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boot, and the <b>load average</b> is the average number of processes that have
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been running for the last 1, 5, and 15 minutes. The load average will
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typically be less than 1 for each time slot.
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</p>
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<p>
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<b>Free space</b> tells you how much space is available on local storage
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devices. Flash is the internal non-volatile storage where the operating
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system, configuration files, and software packages are kept. /tmp is a
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filesystem in RAM that stores the current state information and various
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temporary files. Memory is the amount of RAM available for running processes.
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</p>
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<br><br><hr>
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<a name=setup><h2>Basic Setup</h2></a>
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<p>
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This is where the basic networking settings are made for the node. Because of
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the way AREDN™ is designed you generally will not need to change any of the
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settings on this page other than the node name/type and password.
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<u>Do not change any of the network settings unless you fully understand how
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the mesh works and why the default is not suitable for your application.</u>
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One reason AREDN™ exists is to eliminate, as much as possible, the need to
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manually configure the network.
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</p>
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<p>
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The buttons on this page work as follows:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Save Change
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s</strong> will check the validity of all the
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entered information and save it to flash memory if no errors are found. A
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reboot is required to make most changes on this page take effect, and should
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be done as soon as possible to avoid configuration mismatch problems.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Reset Values</strong> will reload the current settings from
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flash memory and undo any changes that have been made.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Default Values</strong> will set all values to their default
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values except the Node Name and Password. These default values are not saved
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until Save Changes is clicked.<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Reboot</strong> will immediately reboot the node.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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<br>
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<strong>Node Name</strong> sets the hostname for the node. Hostnames can
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contain up to 63 letters, numbers, and dashes, but cannot begin or end with a
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dash. Underscores, spaces, or any other characters are not allowed.
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Hostnames are not case sensitive, but the case will be preserved.
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</p>
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<p>
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As ham radio operators there are other requirements we must follow,
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namely identification of all transmitting stations. This hostname is beaconed
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automatically by the node every five minutes, so the hostname must contain
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your callsign. Recommended hostnames follow the (callsign)-(name) format, such
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as ad5oo-mobile or ad5oo-1. This is similar to the MYCALL setting you would
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give a packet TNC, but without the 0-15 restriction for the name part.
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</p>
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<p>
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It is here that you can also set a tactical name for your node. A tactical
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name is just another name that your node is known by. If you are familiar with
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DNS records, this serves a purpose similar to a CNAME record. This is helpful
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in an emergency deployment situation where if for example several Red Cross
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shelters are being linked. In addition to the normal hostname you can give
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each node a tactical name such as shelter1, shelter2, shelter-north,
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etc. Tactical names have the same restrictions as hostnames, and are
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accessible through DNS like the main node names are.
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</p>
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<p>
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To set a tactical name, put a slash after the the node name then give
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the tactical name. For example, "ad5oo-1/shelter5".
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</p>
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<p><br>
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<strong>Node Type</strong> sets the operational mode of the device as follows:
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Mesh Node</strong><br>
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This is the main mode of the router, and the reason this firmware is running
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in the first place. The WiFi interfaces of multiple nodes form a mesh
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network, the LAN interfaces provide access to that mesh to other devices, and
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the WAN interface provides outbound network access, typically to the internet.
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<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Mesh Access Point</strong><br>
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In this mode the device is pre-configured to act as an access point providing
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standard wireless access to the LAN side of another mesh node. This is to be
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used on a second router whose LAN port is connected with the LAN port of a
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mesh node. It is a simple mode but there are special considerations,
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especially when you want to get out of this mode. See the section at the end
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called <a href='#meshap'>Mesh Access Point considerations</a> for details.
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<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Standard Access Point</strong><br>
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In this mode the device acts like any other standard access point, although
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with fewer configuration options. It is provided mainly as a convenience if
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you need a basic access point. If you need a full featured access point,
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consider using either a stock router or one running conventional access point
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firmware.
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<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Wireless Client</strong><br>
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This mode allows you to connect a wired network interface to a wireless
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network. The WiFi interface acts as a client to a separate access point, and
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the LAN provides access to the wired device. This mode does not provide a
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wireless bridge, instead it uses NAT and is routed.
