In this section we will look at the two remaining tabs or pages. These pages are accessed via the [Setup] page. Here is a view of the Administration page:
Starting at the top you see two entries [Help] and [Reboot]. Help will bring up help pages for this screen. And Reboot will immediately cause the machine to reboot. Taking from the help page we see a good description of what the page does:
This section allows you to update node firmware, manage add-on packages and authorised ssh keys, or create Support Data files.
The Firmware Update section shows the current firmware version as well as the hardware type. There are three options for updating node firmware.
1.If you have a firmware image on your computer which you previously downloaded from the AREDN® website, click the Browse button to select the firmware file to upload from your computer to your node. Click Upload and the new firmware will be uploaded and installed.
2.If the node has Internet access (either from its WAN port or across the mesh) you can use the Download Firmware option. Click Refresh to fetch the list of available images, then select the image to download. Click Download and wait for the firmware to be downloaded and installed.
3.If you have previously copied a new firmware image directly to your node, you can apply that new file by clicking Apply Local Firmware. This button will only be active if the node detects the new firmware file in the location and with the name shown next to the button.
If you want to upgrade your node’s firmware while keeping the existing configuration settings, click the Keep Settings checkbox.
Package Management allows you to install and remove software packages on the node. Upload
Package allows you to install a package file that you previously downloaded to your computer from the AREDN® website. If your node has access to the Internet, Download Package allows you to retrieve a package over the Internet from the AREDN® website. Click Refresh to populate the list of packages available for download, but do not do this unless necessary. The package information database is stored on the node and will use about 100KB of storage space, so only use this function if it is absolutely necessary.
The Remove Package list shows all packages on the node. Selecting a package and clicking Remove 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 cannot be deleted.
Authorized SSH Keys are useful for both developers and anyone managing a set of nodes. It allows connecting to a node via ssh without having to enter the password. For developers, it also allows you to easily scp an updated file to the node without having to reinstall the firmware.
To generate an ssh key on a Linux system, issue the command “ssh-keygen -t rsa” and press enter at all the prompts to accept the defaults. This creates a file called ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub, which is the file you upload to install the key on the node. If you want to remove a key you can select it and click the Remove button. The AREDN® documentation online describes this process for MS Windows computer users.
Support Data allows the user to download support files which the node generates, usually a developer will ask for these files in the event there is an issue that they cannot reproduce on their test machines. Clicking on Download Support Data will allow the downloading of log files and other files the node will generate, which the developers may find interesting to review in their work to get file done.
Moving on to the next section: Advanced Configuration, here is the help page guidance:
Advanced Configuration
WARNING: Changing advanced settings can be harmful to the stability, security, and performance of the node and potentially the entire mesh network. You should only continue if you are sure of what you are doing.
The Setting column describes each setting. For additional information see the AREDN® online documentation.
This is the first section, it deals with Link Quality Settings, allowing the operator to set start/stop points and other options dealing with the links. There is more in depth information on the arednmesh.org site.
The next section is WAN Settings.
This page is used when the node has access to the public network. You may enable access to the public network or disable it.
You may allow your local devices on your local LAN (public side) to access the local node, but the connection will go no further due to part 97 issues.
You may also allow SSH (from the public side, blocked on the AREDN® side due to encryption.)
Same goes for Telnet but it is not blocked and is the way the nodes are administered from the command line when needed. Remember, all data flowing over the RF part of the AREDN network must meet part 97 rules.
This is the Power Options screen. There are two and in some cases both will not be available.
PoE Passthrough allows those nodes which have more than 1 Ethernet port which support PoE to enable it from the main port to the secondary port, for example to dasy chain two radios on a tower.
USB Power Passthrough allows those devices with USB ports to have the port powered up, comes in handy to power small devices associated with the network device.
Tunnel options gives the node operator control over the tunnels in/out of the node.
Tunnel Maxclients, is pretty clear, same for Tunnel Maxservers.
Tunnel Weight is a new addition, it allows the node to have a tunnel to a given location and at the same time an RF path. We prefer the RF path because we do radio and we use the tunnels as a fall back when needed, so by adding weighting to the path you can force the traffic to go RF unless the RF path fails or becomes overloaded.
WAN-Only Tunnel keeps a tunnel from trying to route over RF vice public network.
Watchdog, used to reboot a node if it becomes non-responsive
The entries are pretty much self descriptive.
Memory Settings gives node operator more control over memory usage.
Low Memory Threshold is used to limit how much will be held for the Mesh Status page, a large mesh will take up many pages of memory. This limits how much is captured.
Low Memory Max Routes also reduces the max number of routes to save memory.
Supernode Settings:
Allows the node to map any supernodes found on the network for routing off of the local mesh to other mesh locations (must also be on the supernode network)
Network Tools
Pretty much self descriptive. OLSR or Optimised Link State Routing Protocol is the protocol that allows the nodes to self route.
IPERF Enable is used to test route speed.
Remote Logging
This field allows you to enter the URL for a remote syslog server. If this URL is provided, then your node will send log messages to the remote server using the specified IP address, port, and protocol.
Map Paths
These fields contain the external URLs for map tiles and leafletjs css and javascript files used for interactive maps.
Firmware
These fields contain the URLs used by the node for downloading firmware and package files during upgrades. By default they point to the AREDN® downloads server available across the Internet. You can change these paths to point to a local mesh package server in order to upgrade nodes that do not have Internet access. If you plan to create a local software repository for your mesh network, review Creating a Local Package Server in the How-To Guide section.
The Dangerous Upgrade setting allows you to disable the normal firmware compatibility safety checks that typically prevent you from loading the wrong firmware image on your node. The default setting is OFF which means that the safety checks remain enabled, and this setting should not be changed unless you have a specific reason to disable the firmware compatibility checks. One example for using this setting would be if you mistakenly installed an incorrect firmware image and would like to correct that mistake by installing the correct firmware image (e.g., you installed the Mikrotik LHG version when you meant to install the LHG XL version).
AERDN Alert Settings
Alert Message Refresh
The AREDN® development team may post messages which Internet-connected nodes can automatically download. You can execute the aam.refresh action if you want your node to retrieve any new messages without having to wait for the next auto-refresh window. Click the Execute button to trigger an immediate message retrieval. This will retrieve all alerts eligible for display on your node, whether they come from the AREDN® server over the Internet or from a local message source on your mesh network.
Alert Message Local URL
This field allows you to enter the URL for a local alert message repository. If you configure such a local repository then your nodes without Internet access can also receive alert messages pertinent to your local mesh. Enter the URL without a trailing backslash.
A local message repository can be configured on a mesh-connected web server which allows nodes to query the URL you entered. No Internet access is required for this feature to work. You can consult with your local server administrator in order to obtain the correct URL for the local message repository. You can find more information about AREDN® Alert Messages in the Getting Started guide under the Node Status section.
Note parts of this text were copied from the AREDN® Documents, which has a very full and complete description of all of the different parts of the screens on the node.
This ends the material on the node screens.
We will go a bit into propagation, antenna types and other bits and pieces of a node site starting with the most basic, and moving up to complex node stacks.
Chuck, KP4DJT
