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On 2014-05-01 10:53, Bob wrote:<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:000001cf6566$536a2ad0$fa3e8070$@net"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">4. ...I was told by ICOM, a few years ago, that the ID-1s could not be meshed. If the firmware could be reprogrammed to be compatible with Broadband-Hamnet, many of us may be willing to take the ID-1 off the shelf and get them on the air.
5. There are groups that have established links using ID-1s back to back ...
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
The most important thing to remember about two ID-1 radios
communicating in DD-modes, is that they are<b> "a long Ethernet
cable over RF."</b> That is all they are. If you have more than
two ID-1 radios communicating in DD-mode, it is just like very long
Ethernet cables connected to a common Ethernet hub. Note that I
said an Ethernet "hub" rather than an Ethernet "switch". The
distinction, while minor, is more appropriate considering
"collisions".<br>
<br>
Further, the ID-1 radio is just about as stupid as a piece of
Ethernet cable. So long as it encounters a properly formed <b>Ethernet</b>
packet (not necessarily a TCP/IP packet), it will send it, and on
reception, reproduce it, whether or not the packet contained
garbage. This has two ramifications:<br>
<br>
Ramification #1: The architecture of your network is completely
flexible, just like it is on the Internet. You can do anything you
want. Caveat: you have to do it yourself with external equipment;
the ID-1 will not do it for you. So, for any "use case" you want,
you <b>must</b> (not should) design your network with just wires
(eg, very long Ethernet cables). Then, when you are done, you
"remove" the cable and replace it with two ID-1 radios. Just like
the Ethernet cable in real life, there are certain limitations with
the ID-1:<br>
<ol>
<li>Line of sight; and</li>
<li>speed.</li>
</ol>
So, what are the advantages of the ID-1 over wire?<br>
<ol>
<li>Distance to the next hop; and</li>
<li>frequency agility (move away from competing traffic). Since
the ID-1 can be remotely controlled, we are going to be
experimenting with this capability to increase the utility of
the ID-1 in DD-mode.<br>
</li>
</ol>
In my opinion, asking the ID-1 to have <i>"firmware ...
reprogrammed to be compatible with Broadband-Hamnet"</i> is
missing both the point and flexibility of the ID-1. Rather than
have the software in the ID-1, you can have it in the adjoining
box. What adjoining box? Well, what are you trying to do?<br>
<br>
Consider the "Universal Digital Radio" (UDRX-440) from "NW Digital
Radio". Some buyers want it to be a complete "appliance" solution
(eg, gateway, server, etc), and some just want it to be a "raw"
radio. Well, with the ID-1 you don't get a choice: it's the raw
radio. These days, little network devices (eg, Raspberry Pi) can be
had for the price of an Icom programming cable (grin), and they can
provide almost all the flexibility you need.<br>
<br>
Ramification #2: There is no privacy or security. I'm not talking
about <b>data</b> privacy/security; amateurs already know that's
part of amateur radio. I'm talking about <b>n</b><b>etwork</b><b>
</b>security. Just like the ten-mile fictional Ethernet cable you
can run from your house to your friend's house, someone can "cut"
into the cable at any point, and not only see what you are
transferring, but also can add a fictional "hub" and access your
entire network (unless protected; see below), just like anyone else
in your house or local LAN. That includes files on your local
computers, unless you have taken precautions. The Icom ID-1 manual
rightly gives a strong warning about this in several places.<br>
<br>
Which brings me to configuration. In my opinion, the best way to
set up an ID-1, is you keep your old "outdated" 10Mbps Ethernet
routers (eg, Linksys BEFSR41 routers that were commonly issued by
Verizon for DSL). You connect the LAN side to your home network,
and the WAN side to the ID-1. This keeps the local LAN traffic off
the air, and also provides network security via the built-in
firewall in the router.<br>
<br>
OK, so you and your friend Joe each have your ID-1 radios set up
this way, so what can you do? Answer: <b>nothing</b>. You have to
have a network service available on one or both the of the local
LANs that you want to <b>share</b> (and to the entire world), and
so you "punch" a hole in your firewall device, to forward network
traffic to your server. Your server better have all the security
you need, or you are going to be in trouble, and I don't mean with
the FCC ...<br>
<br>
If you think that the proper network and security design is too much
work, then you should probably sell your ID-1, or just use it in
voice (FM or DV) mode. I don't mean to be snippy, mean, or
superior. These are exactly the issues that <b>anyone</b> running
a proper service on the Internet has to face. The fact that it
might be on a somewhat obscure portion of the Internet doesn't
really provide any security. Even if you trust the amateurs you
grant access to, doesn't mean that they have taken the proper
security precautions in their home network's access to their regular
Internet ISP. Some amateurs (not you; your friends ...) have a real
capacity to think they know more than they do ...<br>
<br>
OK, OK, it sounds like a lecture. Sorry; I used to teach basic
networking at the UW in Bothell. I'll end with this true story:<br>
<br>
Years ago, I found someone's mail server being used as an "open
relay" (a common default configuration some twenty years ago) by
some spammer. For some reason, I felt led to contact the
administrator of the abused server, and he replied with much
thanks. He told me that he had just installed Linux on a brand new
server, using an IP address that had not been used before, and then
went to breakfast before completing the server configuration. When
he came back (about an hour later), his server had been discovered
and was being used to send spam.<br>
<br>
"Obscurity is no security"<br>
<br>
-- Dean<br>
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