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<br><br></li>
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<li><strong>Wired Router</strong><br>
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In this mode the WiFi is disabled and the LAN and WAN ports have their usual
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roles. This is "just a router" with no wireless functions.
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<br><br></li>
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</ul>
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>Node Type</strong> sets the operational mode of the node. For
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our purposes it will be set to Mesh Node, but if needed it can also be set to
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one of the other modes, to be described at a later time.
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</p>
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<p>
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The one mode I will mention is called Mesh Access Point. It is a
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configuration meant to be used to give standard wireless access to the LAN
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port of a mesh node. This is to be used on a second router whose LAN port is
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connected with the LAN port of a mesh node. When running a router in this mode
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it does not use OLSR and as a result its hostname is not available to the
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mesh. It can be accessed from the LAN by its IP address which by default is
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172.27.0.2. Like the name "localnode", an automatically generated name exists
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called "localap" which is set to the localnode address plus one, but only when
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the node is operating in the default NAT mode.
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>Password</strong> is where you set the administration password
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for the node. It needs to be entered again in the Retype Password box to help
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ensure its accuracy. It is not necessary to enter a password unless you want
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to change its value, and the first time the node is configured it is required
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that you change the password. Note that these passwords entries are NOT
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encrypted in transit, so this is best done from a direct wired connection to
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the node.
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</p>
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<p>
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The <strong>WiFi</strong>, <strong>LAN</strong>,
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and <strong>WAN</strong> boxes are where the details of each of these network
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interfaces are set.
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</p>
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<p>
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In the <strong>WiFi</strong> box there are settings shown as being
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Active Settings. These settings can be changed without rebooting the node by
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clicking the <strong>Apply</strong> button, but unless they are saved they
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will revert to the previously saved values after a reboot.<br> <br>
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The <strong>Rx Antenna</strong> and <strong>Tx Antenna</strong> settings are
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named to match either the printed name on the antenna connector or in the
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case of units that have a built in antenna the names are for units mounted
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in its normal orientation.
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</p>
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<p>
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The <strong>Distance</strong> setting adjusts the packet retry timer
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to account for stations that are very far away, presumably about 300 meters or
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more. The value should be set to the distance in meters to the farthest node
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that you expect to communicate with. A value of 0 sets it to automatic, which
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may or may not be suitable for your application. The only way to know is to
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experiment with it. Changes smaller than 150 meters do not affect the
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settings, so the value entered here will be reduced to the smallest multiple
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of 150 that produces the same effect.
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</p>
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<p>
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The <strong>LAN</strong> box allows you to set the LAN IP Address
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of the node and the address range of the DHCP server, and these should be
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self explanatory. The <b>LAN Mode</b> is described in the next section.
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<!--
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, but the <strong>Mesh Bridge</strong> function will be described
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here. Given that AREDN™ is not restricted to the standard channels of the
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2.4GHz ISM band, it is possible that two nodes can be in range but not be able
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to communicate because they are using different radio parameters or are on an
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entirely different band. The Mesh Bridge function allows them to communicate.
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<br><br>
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<u>The use of this function requires central coordination. This is a
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specialized and rarely needed function. Improper use will cause network
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problems for everyone. Please contact us at aredn.org to receive a set of
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customized network parameters if you have a need to bridge your meshes.</u>
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-->
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</p>
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<p>
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The <strong>WAN</strong> box contains the settings used to
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connect with an upstream network, usually an internet connection. The DNS
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servers are set by default to the Google DNS servers and should not be changed
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under normal circumstances. More and more ISP's are adopting the "helpful"
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but <u>broken</u> behavior of taking you to an ISP generated web page if you
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incorrectly type in a URL or if the host you are trying to reach no longer
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exists. The proper behavior is for your browser to be able to detect these
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error conditions and report them accordingly. Google follows the rules and
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allows for the proper operation of the network.
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</p>
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<p>
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When the WAN protocol is set to disabled you have the option of using a
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default gateway on the LAN. Integrating an existing LAN with a mesh node LAN
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is an expert level undertaking and there are far too many considerations to be
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covered here.
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</p>
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<p>
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The other option in the WAN box is the <strong>Mesh Gateway</strong>.
