Src-datasite-commserver

• commserver* provides the ability to establish connections to remote sites using FreeWave serial radio modems in point-to-point mode, and with the base radio reached via IP. The commserver can be accessed on the commserver host, or remotely via ip-i/o redirection through the inetd daemon.

Assuming a remote site is configured on the commserver host, a connection can be made either locally to the commserver and a connection requested by the command at the query prompt:

   query: call mysite

The commserver reads the setup files for mysite, establishes a connection to the remote radio base station via IP, checks and configures the base radio callbook, then issues the FreeWave dial command. It then monitors the response from the base radio, first looking for "OK", which means the dial command was recognized, and "CONNECT", which indicates that the first repeater in the radio path was reached. Unfortunately, the FreeWave OS provides no further indications of access to repeaters or to the target radio site, so commserver begins issuing commands to the target system in hopes of seeing a prompt response from that system. If no prompt response is seen from the target system, the commserver process times out and the session is ended. If a prompt is seen, commserver issues the response "CONNECTED" to the originating client, and transfers the input and output channel to the client.

Once "CONNECTED" is seen by the client, commserver sits in the background passing data back & forth between the client and the remote target system. Effectively, the client is connected by long serial cable to the target system.

Once a connection is established, commserver does only two things. First, it monitors data from the client looking for the special in-band string "BAIL!", and, if seen, it immediately terminates the connection. Second, it observes the duration of no data from the client, and terminates the connection if the set timeout period is reached.

commserver offloads from the client any need to control and command the FreeWave radio system, including knowledge of radio numbers or repeater paths, or selection of base radio stations. This is especially useful in large networks, where there is insufficient space in the FreeWave base radio's callbook for all potential connections. commserver inspects the base radio callbook and will use existing path entries if available and appropriate, or else will create a new path using entries 8 and 9.