
TCP/IP: Pings, POPs and KISSes 

If you're an active packeteer, sooner or later someone will bring up the 
subject of TCP/IP--Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Of 
all the packet networking alternatives used on the air today, TCP/IP is 
the most popular. 

Despite its name, TCP/IP is more than two protocols; it's actually a set 
of several protocols. Together they provide a high level of flexible, 
"intelligent" packet networking that isn't possible with AX.25. At the 
time of this writing, TCP/IP networks are local and regional in nature. 
For long-distance mail handling, TCP/IP still relies on traditional 
AX.25 NET/ROM networks. Even so, TCP/IP enthusiasts see a future when 
the entire nation, and perhaps the world, will be linked by high-speed 
TCP/IP systems using terrestrial microwave and satellites. 

Sending Mail with TCP/IP 

With TCP/IP you can send local and regional mail efficiently and 
reliably. You need only prepare the message and leave it in your own 
TCP/IP "mailbox." Within seconds your computer will attempt to make a 
connection to the target station and deliver the message directly. There 
are no PBBSs involved. The message packets simply travel through the 
network until they reach the other station. While this is taking place, 
you can talk to, or receive mail from, another station. If you're 
fortunate enough to own Windows, DESQview or similar multitasking 
software, you can leave the TCP/IP program entirely and play a game or 
write a letter while your message is being delivered! 

Before sending a message to another station, it's possible to use TCP/IP 
to see if the station is actually on the air. You use the ping function, 
which stands for Packet Internet Groper. I like to think of it as the 
sonar pings used by ships and submarines to find out what's in the water 
around them. It works in nearly the same manner, but it's much more 
specific! If I want to find out if WS1O is available on the network, I 
just ping him as follows: 
    
    ping ws1o 

Note that TCP/IP is case sensitive. That is, the use of upper- or lower-
case letters is important. Most TCP/IP commands are lower-case. 

If WS1O has his station on the air, I'll see: 
    
    44.88.0.23: echo reply id 0 seq 61531, 7000 ms 

This cryptic line merely confirms that WS1O is on the air. His TCP/IP 
address is shown (44.88.0.23) along with the time it took to send the 
ping from my station to his (7000 ms or 7 seconds). It lets me know that 
the mail I send now will arrive at his station within a reasonably short 
period of time. 

If you want to send mail to hams in cities outside your TCP/IP network, 
you'll need to post it on an AX.25 bulletin board. Some AX.25 PBBSs 
feature special ports that allow TCP/IP users to connect to the system. 
If your local PBBSs doesn't have a TCP/IP port, don't worry. Your TCP/IP 
software provides a means to communicate with AX.25 stations (and vice 
versa). As TCP/IP networks expand, you'll be able to reach hams in 
distant cities without having to resort to the AX.25 mail forwarding 
system. 

What if someone tries to send mail to you when you're not on the air? If 
they can't connect to your station, their computer will hold the message 
and try again later. Many TCP/IP packeteers also use Post Office 
Protocol (POP) servers to hold incoming mail when they're not on the 
air. When they activate their stations, the TCP/IP software sends an 
inquiry to the POP server to see if any mail is waiting. If mail is 
available, it's transferred automatically! 

      Shooting the Breeze with TCP/IP 

Talking to another station on a NET/ROM network can be a difficult 
proposition--especially if the station is distant. You can only hope 
that all the nodes in the path are able to relay the packets back and 
forth. If the one of the nodes becomes unusually busy, your link to the 
other station could collapse. Even when the path is maintained, your 
packets are in direct competition with all the other packets on the 
network. With randomly calculated transmission delays, collisions are 
inevitable. As a result, the network bogs down, slowing data throughput 
for everyone. 

TCP/IP has a unique solution for busy networks. Rather than transmitting 
packets at randomly-determined intervals, TCP/IP stations automatically 
adapt to network delays as they occur! As network throughput slows down, 
active TCP/IP stations sense the change and lengthen their transmission 
delays accordingly. As the network speeds up, the TCP/IP stations 
shorten their delays to match the pace. This kind of intelligent network 
sharing virtually guarantees that all packets will reach their 
destinations with the greatest efficiency the network can provide. 