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When a node has internet access from either the WAN or LAN, that access is
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available to the node itself and to any computer connected to the LAN port.
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When the Mesh Gateway is enabled, this node will advertise to the mesh that it
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has internet access and will act as a gateway and provide internet access to
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the rest of the mesh. By default it is disabled, so consider carefully your
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intentions for enabling it. AREDN™ is an FCC Part 97 amateur radio
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computer network, so be sure that any internet traffic that will be sent over
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radio will comply with Part 97 rules. If you just want local wireless
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internet access, consider using a standard Part 15 compliant access point
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instead of the Mesh Gateway function.
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</p>
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<p>
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<br>
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<a name=lanmode><b>LAN Mode</b></a>
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</p>
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<p>
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The default mode is called <b>5 Host Direct</b> mode and in this mode every host
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on the LAN has direct access to and from the mesh. The LAN shares the same
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address space as the mesh. Port forwarding is not needed because NAT is not
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used, and there is no firewall in between the LAN and the mesh. This mode was
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created because some services do not work well (or at all) through NAT, and to
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reduce the amount of manual configuration needed to provide services to the
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mesh.
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</p>
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<p>
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The mesh address space is automatically managed, so in Direct mode the LAN is not
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user configurable. Those of you familiar with setting up commercial ISP
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access with static IP addresses should already be comfortable with this mode.
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Like commercial ISP access, you cannot decide for yourself what the network
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parameters are. You have to use the parameters which are given to you. But
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unlike most commercial ISP access there is a DHCP server available on the mesh
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node to configure the hosts that are attached to the LAN.
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</p>
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<p>
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The only configurable option available in Direct mode is the size of the LAN subnet
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which can accommodate either 1, 5, or 13 LAN hosts. The one host subnet
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can be useful for either a single server or a commercial grade router using
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its own NAT which is capable of more advanced routing functions than those
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available from a mesh node.
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</p>
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<p>
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It is important to not use a subnet larger than is necessary because the
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chances of an IP address conflict on the mesh increase with the size of the
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subnet. The LAN subnet parameters are automatically generated and depend on
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the IP address of the WiFi interface. If a conflict does occur it can be
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fixed by changing the WiFi IP address.
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</p>
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<p>
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The other LAN Mode is NAT, which stands for Network Address Translation. In
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this mode the LAN is isolated from the mesh and all outgoing traffic has its
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source address modified to be the WiFi address of the mesh node. This is the
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same way that most routers use an internet connection, and all services
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provided by computers on the LAN can only be accessed through port forwarding
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rules. A single DMZ server can be set up to accept all incoming traffic that
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is not already handled by other rules or by the node itself.
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</p>
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<hr width=500>
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<a name='meshap'><h4>Mesh Access Point considerations</h4>
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|
<p>
|
|
|
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When a device is configured in Mesh Access Point mode it is essentially
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'transparent'. You are going <u>through</u> the device to reach a mesh node,
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and there is no need to get <u>to</u> the device unless you wish to change its
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configuration. When the time comes to reconfigure a device in this mode be
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aware that it is not running its own DHCP server because that is the job of
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the mesh node it is connected to. You will need some other way to configure
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your computer's network interface. There are two ways to do this:
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<ol>
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<li>Manual configuration<br> Connect only your computer to the LAN port. Set
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your IP address to 172.27.0.100 and your netmask to 255.255.255.0. No other
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settings are needed.<br><br>
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</li>
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<li>
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Automatic configuration<br> You will need another mesh node that is using NAT
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mode on its LAN, and using the default LAN IP address of 172.27.0.1. Both of
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these are required, otherwise this method will not work. Connect
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both your computer and the LAN of the Mesh Access Point to the LAN of the mesh
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node.
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</ol>
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In this mode the default IP address on the LAN port is 172.27.0.2. After one
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of the above steps you should be able to send your browser
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to <a href='http://172.27.0.2:8080/'>http://172.27.0.2:8080/</a>. If you used
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automatic configuration you should also be able to go
|
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to <a href='http://localap:8080/'>http://localap:8080/</a>. Like the name
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"localnode", an automatically generated name exists called "localap" which is
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set to the localnode address plus one, but only when the node LAN mode is set
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to NAT. If you changed the default IP address of a Mesh Access Point you will
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|
have to modify these instructions accordingly.
