                   USER GUIDE FOR TheNet X-1J
        
This  brief  note  is  intended for users  of  TheNet  X-1J,  and 
explains the basic commands. Configuration and sysop features are 
not covered fully.

TheNet X-1J is an extension of TheNet 1, and provides a number of 
new features.

The switch provides the following user commands :

                  Connect
                  Info
                  Nodes
                  Routes
                  Users
                  Talk
                  CQ
                  BBS
                  Host
                  MHeard
                  Bye
                  DXcluster
                  IProute
                  ARP
                  QUIT
                  ADC
        
Not  all  commands  may be available on  every  node  as  certain 
commands might have been disabled. If a command has been enabled, 
it  will  be displayed when you type an invalid command  such  as 
'?'. In  addition, there are some commands that are available but 
are not usually displayed. The main ones of interest are :

                  Links
                  Mode
                  Parms
                  Stats
                  IPAddress
                  DXCAlias
                  BBSAlias
                  HostAlias
                  MTU
        
The Sysop may have customised the command list according to local 
needs.

In  general, commands take parameters, for example to connect  to 
GB7MXM,  the command to be entered is CONNECT GB7MXM followed  by 
return. Usually, commands are not case sensitive, ( although node 
aliases may be ) and commands may be abbreviated.

Connect
        
     If  the connect command is given on its own,  then  assuming 
     that  the  sysop  has  set it up  correctly,  you  will  get 
     connected to the local BBS.
     
     If you give another callsign, either of a local station or a 
     node,  the node will attempt to connect you to that  station 
     either by a level 4 connection or by downlinking. If you are 
     downlinking, you may also specify digipeaters.
     
     In  either  case, you get either a connected  message  or  a 
     message telling you of the failure to connect. If you  enter 
     any other command at this stage, the connection attempt will 
     be aborted.
     
     If  you attempt to downlink with digipeating, or attempt  to 
     downlink to an invalid callsign such as a node alias with an 
     SSID,  you  may get an error message depending  on  how  the 
     Sysop has configured the node.
     
     Finally, if you connect to the node, then connect to another 
     station, and that station disconnects you ( e.g. connect  to 
     a  BBS  and  use the 'Bye' command of the BBS  ),  you  will 
     either   get  reconnected  to  the  node   or   disconnected 
     completely depending on the configuration of the node.
     
     If you enter a node alias and get an 'invalid call' message, 
     it  can either be because the node is not recognised  or  it 
     can  be  because  the  Sysop  has  made  node  aliases  case 
     sensitive.
     
Info 

     This   command  gives  information  about  the  node  as   a 
     combination  of a message stored in the EPROM and a  message 
     entered by the Sysop.
        
Nodes
        
     This command gives information about the distant nodes  that 
     this node thinks it can get to. With no parameter, it  shows 
     the alias and callsign of all the nodes except those staring 
     with a '#' character. If a parameter of '*' is given,  those 
     'hidden' nodes will also be shown.
     
     If a callsign or alias is given that the node does not know, 
     it  gives  an error message. If the callsign or alias  of  a 
     known node is given, the node gives details of the routes it 
     knows about that lead to that destination. The display shows 
     one  option  per line, each of which consists  of  the  path 
     quality,  obsolescence  count  and  port  followed  by   the 
     callsign of the neighbour. If any route is in use, a chevron 
     is shown against the appropriate entry.
     
     If  so  configured by the Sysop, 'Slime trails'  i.e.  nodes 
     without  aliases that have not been the subject of  a  valid 
     node broadcast, may be omitted from the nodes list.
        
Routes
        
     This command gives information about the neighbouring  nodes 
     that can be heard. For each neighbour, the display shows the 
     port  number, the callsign, the path quality and the  number 
     of  nodes accessible through this neighbour. If a route  has 
     been  'locked' by the sysop, then a '!'  character is  shown 
     after  an entry. The sysop may have configured the  node  to 
     display  nodes  as  callsign or  as  alias:callsign.  If  so 
     configured,  then if a node is shown as a callsign alone  it 
     means  that  is  it  not currently  reachable  as  its  node 
     broadcasts are not being received.
        
