 John Martins' |
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TheNet / NetRom Operators Guideby John Martin KF8KK Introduction
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| While a regular TNC designed for the
home packet station can perform quite admirably as a dedicated 'node' in
the packet network infrastructure, a handful of gurus have developed
special software that can transform a 'normal' TNC into a device
specifically designed for use as a networking 'node' with advanced
features that enhance the capabilities of the packet network.
TheNet and NetRom are two such manifestations of this type of special networking software. They join Rose, TexNet, and a handful of others in providing 'ISO Layer 3' networking capabilities atop the standard AX.25 packet that is used by the common packet operator. These pages will describe the operations of TheNet X1j and NetRom nodes from the users perspective. Both TheNet and NetRom behave similarly and are usually interchangeable. I will continue these pages by referring to either TheNet or NetRom as just simply 'TheNet' for simplicity. For practical purposes the two systems are identical.
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| Why Bother with TheNet?
One of the primary benefits of a TheNet node is that when you have a group of TheNet nodes in a region they share their 'node lists' amongst each other in such a way that a user can connect to any of the TheNet nodes in the group and have access to any nodes that any of the other TheNet nodes can communicate with. The packet user can connect to a node and issue the 'N' command and then connect to any of the nodes listed without having to know what path the system used to transfer their data to/from that node. The nodes showing up on a TheNet 'N' (nodes list) do NOT have to be local, and are quite often quite a distance away and many are reachable via multiport gateways, etc. Automatic routing, available in TheNet, simplifies connections to other stations that might otherwise involve many complex steps to setup. Many TheNet stations are arranged as a 'node stack' where multiple radios and TNC's are combined at a site and tied together via wires to form a multiport gateway node. Often, user connections through a TheNet network can traverse such multiport gateway nodes without the user having a clue such a gateway is in the path-- or even exists. This is not possible if the packet network was built on 'regular' packet TNC's [using digipeaters or KA-Node modes]. For your reference, the 'official' TheNet user guide (also available in PDF or TXT) provides full details of all the commands available at the nodes. Please download and print this information out so it is handy when you connect to the nodes.
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TheNet Operators GuideIntroduction
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