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|
</p>
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|
|
|
<br><br><hr>
|
|
<a name='ports'><h2>Port Forwarding, DHCP, and Services</h2></a>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The buttons on this page works as follows:
|
|
</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><strong>Save Changes</strong> will do a basic validation of the entered
|
|
data save it to flash memory if no errors are found. The settings take effect
|
|
in about 20 seconds and a reboot is NOT required. Note that the checks
|
|
performed are not comprehensive and it is possible to use settings that at
|
|
best will not work and at worst will break the node's configuration.
|
|
<br><br></li>
|
|
<li><strong>Reset Values</strong> will reload the current settings from
|
|
flash memory and undo any changes that have been made.
|
|
<br><br></li>
|
|
<li><strong>Refresh</strong> will reload the page and it is useful for two things.
|
|
It will update the list of DHCP leases for any new hosts that have been
|
|
configured on the LAN, and it will also validate the settings entered on the
|
|
page and incorporate changed settings that may affect other settings. You
|
|
should do this before saving the changes to make sure everything is set up as
|
|
intended.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p><br> The way this page works depends on whether the LAN is operating in NAT
|
|
mode or Direct mode. First we will cover NAT mode, where hosts on the LAN are
|
|
insulated by a firewall and NAT from both the WiFi and WAN interfaces. This
|
|
makes them inaccessible from either of these interfaces unless Port Forwarding
|
|
is set up. Here are some common ports:
|
|
</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>20 ftp-data </li>
|
|
<li>21 ftp - file transfer protocol </li>
|
|
<li>22 ssh - secure shell </li>
|
|
<li>23 telnet </li>
|
|
<li>25 smtp - simple mail transport protocol </li>
|
|
<li>53 dns - domain name service </li>
|
|
<li>80 http - hypertext transport protocol </li>
|
|
<li>123 ntp - network time protocol </li>
|
|
<li>698 olsr - optimized link state routing </li>
|
|
<li>1978 olsr http - olsr's web interface </li>
|
|
<li>2222 node ssh server</li>
|
|
<li>8080 node web server</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>
|
|
So then what is port forwarding? Port forwarding is taking an inbound
|
|
connection to a port from the WiFi or WAN interface and forwarding it to an IP
|
|
address on the LAN. The port number need not be the same. If you have hosts on
|
|
the LAN that provide services you want to make available to the mesh all it
|
|
takes is a Port Forwarding rule to make that happen.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you want to forward a range of ports, the <strong>Outside Port</strong>
|
|
will accept a range in the form "2000-3000". Use a hyphen to separate the low
|
|
and high values. When doing this, set the <strong>Inside Port</strong> to the
|
|
low value of the port range. When forwarding a port range the outside and
|
|
inside ports must be the same, moving them will not work.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you want to forward every port that is not already in use to a
|
|
single computer on the LAN, choose that computer's IP Address from
|
|
the <strong>DMZ Server</strong> selector. There can be only one DMZ Server. Be
|
|
aware that this bypasses the firewall in the node, so this computer should be
|
|
running its own firewall to prevent unauthorized access.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<i>Example</i>:
|
|
<br><br> On the LAN of a mesh node called ad5oo-mobile is an IP camera that is
|
|
running its own web server. The address of that camera is 172.27.0.240. I want
|
|
to make that camera available to everyone on the mesh so I set up a port
|
|
forwarding rule on the WiFi interface whose outside port is 8100, IP address
|
|
is 172.27.0.240, and inside port is 80. This takes all connections to port
|
|
8100 on ad5oo-mobile and redirects them to port 80 on 172.27.0.240. In a web
|
|
browser on a computer connected to a different node you would go to
|
|
http://ad5oo-mobile:8100 and would be connected to the IP camera.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Note that port forwarding to an FTP server, which uses both ports 20 and 21,
|
|
can be done with a single rule using port 21 if the ftp client is capable of
|
|
using passive ftp mode. Web browsers are able to do this and handle ftp
|
|
downloads quite nicely.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<strong>Advertised Services</strong>
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
When you want to let others know about services you are providing, the
|
|
Advertised Services will appear on the Mesh Status page of all other nodes on
|
|
the mesh. All advertised services need a name, and no services can be
|
|
advertised until at least one port forwarding rule or a DMZ server has been
|
|
defined.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If the service is one that is accessible through a web browser, such as a web
|
|
or ftp server, you can make the name appear as a clickable link by checking
|
|
the Link box. All links need two parameters: a protocol and a port number.