With TCP/IP's adaptive networking scheme, you can chat with a ham in a 
distant city and rest assured that you're not overburdening the system. 
Your packets simply join the constantly moving "freeway" of data. They 
might slow down in heavy traffic, but they will reach their destination 
eventually. (This adaptive system is used for all TCP/IP packets, no 
matter what they contain.) If you want to check the status of your 
target station--and the path between--just use the ping function as we 
discussed earlier. 

          Swapping Files via TCP/IP 

TCP/IP really shines when it comes to transferring files from one 
station to another. By using TCP/IP, you can connect to another station 
and transfer computer files--including software. As you can probably 
guess, transferring large files can take time. With TCP/IP, however, you 
can still send and receive mail or talk to another ham while the 
transfer is taking place! 

To transfer a file from one station to another, you use the File 
Transfer Protocol, or FTP. We already know that WS1O is on the air. 
Let's set up an FTP link with his computer and grab a file. 
    
    ftp ws1o 
When the link is established, my terminal displays: 
   
    SYN sent 
    Established 
    220 ws1o.ampr.org FTP version 890421.1e ready at Sat Aug 13 
    18:22:26 19 
    
Now I'm ready to log in. At the command prompt I send: user anonymous. 
My terminal displays WS1O's response. 
  
    331 Enter PASS command 

No problem. Most systems allow you to use your call sign as the 
password. 
    
    pass wb8imy 

When I see 230 Logged in, it's time to check his computer to see what he 
has to offer. All I have to do is send dir and my screen displays: 

    200 Port command okay 150 Opening data connection for LIST\public

    switch.map   1,500  19:57 06/19/92
    tcp/ip.doc  10,000  02:30 07/01/92
    space.exe   20,000  22:25 07/16/92

    3 files 13,617,152 bytes free. Disk size 33,400,832 bytes
    Get complete, 200 bytes received

Whew! It looks complicated at first glance, doesn't it? All it's telling 
you, though, is that WS1O has three files available for transfer. The 
name of each file is shown along with its size and the date it was 
placed on his disk. If you have some experience with computers, this may 
look familiar. (You've just issued the "directory" command that's common 
to most machines.) 

I happen to know that "space.exe" is a game that WS1O has written for my 
particular computer. Regardless of whether it's an ASCII or binary file, 
I can transfer a copy by simply using the get command. 
    
    get space.exe 

In response, I'll see: 
    
    200 Port command okay 
    150 Opening data connection for RETR space.exe 

As I've already pointed out, the transfer may take several minutes, 
especially if WS1O is distant or the network is busy. hat's okay because 
I can spend the time sending mail to other amateur friends in the area. 
When the transfer is complete, my screen displays: 
    
    Get complete, 20,000 bytes received 
    226 File sent ok 

Great! The transfer was a success. I can send a file to his 
station using the put command, or I can close the link and go play the 
game! 
    
    FIN wait 1 
    Time wait 
    Closed (Normal) 
    
TCP/IP Switches 

Most TCP/IP networks depend on dedicated switches to move data through 
the system. NET/ROM nodes are also used when necessary. Like NET/ROM 
nodes, TCP/IP switches communicate with each other over high-speed 
backbone links on the 222- or 420-MHz bands. 

Many TCP/IP packeteers access their local switches on the 2-meter band 
with 144.91 MHz being a popular frequency. Access on 2 meters currently 
takes place at a data rate of 1200 bit/s. However, TCP/IP switches use 
backbone links to relay data throughout the network at rates of 9600 
bit/s or higher. 

When you try to contact another station using TCP/IP, all network 
routing is performed automatically according to the TCP/IP address of 
the station you're trying to reach. In fact, TCP/IP networks are 
transparent to the average user. Your packets may flow back and forth 
through several switches and you won't even know it! 