Users
        
     This  shows  who is using the node. It does not  show  other 
     nodes  that are using the node as a level 3 relay, nor  does 
     it  show  those  users who have connected to  the  node  but 
     otherwise have done nothing.
     
     The display shows the through connections, followed by those 
     users  who are connected to the switch and 'idle'.  It  also 
     shows  those  users who are connected  to  the  conferencing 
     facility.  The  latter  stations are shown  connected  to  a 
     destination   called   'Talk',  whilst  in   the   case   of 
     connections,  the two endpoints are shown. For  connections, 
     two symbols are used, '<-->' and '<..>'. The former is  used 
     for  established connections whilst the latter is  used  for 
     connections being established.
     
Talk
        
     The  Talk  command  allows  a  group  of  users  to  hold  a 
     conference call. It also allows a user to send a message  to 
     another user of the node provided that user is connected  to 
     the switch but is not patched through to another station and 
     is not currently trying to connect to another station.
     
     A  user enters the conference by giving the command  'talk'. 
     He/she  gets a message informing them of this and  reminding 
     them  that  the command to escape from the talk  command  is 
     '/exit'.  Any other users currently in the conference get  a 
     message  from the node telling them of the callsign  of  the 
     user who has joined them. At this point, every line sent  by 
     a user in the conference is copied to all other users in the 
     conference, preceded by their callsign.
     
     To  exit from the conference, the command '/exit'  is  used. 
     This  causes a response message to be sent to the user,  and 
     at  the same time all of those left in the conference get  a 
     message  from the node telling them of the station  who  has 
     left  the conference. If you force a disconnect,  the  other 
     stations are not told of your departure.
     
     A string of text may be entered on the same line as the talk 
     command  when the command is given. If this is done,  before 
     the user is connected to the conference, that string of text 
     is sent to all the other users of the node who appear in the 
     'user'  list  but are not connected to  anything  else.  For 
     example if GxABC were to type :
     
          TALK GyXYZ, Hello fred can I have a chat - type TALK

     then  other users of the node ( including  presumably  Fred, 
     would get the message :
        
          GxABC>> GyXYZ. Hello fred can I have a chat - type TALK

     on their screens. The only exception to this is that  sysops 
     are not sent the message.
     
     Note that the TALK command will pass 8 bit data if set to by 
     the Sysop.
        
CQ
        
     This command is used to broadcast a CQ message. In addition, 
     the  fact that you are calling CQ is indicated in  the  USER 
     list.  The callsign will be your own with a different  SSID, 
     and  anyone  else can connect to you by  connecting  to  the 
     callsign with the appropriate SSID.
     
     The  CQ  remains  'primed' for a while,  and  if  any  other 
     command is given to the node the CQ will be cancelled.
        
BBS
        
     When you issue the BBS command, assuming that the sysop  has 
     configured it, you will be connected to the local BBS.
     
     If  you enter the command 'BBS ?', then the current  setting 
     of the BBS will be displayed.
        
Host
        
     The HOST command operates just like the BBS command. It  may 
     have  been  disabled by the sysop, it may have been  set  to 
     connect to the same station as the BBS, or it may have  been 
     set to connect to another host system.
     
     If you enter the command 'HOST ?', then the current  setting 
     of the HOST will be displayed. 

MHeard
        
     If  enabled,  the  heard list shows the  last  few  stations 
     heard. The number of entries is limited and set by the sysop 
     so any stations not heard for a while may get pushed out  of 
     the  list  by others heard. Assuming that a station  is  not 
     pushed  out in this manner, the display shows the number  of 
     packets  heard  from that station since it appeared  in  the 
     list  and  the  time since it was last heard.  The  time  is 
     hours, minutes and seconds. The list also shows the port  on 
     which  the station was heard ( port 0 is the radio  port  ), 
     and if it hears IP frames or Net/Rom frames, it adds a  note 
     to show that the station is a node and/or a TCP/IP station.
     