|
|
Web servers use the http protocol and ftp servers use the ftp protocol. Other
|
|
servers may use other protocols. The port number should be the one used as
|
|
the Outside Port in the forwarding rule through which the service can be
|
|
accessed. In the last field you can enter an optional link suffix to give the
|
|
link a more specific path if needed, such as the name of a specific page on a
|
|
web server, or a directory or file on an ftp server.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<strong>DHCP Reservations</strong>
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you are providing services to the mesh from hosts on the LAN you will want
|
|
to either override or make permanent the automatically assigned IP address for
|
|
that host. The DHCP Reservations section is where you do that. In order for
|
|
port forwarding to work, the IP address must match that of the host being
|
|
forwarded to. If it is currently attached and has been set up by DHCP it will
|
|
be listed under <b>Current DHCP Leases</b>. If you click the <b>Add</b> button
|
|
next to the lease it will be added to the DHCP Reservations list. You can
|
|
leave the information as it is or edit it to suit your needs. You can also
|
|
enter your own information into the blank slots under DHCP Reservations and
|
|
click <strong>Add</strong> to create your own entry.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
For each of the sections on this page, simply entering information into the
|
|
fields next to the <b>Add</b> buttons is not enough. The settings are not
|
|
entered until the <b>Add</b> button is clicked. Before saving changes the Add
|
|
fields must be either added or cleared.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<b>Direct Mode Operation</b>
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
When the LAN is operating in Direct mode both this page and the mesh work a
|
|
little differently. Since in Direct mode the LAN hosts are accessed directly
|
|
from the mesh and no port forwarding is involved, the advertised services are
|
|
based upon which LAN hosts exist, and this is determined by the DHCP Address
|
|
Reservations that are defined. After the DHCP Reservations have been made,
|
|
services can be advertised in the same way as before with the additional
|
|
requirement of selecting the name of the host that is providing the service.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Another difference in Direct mode is that the hostnames used in DHCP
|
|
Reservations are also advertised to the mesh and therefore <u>must be
|
|
unique</u> on the mesh. So, "webserver" would be perfectly suitable for a
|
|
service name, but a very poor choice for a hostname because there can be only
|
|
one host with this name on the entire mesh. Just as you used your callsign in
|
|
the hostname for the node, it would also be a good idea to use it in DHCP
|
|
Reservation hostnames. Therefore, <nobr>"ad5oo-webserver"</nobr> is a good
|
|
choice of hostname as it is unique and only the callsign holder needs to keep
|
|
track of the hostnames he has assigned himself.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The hostnames being discussed here are those that are defined in the DHCP
|
|
Reservations and available to the mesh, not those that the LAN hosts call
|
|
themselves. While it can be convenient for them to be the same, there is no
|
|
reason that they must be. For example, the
|
|
name <nobr>"ad5oo-webserver"</nobr> used above can be the name on the mesh for
|
|
a host that calls itself "skywalker". But be aware that if this host is in
|
|
fact a webserver, the webserver configuration should use the
|
|
name <nobr>"ad5oo-webserver"</nobr> because the name "skywalker" will not be
|
|
known on the mesh and any pages the webserver generates itself such as error
|
|
pages may use the "skywalker" name.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
There are two considerations to keep in mind regarding the size of the subnet
|
|
chosen for the LAN. First, when using a one host subnet, the DHCP Reservation
|
|
used for that single host will prevent any other host from receiving a DHCP
|
|
lease. So if for some reason the original host is not connected to the LAN
|
|
and you need to get back in to the node to reconfigure it, the easiest way is
|
|
to access it from a different node on the mesh.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Second, if the node is already in Direct mode and you intend to reduce the
|
|
size of the LAN subnet, you should first remove the DHCP Reservations that
|
|
will fall outside of the address range of the smaller subnet. Note that the
|
|
automatically assigned network address will change if the subnet size is
|
|
changed, and that internally the DHCP Reservations are stored as offsets from
|
|
the network address, so address reservations which fall within the new subnet
|
|
size will be translated into the new subnet address space.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<br><br><hr>
|
|
<a name=admin><h2>Administration</h2></a>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<strong>Firmware Update</strong> is how new firmware is installed on the node.