On conventional NET/ROM networks, access to backbone links is 
restricted. This isn't true on TCP/IP. Not only are you allowed to use 
the backbones, you're actually encouraged to do so! If you have the 
necessary equipment to communicate at the proper frequencies and data 
rates, you can tap into the high-speed TCP/IP backbones directly. By 
doing so, you'll be able to handle data at much higher rates. This 
benefits you and everyone else on the network. 

What Do I Need to Run TCP/IP? 

You'll be pleased to know that you can join the TCP/IP community with 
the packet equipment you probably own already. In terms of hardware, all 
you need is a computer (it must be a computer, not a terminal), a 2-
meter FM transceiver and a TNC with KISS capability. 

What in the world is KISS? KISS stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid and 
most modern TNCs and MCPs have this feature. When you place your TNC in 
the KISS mode, you disable the AX.25 protocols and reduce the unit to a 
basic packet modem. All of the incoming and outgoing data will be 
processed directly by your computer, not your TNC. 

As you might guess, the heart of your TCP/IP setup is software. The 
TCP/IP software set was written by Phil Karn, KA9Q, and is called NOSNET 
or just NOS. The program is available for IBM-PCs and compatibles, Apple 
Macintoshes, Atari STs and Commodore Amigas. NOS takes care of all 
TCP/IP functions, using your "KISSable" TNC to communicate with the 
outside world. 

The only other item you need is your own IP address. Individual IP 
Address Coordinators assign addresses to new TCP/IP users. All you have 
to do is contact the coordinator in your area. 

It sounds almost too simple, doesn't it? Well, learning a new protocol 
such as TCP/IP presents a challenge to some. There's a completely 
different set of abbreviations and "buzz words" that you'll need to 
know. It also takes some time to completely set up the NOS software and 
get it running properly. Most experienced TCP/IP users are more than 
glad to help you solve any problems. -- WB8IMY


      AMPRNet IP address coordinators as of 15 Jun 1994

          Corrections and updates to brian@ucsd.edu.

The people listed here have volunteered to issue IP addresses for 
their areas.  They aren't paid to do this service; please understand 
that they are perfectly at ease to deal with coordination responses 
at a lower priority than the things that matter more, such as job 
and family. Please be patient when requesting an address.