     If  the list is long enough so that a station is  not  heard 
     for 12 hours, it will get deleted anyway.
     
     The  list  may also show a column headed 'Dev.'.  This  will 
     only  be  present where the sysop has added to  the  node  a 
     small hardware board that measures the received signal audio 
     level.  Specifically,  it gives an indication  of  the  peak 
     audio  level. By means of a software  configuration  control 
     and   prior  calibration,  this  gets  converted   into   an 
     indication  of the transmitting station's signal  deviation. 
     It  does this by sampling the audio level after every  valid 
     packet.
     
     Care  must  be taken over its interpretation.  It  does  not 
     measure  independently the two tone levels - it  is  assumed 
     that whatever local standards that relate to pre-emphasis  ( 
     i.e. use it or not ) have been implemented.
     
     Often,  packet  stations  are set up, and  the  audio  level 
     tweaked until it appears to work reasonably error free.  The 
     idea  of  this add-on is that, having done  that,  you  then 
     connect  to  the node and display the heard list to  see  an 
     indication  of  your actual deviation. It may then  be  fine 
     tuned  to set it correctly. Local advice must be taken  over 
     the  correct  setting as it depends on the  channel  spacing 
     being used ( e.g. 12.5, 25 or other KHz ).
     
     The  meter  will  give the wrong  answer  on  the  following 
     conditions :
     
       
            A badly distorted audio signal
            Badly off frequency
            Incorrect adherence to local pre-emphasis standards
            A noisy signal
        
     If  you connect, then correct your deviation to the  correct 
     display then find performance has deteriorated, it indicates 
     one of the above problems. It is not that the meter  doesn't 
     work, it is an indication of a fault elsewhere.
     
     It  is in your own interest for those around you to use  the 
     correct  deviation.  The  list also allows you  to  see  the 
     deviation of others - so apply peer pressure if someone over 
     or  under deviates. Remember it is NOT a case of the  higher 
     or the lower the better - it is having the setting RIGHT.
     
     The system may also be used to migrate users towards a lower 
     deviation in advance of moving to narrower channel spacing.
     
     The  heard list may also show received signal  strength.  It 
     shows  how  strong  each station is  at  the  receiver.  The 
     display will either be in dBm format or in the familiar  'S1 
     to  S9' format ( or 'S9+' for big signals ).  To  understand 
     this  properly  will need some guidance from the  sysop.  By 
     looking at the METER parameters you can find the noise floor 
     in  dBm, and if the display is in dBm can subtract one  from 
     the other to find out how much stronger your signal is  than 
     it  needs to be. How accurate this is depends on  the  radio 
     and  its calibration. It could be as close as +- 1 dB or  it 
     could be wildly wrong.
     
Links
        
     The LINKS command shows the level 2 connections to the node. 
     This  is  usually  of academic interest, but  I  use  it  in 
     testing. The display shows the links, one per line, with the 
     two  callsigns,  the  link state, the port  number  and  the 
     current number of retries.
        
Mode
        
     The MODE command is a bit like the PARMS command. It shows a 
     number  of  additional parameters. These are as  follows  as 
     shown by example :
        
       MODE
       THENET:G8KBB-5> 0 1800 6 3 2 20 0 600 2 900 1 31 0 1 1 0 0

     with the following meanings :
        