|
|
If you have a firmware image on your computer, click
|
|
the <strong>Browse</strong> button and select the firmware file to upload.
|
|
Click <strong>Upload</strong> and the file will be uploaded and installed. If
|
|
the node has internet access (either from the WAN port or from the mesh) you
|
|
can use the <strong>Download Firmware</strong> option.
|
|
Click <strong>Refresh</strong> to get the list of available images. Select
|
|
the image to download, click <strong>Download</strong>, and wait for the
|
|
firmware to download and be installed.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
A new feature in the 0.4.0 firmware is the ability to install firmware
|
|
patches. This means that updated files can be installed directly on the node
|
|
without having to replace the entire firmware. Except in cases where the
|
|
patch contains updated configuration files, patches can be installed while
|
|
preserving the existing node configuration. However, certain patches will
|
|
require that the node be rebooted to take effect, and this will happen
|
|
automatically when it is needed.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<strong>Package Management</strong> allows you to install and remove
|
|
software packages on the node. <strong>Upload Package</strong> allows you to
|
|
install a package file from your computer. <strong>Download Package</strong>
|
|
allows you do retrieve a package over the internet from the AREDN™ website.
|
|
Clicking <strong>Refresh</strong> will populate the list of packages available
|
|
for download, but don't do this frivolously. The package information database
|
|
gets stored locally and will use about 100KB of space in flash memory. The
|
|
average user will probably never have to use this function.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The <strong>Remove Package</strong> list shows all packages on the
|
|
node. Selecting a package and clicking <strong>Remove</strong> will remove
|
|
the package. You will only be able to remove packages that you have
|
|
installed. All installed packages are shown but the set that comes
|
|
pre-installed is necessary for proper operation of the node and they cannot be
|
|
deleted.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
<strong>Authorized SSH Keys</strong> are useful for both developers
|
|
and anyone managing a "fleet" of nodes. It allows connecting to a node via ssh
|
|
without having to know the password. For developers, it also allows you to
|
|
easily scp an updated file to the node without having to reinstall the
|
|
firmware.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
To generate a key on a Linux system, issue the command
|
|
"<strong>ssh-keygen -t rsa</strong>" and hit enter at all the prompts to
|
|
accept the defaults. It creates a file
|
|
called <strong>~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub</strong>, which is the file you upload to
|
|
install the key on the node. If you want to remove a key just select it and
|
|
click the <strong>Remove</strong> button.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
For fleet managers, having an authorized key installed is the best way gain
|
|
access to a node for which you do not know the password. If you want to set
|
|
the password to "abc", simply ssh to the node and run "<strong>setpasswd
|
|
abc</strong>", then reboot. If you don't have an authorized key installed,
|
|
the only way in is to use <a href='#failsafe'>Failsafe Mode</a> as described
|
|
in the appendix.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr><a name='appendix'><h2>Appendix</h2></a><hr>
|
|
|
|
<a name='failsafe'><h3>Failsafe Mode</h3></a>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Failsafe Mode is a method of booting a node into a minimal configuration which
|
|
allows you to log in and undo a change that may have broken the node or to
|
|
change a forgotten password without having an authorized ssh key in
|
|
place. Since fixing a node is an advanced topic suitable only for experts,
|
|
here I will just cover how to change a password.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
How to use failsafe mode:
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>connect your computer the the LAN port of the node</li>
|
|
<li>use a static IP address of 192.168.1.2 and netmask 255.255.255.0<br>
|
|
(default gateway and DNS are not necessary)</li>
|
|
<li>apply power to the node</li>
|
|
<li>just after the DMZ LED illuminates, hold the reset button until DMZ starts blinking</li>
|
|
<li>at a command prompt run "<b>telnet 192.168.1.1</b>"</li>
|
|
<li>you should now have a prompt that looks like "root@(none)$"</li>
|
|
<ul><li>if not, you are not in safe mode and something went wrong along the way, so stop here and start over</li></ul>