44.002        Bob Meyer               K6RTV   CA: Sacramento
44.004        Douglas Thom            N6OYU   CA: Silicon Valley - 
                                                  San Francisco
44.006        Don Jacob               WB5EKU  CA: Santa Barbara/
                                                  Ventura
44.008        Brian Kantor            WB6CYT  CA: San Diego
44.010        Terry Neal              AA6TN   CA: Orange County
44.012        Steven King             KD7RO   E WA, IDo
44.014        John Shalamskas         KJ9U    HI & Pacific Is
44.016        Jeff Angus              WA6FWI  CA: Los Angeles - 
                                                  S F Valley
44.017        Dana Myers              KK6JQ   CA: Antelope Valley/
                                                  Kern County
44.018        Geoffrey Joy            KE6QH   CA: San Bernardino & 
                                                  Riverside
44.020        Fred Schneider          K0YUM   CO: Northeast
44.022        John Stannard           KL7JL   AK
44.024        Dennis Goodwin          KB7DZ   W WA state: Puget 
                                                          Sound
44.026        Ron Henderson           WA7TAS  OR
44.028        Don Adkins              KD5QN   N TX
44.030        J Gary Bender           WS5N    NM
44.032        Bdale Garbee            N3EUA   CO: Southeast
44.034        Jeff Austen             K9JA    TN
44.036        Doug Drye               KD4NC   GA
44.038        Mike Abbott             N4QXV   SC
44.040        Matt Simmons            KG7MH   UT
44.042        John Martin             KB5GGO  MS
44.044        Bob Wilson              KA1XN   W MA
44.046        Stan Wilson             AK0B    MO
44.048        Jacques Kubley          KA9FJS  IN
44.050        Ron Breitwisch          KC0OX   IA
44.052        Gary Grebus             K8LT    NH
44.054        Ralph Stetson           KD1R    VT
44.056        Johnathan Vail          N1DXG   E & Central MA
44.058        Rich Clemens            KB8AOB  W VA
44.060        Howard Leadmon          WB3FFV  MD
44.062        Jim DeArras             WA4ONG  VA
44.062        Jon Gefaell             KD4CQY  VA (Charlottesville 
                                                  area)
44.064        Dave Trulli             NN2Z    N NJ
44.065        Bob Applegate           WA2ZZX  S NJ
44.066        John DeGood             NU3E    DE
44.068.1-32   Bob Foxworth            K2EUH   NYC & LI
44.068.64+    Bob Bellini             N2IGU   ENY
44.069        Paul Gerwitz            WA2WPI  WNY
44.070        Gary Sanders            N8EMR   OH
44.072        Ken Stritzel            WA9AEK  Chicago - N IL
44.073        Chuck Henderson         WB9UUS  S/Central IL
44.074        Mark Bitterlich         WA3JPY  NC E
44.075        Charles Layno           WB4WOR  NC W
44.076        Kurt Freiberger         WB5BBW  S TX
44.077        Rod Huckabay            KA5EJX  W TX
44.078        Joe Buswell             K5JB    OK
44.080        Doug Crompton           WA3DSP  E PA
44.082        Steven Elwood           N7GXP   MT
44.084        Bob Ludtke              K9MWM   CO: Western
44.086        Reid Fletcher           WB7CJO  WY
44.088        Bill Lyman              N1NWP   CT
44.090        Mike Nickolaus          NF0N    NE
44.092        Pat Davis               KD9UU   WI, upper peninsula MI
44.094        Gary Sharp              WD0HEB  MN
   ---        Andy Warner             N0REN   (Minn-Twin Cities area only)
44.096        Don Bennett             K4NGC   DC
44.098        Brian A. Lantz          KO4KS   FL
44.100        Richard Elling          KB4HB   AL
44.102        Jeff King               WB8WKA  MI lower peninsula
44.104        Charles Greene          W1CG    RI
44.106        Allan B Dayton          N0KFO   KY
44.108        James Dugal             N5KNX   LA
44.110        Richard Duncan          WD5B    AR
44.112        Bob Hoffman             N3CVL   W PA
44.114        Steven Elwood           N7GXP   ND & SD
44.116        Tom Kloos               WS7S    OR: NW & Portland,
                                                  Vancouver WA
44.118        Carl Ingerson           N1DXM   ME
44.120        unassigned
44.122        Dale Puckett            K0HYD   KS
44.123        Bernie McDonnell        NP2W    Virgin Is
44.124        David Dodell            WB7TPY  AZ
44.125.0-126  Earl Petersen           KF7TI   S NV
44.125.128-254        Bill Healy      N8KHN   N NV
