John Martins'
Amateur Radio from near Empire Michigan USA

• Home
• Blog
• Articles
• HamClass
• Repeaters
• Packet
• D-Star
• Automotive
• Ham Shack
• Scanner

Linux - Jnos Setup and Configuration HOW-TO

By John Martin KF8KK

Introduction

Both Linux and Jnos are not easy to setup and configure, but the combination can prove to be worth the time in the long run.

I must start with a disclaimer that I am NOT a Linux expert.  Any Linux experts reading these pages will discover that rather quickly.  Had I decided to devote my time to becoming a Linux expert before writing these pages (so that the methods I mention would be the most efficient and proper) it is a 100% certainty that these pages would never be written.  As yourself, I too must balance the time I spend on these ham radio endeavors with many other important projects that I must deal with.

So, please pardon any methods that may seem 'crude' or 'simplistic'.

I am also writing this making the assumption that the person attempting to install Linux and Jnos has a fair amount of basic computing skills.  

I will try to make my instructions as understandable to the neophyte as possible. In order to keep these pages from being excessively long, I will expect that the viewer have some basic knowlege of the commands available in a Unix system. 

For those without experience with Unix (of which Linux is one type) I strongly recommend you take $150 or so to a nearby bookstore and spend it on suitable books that go into the basics of operating Linux.  The small investment in Linux reference materials will pay for itself many times over in the long run.

If the computer is running another operating system (Windows for example) it's just a matter of powering up the unit in it's existing Windows OS and then from the 'control panel' determine all the specfics.

Knowing what IRQ and I/O ports the network card is running, can be crtitical to having a successful installation of Linux/Jnos.   It is phenomenally easier to determine these parameters when you have a working system on your workbench.

The photos to the right are of a typical Linux/Jnos server.  An older Compaq Pentium PC that was gathering dust in a closet.   The first thing I did after removing the case was to take my air compressor and blow off any dust that I could, so it will start it's life as the former'hamgate.grandtraverse.ampr.org' as dust free as possible.

One of the benefits of running Jnos atop the Linux operating system is that the network cards that will work with Jnos is not nearly as limited as the DOS version requires.  Most newer network cards do not have the 'packet driver' drivers needed to function with DOS Jnos. If your network card works with Linux, then Jnos will work also, no matter how new the netcard.