|
|
<li>type "<b>mount_root</b>"</li>
|
|
<li>type "<b>setpasswd abc</b>"</li>
|
|
<ul><li>replace abc with the password you want to use</li></ul>
|
|
<li>type "<b>exit</b>"</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
Now power cycle the node and it should accept your new password.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If the device has a reset button you may instead press and hold the reset
|
|
button for 15 seconds which will cause the unit to behave as if it had
|
|
just been flashed with the AREDN™ firmware.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
You would need to go through the node settings again just as if it was
|
|
the first time installing the AREDN™ firmware on the node.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<br><hr width=500><br>
|
|
<a name='tftp'><h3>Installing firmware with tftp</h3></a>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Your router is a brick. It does not come up normally and you are not able to
|
|
log in by any method. All is not lost, read on to see how to use the built in
|
|
failsafe method of installing firmware. If this method does not work, you
|
|
will have to resort to a JTAG install. Good luck with that. See
|
|
www.openwrt.org for information on the JTAG method.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The CFE (Common Firmware Environment - the bootloader) has the ability to
|
|
receive a firmware image using tftp (the trivial file transfer protocol) and
|
|
write it to flash. When the nvram variable boot_wait is set to on, (as it will
|
|
be after the mesh firmware is installed at least once) there is a three second
|
|
window where it listens for tftp packets. If it hears them, it will load the
|
|
firmware into ram, write it to flash, then reboot. If the CFE detects some
|
|
problem with the firmware already on the flash (such as an interrupted flash
|
|
write) and is unable to boot, it should wait indefinitely for a tftp
|
|
transfer. At this point I'm not sure what the CFE behavior is when boot_wait
|
|
is set to off. I believe it still listens for tftp packets, but the window of
|
|
opportunity is one second or less.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Here is a Linux script you can use to send tftp attempts to 192.168.1.1 once
|
|
every second for an hour or until the upload succeeds. It sets the tftp trace
|
|
mode so that you can see every attempt and also see when the transfer has
|
|
happened and whether or not it succeeded.
|
|
|
|
<pre>
|
|
#!/bin/sh
|
|
|
|
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
|
|
echo "usage: $0 <image file>"
|
|
exit 1
|
|
fi
|
|
|
|
file=$1
|
|
cd `dirname $file`
|
|
|
|
tftp 192.168.1.1 << END
|
|
bin
|
|
rexmt 1
|
|
trace on
|
|
timeout 3600
|
|
put `basename $file` code.bin
|
|
END
|
|
</pre>
|
|
<p>
|
|
To reflash a device with this script, you will need to have your computer's
|
|
ethernet port connected to the LAN port on the router, with the IP address
|
|
statically set to 192.168.1.2, netmask 255.255.255.0. Run the script with the
|
|
image name as an argument. The .trx file will not work here, you need the .bin
|
|
file specific to your model of router.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Once per second you will see messages like this:
|
|
</p>
|
|
<pre>sent WRQ</pre>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Now power cycle the router. If the above messages continue and the router
|
|
continues to boot, it missed the window. This is not unusual. Power cycle the
|
|
router again and repeat the process until you see messages like this:
|
|
<pre>
|
|
sent DATA
|
|
received ACK
|
|
sent DATA
|
|
received ACK
|
|
</pre>
|
|
After that the flash write begins, then the router will reboot.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
During this process one thing that may get in the way is network management
|
|
software that many modern operating systems use to automatically control your
|
|
ethernet port. It becomes a problem when power cycling the router causes the
|
|
network manager to enable and disable the ethernet port because it sees the
|
|
connection disappearing and reappearing.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
One way around this is to disable the network manager and take manual control
|
|
of your network interfaces if you are able to do that. Otherwise it can be
|
|
avoided by using another ethernet switch which both your computer and the
|
|
router receiving the firmware are connected to. You should be able to use the
|
|
LAN switch on the back of another mesh node if a separate switch is not
|
|
available.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|