44.126        Karl Wagner             KP4QG   PR
#
# 44.128 is reserved for testing. Don't use for operational networks.
# You may safely assume that any packets with 44.128 addresses are 
# bogons unless you're using them for some sort of testing
#
44.128        TEST
#
# International subnet coordinators by country
#
44.129        Japan           JG1SLY  Tak Kushida, 
                              JH3XCU  Joly Kanbayashi
44.130        Germany         DL4TA   Ralf D Kloth
44.131        United Kingdom  G1PLT   Paul Taylor
44.132        Indonesia       YB1BG   Robby Soebiakto
44.133        Spain           EA4DQX  Jose Antonio Garcia. Madrid. 
                              (EA4DQX @ EA4DQX)
44.134        Italy           I2KFX
44.135        Canada          VE3JF   Barry McLarnon
44.136        Australia       VK2ZXQ  John Tanner
44.137        Netherlands     PA0GRI  Gerard Van Der Grinten
44.138        Israel          4X1GP   Peleg Lapid
44.139        Finland         OH1MQK  Matti Aarnio
44.140        Sweden          SM0IES  Lennart
44.141        Norway          LA4JL   Per Eftang
44.142        Switzerland     HB9CAT  Marco Zollinger
44.143        Austria         OE1KDA  Krzysztof Dabrowski
44.144        Belgium         ON7LE
44.145        Denmark         OZ1EUI
44.146        Phillipines     DU1UJ   Eddie Manolo
44.147        New Zealand     ZL2BKC  Wayne Knowles
44.148        Ecuador         HC5K    Ted
44.149        Hong Kong       VS6YHJ  Thomason FAN
44.150        Slovenija       S53FK   Iztok Saje
44.151        France          FC1BQP  Pierre-Francois Monet
44.152        Venezuela       OA4KO/YV5       Luis Suarez
44.153        Argentina       LU7ABF  Pedro Converso
44.154        Greece          SV1UY   Demetre Valaris
44.155        Ireland         EI9GL   Paul Healy
44.156        Hungary         HA8FN   Laszlo Fidrich 
44.157        Chile           CE6EZB  Raul Burgos
44.158        Portugal        CT1DIA  Artur Gomes
44.159        Thailand        HS1JC   Kunchit Charmaraman
44.160        South Africa    ZS6BHD  John
44.161        Luxembourg      LX1YZ   Erny Tontlinger
44.162        Cyprus          5B4TX   C. Costis
44.163.16  Panama
44.163.32  Costa Rica
44.163.48  Nicaragua
44.163.64  Honduras
44.163.80  El Salvador
44.163.96  Guatamala
44.163.112 Belize
44.164.0-127  Surinam         PZ2AC   Otto Morroy
44.164.128-255  Trinidad & Tobago  9Y4WCA  Dr. Patrick Hosein
44.165        Poland          SP5WCA  Andrzej K. Brandt
44.166        Korea           unknown
44.167        India           VU2LBW  Lakshman ("Lucky") Bijanki
44.168        Taiwan          BV5AF   Bolon
44.169        Nigeria         5N0OBA  Kunle
44.170        Croatia         ??      Sinisa Novosel
44.171        Serbia          (none)
44.172        Sri Lanka       4S7EF   Ekendra
44.173        Mexico          (pending)
44.174        Brazil          PP5AQ   Luiz F. Catalan
44.175        Cuba            CO2JA   Jose Amador
44.176        Turkey          TA2LA   Abdul-Hamid Sadka
44.177        Czech Republic  OK2XTE  Karel Odehnal
44.178        Russia          RA3APW  Karen Tadewosyan
44.179        Gibraltar       ZB0D    Jim Watt
44.180        Yugoslavia      YT7MPB  Miroslav Skoric

44.193        Outer Space-AMSAT  W3IWI  Dr Tom Clark

                                        
TCP/IP Software Sources                                        
                                          
The various versions of TCP/IP software may be obtained from  
the following sources:
                                   
IBM-PC/MS-DOS version of NET is available from:  
Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR), 8987-309 East Tanque Verde Rd
No. 337, Tucson, AZ 85749, 
(817) 383-0000 (voice mail), (817) 566-2544 (FAX)

Apple Macintosh version of NET is available from:  
Doug  Thom, N6OYU, c/o Thetherless Access Ltd, 1405 Graywood Dr, 
San Jose, CA 95129-2210 

Atari ST version of NET is available from:  
Mike Curtis, WD6EHR, 7921 Wilkinson Av, N Hollywood, CA 91605-2210 

Commodore Amiga version of NET is available from:  
John Heaton, G1YYH, MCC Network Unit, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 
9PL, England.

There's typically a nominal fee charged to cover the cost of 
disk(s) and postage, so send an SASE first to find out what is 
required.   Also, some versions of TCP/IP software may be 
downloaded from CompuServe's HamNet library 9. 
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