TARPN Command -- List of commands/parameters

This document describes the commands available from the Raspberry PI under Linux using the tarpn command. These commands are used to start, stop, test, configure, connect to and listen for connects from your TARPN node.

This document is evolving as the TARPN programs on the Raspberry PI evolve.
You can do a tarpn update command to retrieve the lastest code for your version.
Keep an eye out for TARPN groups-io email reflector emails for significant changes and new releases.
Post any questions, suggestions, observations, bug reports, complaints, etc.. as well.

TARPN System Management

tarpn update

This goes out to the Internet and pulls down the latest copies of the tarpn command program, and several functions called out by the tarpn command. A side effect of this command is that the G8BPQ node is kicked. If it is set to auto it will start up again. If it was run using tarpn test, it will count-down and then quit. This command takes a few seconds to run.

tarpn updateapps

This goes out to the Internet and pulls down the latest copies of System resources, Applications (including G8BPQ node software) and some utilities. This command cannot be run if the G8BPQ node software is running. This command takes a few minutes to execute.

tarpn shutdown

Puts the Raspberry PI to sleep. This is the first step in turning off your node hardware. Once this command is complete the node is still powered up but it is in a lock-up state waiting for power to be removed.
After doing this command the Raspberry PI will close all SSH and Telnet links, close all open files, disconnect from Ethernet, shutdown the G8BPQ node. You should wait a minute after issuing this command before removing power. Removing power while the software is still shutting down can corrupt the file system on the SDcard. If the lights are still blinking on the Reaspberry PI, then it is definitely not safe to power it off.

tarpn reboot

This does the same thing as shutdown except it then performs a file system repair, and then brings the Raspberry PI back on-line. If the G8BPQ node is set for auto-start, it will come back on-line.

tarpn url

This reports the current URL and then prompts you for a new URL. This URL is the source for TARPN updates. The URL is tested after you enter it and you will be prompted again if tarpn script files are not present at the new URL. The URL for released TARPN code at time of this publication is http://tarpn.net/apr2020. Watch for updates on the TARPN groups-io email reflector.

tarpn config

Prompts you for configuration details needed for your node/station. This function will let you keep the existing values, or will change them. For each value you are prompted with the old value. Hitting ‹ENTER› will leave your existing value. You can control-C out of this function and no changes will be saved.

Note that this feature is not available if the node is already running. You must do tarpn service stop, or control C, whichever is applicable, before running this command. The reason this is so is to make sure you don't introduce destructive changes that could cause the node to be unstable, possibly breaking your access to the Raspberry PI. By forcing you to quit the node before making changes, you are given the opportunity to run the node as an application using tarpn test before committing to automatic operation.

tarpn backup

Creates a date-stamped backup.zip file in the /home/pi directory containing the personalization info for the node. This includes chat config, BBS config, BBS users, messages, Chat history, node config. If there is a backup.zip of the current date, this will overwrite that file. If you do this each day, you'll generate a bunch of separate backup files.

This backup facility is great for moving your node from one SDcard to another.
This command will run while the node is running, but there is a minuscule chance that BBS mail stored in the backup could be corrupted if a message is arriving or sending as the backup command is run. This command will run while the node is not running.

tarpn restore

On a node that is not running, and for which there is NO node.ini file, this function will look for one (and only one) backup zip file in the home directory and will expand it, overwriting personalization info on this card. This is useful for moving your node from one SDcard to another.

Link Inspection and test

tarpn linktest

This generates 100 longish numbered packets on the specified port with a couple of seconds of spacing. With an operator on the other end of the link, you can test the quality of a link.

Note that this command sends the packets outside of the normal network control and channel sharing. These packets can actually collide with other packets generated by the node and completely upsets the timing of normal network commerce. This command is best done with there is no other network traffic. Consider using linktest in concert with the xmitoff command. See G8BPQ commands for more info.

Use control C to exit.

tarpn listen

This connects to the local node and requests a listen session for the specified port. This will display outgoing and incoming information frame packets and some of the procedurals. This is not as comprehensive as qt-term's monitor feature, but it is easy to execute.

Use control C to exit.

User Interface

tarpn home

This command starts, stops, updates, and inspects the Linux service for the TARPN-HOME web app.

Commands are:

tarpn home
tarpn home start
tarpn home stop
tarpn home update

tarpn tx

Use this command to connect to your G8BPQ node for exploration or to connect to another station.
This starts a local telnet session from your terminal window to the G8BPQ node on your Raspberry PI. You could also telnet directly from your workstation to the Raspberry PI's TCP/IP address. Please do not use telnet to connect to the Raspberry PI over the Internet. That sort of defies the whole TARPN idea.
In a real emergency this could be used but please make sure to have a ham-in-the-middle and to move text-only into the network. Beware of overflowing the TARPN.