       0    Host mode protocol ( 0 = standard, 1 = DCD mode )
       1800 CWID period. Delay in seconds between CWID
       6    CWID speed 10's of msec per dot. 6 equals 20 wpm
       3    Enable / disable nodes broadcasts mask.
       2    RS232 protocol, 0 = crosslink, 1,2 or 3 are KISS
       20   TxDelay in 10's of milliseconds ( Centiseconds ?? )
       0    Full duplex control. 0 equals simplex
       600  RS232 port nodes broadcast interval in seconds
       2    Nodes broadcast algorithm port mask
       900  Beacon period in seconds
       1    'connect' redirector. 0 is to HOST, 1 is to BBS, 2 is 
            to DXCluster
       31   Each bit controls one of the 'user' help messages,  8 
            bit TALK, case sensitivity & TexNet i/f
       0    This byte controls the broadcasting of 'hash' nodes
       1    This   byte  enables  /  disables  the  extra   alias 
            operation
       1    If set to '1', a remote disconnect on a circuit  will 
            cause a node reconnection
       0    The  bits of this controls the operation of the  node 
            with regard to 'slime trails'
       0    The  bits  of this control whether digi  uplinks  and 
            downlinks are permitted
        
     If you want additional details, ask the sysop for a copy  of 
     the overview guide.
     
Parms
        
     This shows the node parameters as per TheNet 1.01 ( I am not 
     going to list them again here. Sorry ).
        
Bye and Quit
        
     These  commands disconnects you from the node,  closing  the 
     link.  It  says goodbye before disconnecting you if  it  has 
     been so configured by the sysop. Quit does just the same  as 
     Bye does.
        
DXcluster
        
     If  there is a local DXcluster, this command may  have  been 
     configured  by the sysop to connect you to it. It  therefore 
     operates in a manner very similar to the BBS command.
        
Stats
        
     The  stats  command  gives  lots  of  data  about  the  node 
     operation.   A  full  description  of  the  information   is 
     contained in the overview document.
        
IProute
        
     This command is used by the sysop to configure the IP  route 
     table. It may also be used to display the router table.
        
Arp
        
     This  command is similar to the IProute command,  but  shows 
     the Arp table. The Arp table provides a translation from  IP 
     address to callsign.
        
IPaddress
        
     This  command is used to set or display the current node  IP 
     address.
        
BBSAlias
HostAlias
DXCAlias
        
     These  commands are used to set additional aliases  for  the 
     node.  It can be configured by the sysop to  accept  connect 
     requests  ( uplinks ) to the node callsign, the node  alias, 
     or  the  3 aliases shown by these commands.  When  the  node 
     accepts  a  connection  to one of  these  aliases,  it  will 
     immediately  invoke the BBS, DXC or HOST commands  for  you. 
     The  way this would normally be used is as follows.  Suppose 
     your  local  ( for example ) BBS was not accessible  on  the 
     frequency  that the node operates on. The BBS alias  can  be 
     configured to provide easy access across other nodes to  the 
     BBS. Hence in the case of the Ipswich nodes, GB7MXM does not 
     have a port on 144.650, but the node IPS2 on 144.650 can get 
     to it by means of another node and a 9600 baud link. If IPS2 
     is  set to accept the extra aliases, and if BBSAlias is  set 
     to MXMBBS, then anyone who tries to uplink to MXMBBS in  the 
     Ipswich area would be automatically connected to GB7MXM.  It 
     goes  without  saying that if GB7MXM had a port  on  144.650 
     itself, then chaos would ensue. 
     
MTU

     This command allows configuration of the MTUs for IP  users. 
     The parameters have the following meanings :
     
     Parameter Default        Controls
     ============================================================
          1      256    The   MTU  for  the  radio  port,   AX.25 
                        encapsulation
          2      256    The   MTU  for  the  RS232  port,   AX.25 
                        encapsulation
          3      236    The MTU for the Net/Rom encapsulation
          4      257    The  maximum  number of data bytes  in  a 
                        received L2 frame
          5      328    The maximum number of bytes in a received 
                        L2 frame
     
     For  more details on the IP router, consult  the  'overview' 
     document.
     
ADC
        
     This command is used to read up to 2 channels of DC voltage. 
     Whether  they  are enabled, and what they read  is  a  local 
     decision by the Sysop.
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