After issuing the tarpn tx command, you will be prompted to type your callsign to log in. After you type your callsign and hit ‹ENTER› you will be prompted for your telnet password. Your telnet password will always be p ‹ENTER› (lower case p). Finally you be connected to the node and can type r r ‹ENTER› to see your routes list.

tarpn host

Use this command to start an inbound HOST session. This command launches Minicom with a connection to a virtual port established by the G8BBPQ node. When Minicom is launched a script is run to configure the virtual port to accept inbound HOST requests.
Note, if the G8BPQ program is reset, this Minicom session is corrupted but left connected. You should exit Minicom and run tarpn host again, to reconnect.
To exit from Minicom, press control A followed by capital X.

Here is some documentation G8BPQ wrote on the subject: G8BPQ TNC2 Emulation

NinoTNC USB setup utilities

tarpn usb

Checks the /dev directory looking for ttyUSB# and ttyACM#. Displays a list of those /dev devices.
Then the node.ini file is analyzed and tty ports called out by enabled ports are displayed.

tarpn flash

Sends a new execution binary to the NinoTNC's CPU. Use only when the node is stopped.
tarpn flash listfiles will show a list of the available execution binaries, located in the /usr/local/etc/ninotnc/versions directory on your Raspberry PI.
tarpn flash ttyXXXX 1.23 will write replace the binary in the NinoTNC at /dev/ttyXXXX with execution binary version 1.23.
The actual flashing process takes about 3 minutes and programs "lines" of hex data to the NinoTNC. As of version 2.51 there were about 9500 lines. The dialog printed during the flash process will print a message every 1000 lines.

G8BPQ node start/stop/test

tarpn test

This command configures and launches G8BPQ node application. The application runs until the Raspberry PI is shutdown, the terminal window is quit, control C is given to the terminal window, or until an error occurs that the G8BPQ node can't deal with.
You should run the tarpn test command to verify that there are NOT any issues that the node can't deal with. The reason to run it in test before making it auto is that it is much easier to see the STDOUT messages from G8BPQ and from the scripting when running it from this command.
Once the G8BPQ node is seen to be stable and you are happy with its execution, you can control C out, and do the tarpn service start command to start the node automatically when the Raspberry PI launches.
During the test you should launch qttermtcp on the Raspberry PI, or run more terminal window sessions and connect with tarpn tx and tarpn host and make sure the node responds to commands, that the TxDelays are set appropriately, and that your links behave correctly and are properly named.

tarpn kill

This quits the node program, and restarts all of the TARPN background services. As the services restart, the G8BPQ node program will optionally be started, depending on whether tarpn service is set to start.

tarpn service

This command starts or stops the automatic background (service) execution of the G8BPQ node software. When enabled as a service, the node will automatically be run every time it is found to not be running. This is a good thing if the configuration is all set. Before running the node as a background service, you should test the node and verify that the print output from the execution is stable. The dead giveaway that it is not is that it will either give you really obvious ERROR output, or it will spew interesting messages faster than you can read them. Use tarpn test.

After verifying that the software works ok, use tarpn service start to run the node in the background.

Use tarpn service stop to discontinue background operation.

Please note that background operation is only prosecuted periodically. It may take a minute for the node to start running in the background, or to stop running, after you have issued the tarpn service start or stop commands.

You can verify that the node is running (but not that it is running error free) at any time just by typing
tarpn ‹ENTER›
The tarpn program will respond with
BPQ node is running or
BPQ node is NOT running
followed by
BPQ node background Service is (AUTO), or with
BPQ node is not set to run as a Service (!AUTO)

If the node crashes or is KILLed after having been launched from the service, the node will automatically re-launch.
Each time the node re-launches it will attempt to rebuild its configuration and will integrate Internet supplied data. If the Internet data is not supplied, the re-launch will continue and the configuration will be rebuilt using locally available information.

The tarpn service start command edits a token in /usr/local/etc/background.ini directory to tell /usr/local/sbin/tarpn_background.sh to start G8BPQ node automatically when the Raspberry PI boots up.

Linux inspection shortcuts

tarpn daemon

This starts a tail of the Linux logfile /var/log/daemon.log. This log file is very busy during startup of the packet node and will contain error messages if the node is being run as a service. If the node seems to be failing or crashing or pausing, looking at this log-file may be elucidating. To exit, do a control C.

tarpn ip

This displays details about the IP addresses configured for the Raspberry PI.

tarpn sysinfo

This is a catchall for details about the Raspberry PI and OS. This runs some common and less common Linux commands for getting process lists, USB data, CPU and disk usage, services and more.

tarpn ps

TTY-commanded-processes list. Does ps auf to show any processes associated with a tty, i.e. commanded from a terminal, not a background service.