Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Help with D-Star related issues
VK5BB
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:31 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5BB »

Hi Jason,

0320 UTC Saturday

OK working through your response,

I fired up my hot spot, logged in, ran Update, drilled in and had a quick look around. The two DExtra_Hosts.txt files are still empty with only the three lines at the top.
When you click on this link what do you see? Is it full or just 3 lines?
http://www.pistar.uk/downloads/DExtra_Hosts.txt
When I open the above, I get a "full" file, with the five lines at the top, eg:

# DExtra_Hosts.txt downloaded from http://www.pistar.uk/downloads/DExtra_Hosts.txt
# DExtra Hosts resolved from the XReflector Directory (http://xrefl.net),
# additional host information sourced from http://xlxapi.rlx.lu/api.php?do=GetReflectorHostname
# Please report issues at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pistarusergroup/
# File created at Saturday 13th of March 2021 02:17:26 AM UTC

and a long listing of the XRF reflectors.

Regarding my SD card, I am using a SanDisk 16GB card and when I run
Code: Select all

df -h
I get the following,

pi-star@pi-star(ro):~$ df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/root 15G 1.7G 13G 12% /
devtmpfs 235M 0 235M 0% /dev
tmpfs 240M 0 240M 0% /dev/shm
tmpfs 32M 11M 22M 33% /run
tmpfs 5.0M 0 5.0M 0% /run/lock
tmpfs 32M 0 32M 0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs 64M 412K 64M 1% /var/log
tmpfs 4.0M 2.2M 1.9M 54% /var/lib/samba/private
tmpfs 1.0M 72K 952K 8% /var/cache/samba
tmpfs 32K 16K 16K 50% /var/lib/dhcpcd5
tmpfs 16K 4.0K 12K 25% /var/lib/logrotate
tmpfs 16K 0 16K 0% /var/lib/sudo
tmpfs 64M 4.0K 64M 1% /tmp
tmpfs 1.0M 0 1.0M 0% /var/lib/nginx/body
tmpfs 64K 4.0K 60K 7% /var/lib/php/sessions
/dev/mmcblk0p1 63M 54M 9.4M 86% /boot
tmpfs 48M 0 48M 0% /run/user/1000

So, to me it looks like there is plenty of spare space??

OK regarding my build to V4.1.4, it was via upgrades, not a new clean install. That could be my next step is to load a fresh SD card with a "clean install" and see what happens.

I also ran the "tracert www.pistar.uk" and got the following response,

"Tracing route to www.pistar.uk [172.67.192.23]
over maximum 30 hops:"

and 7 lines that I could not copy................

73, Ben VK5BB
VK5BB
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:31 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5BB »

Hi Jason,

Well you picked that one, it seems that my SSH screen was limiting what I see.

I opened the SSH screen up and the text is as follows,

# DExtra_Hosts.txt downloaded from http://www.pistar.uk/downloads/DExtra_NoXRF_Hosts.txt
# Please report issues at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pistarusergroup/
# File created at Saturday 13th of March 2021 02:17:28 AM UTC

So?? Is my/our systems trying to download the wrong files?

How do we fix this?
Andy??

Thanks for your input, it is a "curly one!"

73, Ben VK5BB
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G8SEZ
Posts: 553
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:26 pm

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by G8SEZ »

Have a look in /etc and see if hostiles.nodextra exists, if it does remove it and update again.
--

Brian G8SEZ
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G8SEZ
Posts: 553
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:26 pm

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by G8SEZ »

KE7FNS wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:02 pm
G8SEZ wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:11 pm Have a look in /etc and see if hostiles.nodextra exists, if it does remove it and update again.
He shouldn't have to manually remove the file. There should be an option in his configuration page named "Connect ircDDB for call routing" that enables it or disables it, effectively creating or deleting the file for him.

The question is still why does it not work when it is on?
I was wondering if removing it would help, because I assume then that the config page should have that setting showing as disabled and setting it back on might do something else less obvious. The way the config scripts are interpreted makes tracking these type of problems more difficult.

However I'm inclined to agree that the link to the file at the pistar.uk site is not producing the correct output so the problem seems to be behind the scenes there.
--

Brian G8SEZ
VK5BB
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:31 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5BB »

Hi Jason, Brian,

0010 UTC Sunday 14 March.

Thanks for persevering with this.

Jason, I ran the hot spot over night and there were no update results in the files we have been discussing. The dates in the header script updated, no other data loaded. I am aware that the unit updated over night as mine is set for manual connection to my default reflector, VK5RWN C and it was not connected this morning.

Brian, I had a look in /etc and yes there is a file 'hostfiles.nodextra' though at this time I have not deleted it as I am not sure why I should need to?

Regarding the Configuration pages, in the D-Star Configuration panel there is a button "Callsign Routing | Connect ircDDB for call routing".
When I first identified the problem of not being able to link pi-star hot spot to another pi-star host spot, Andy advised that the openquad.net server had changed and to switch off this switch, update and switch it back on, update, to allow the pi-star to connect to the new server. I have tried this but it has not fixed the connectivity problem, and where my "digging" identified the issue with the updates to the DExtra_Hosts.txt files.

At this time it is my opinion that there has been some changes behind the scenes with the Upgrade to V4.1.4 that has subtle changes to the way Pi-Star operates.

Andy might be able to through some light on the matter?

73, Ben VK5BB
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G8SEZ
Posts: 553
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:26 pm

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by G8SEZ »

It looks that way, I don't think we can do much more. FWIW I think that Pi-Star may actually be working as designed but the problem is in the host files being provided. You are suffering because you are using one of the less-used features of Pi-Star.
--

Brian G8SEZ
VK5BB
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:31 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5BB »

Hi Brian, Jason,

Well this is a "curly" one!

I have just finished a "Clean Install" using the V4.1.4 3-Feb-2021 image.

Reloaded all my personal configurations and the Nextion Drivers etc.

Once all configured and working OK, I then ran Updates then checked the following files,

/usr/local/etc/DExtra_Hosts.txt, empty with the same three line header as before,

# DExtra_Hosts.txt downloaded from http://www.pistar.uk/downloads/DExtra_NoXRF_Hosts.txt
# Please report issues at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pistarusergroup/
# File created at Monday 15th of March 2021 05:17:34 AM UTC

and, /usr/local/etc/DExtra_Hosts.txt.20210315 and it was now loaded! with the five line header information!

However, after running several minor configuration changes, I again ran Update!

Now when I check the file at /usr/local/etc/DExtra_Hosts.txt.20210315, it is no longer loaded and now has the following header message,

# DExtra_Hosts.txt downloaded from http://www.pistar.uk/downloads/DExtra_NoXRF_Hosts.txt
# Please report issues at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pistarusergroup/
# File created at Monday 15th of March 2021 03:17:28 AM UTC

This is now way above my "Pay Grade" so I don't have a clue as to what is going on??

I am yet to edit the DExtra_Hosts.txt file at root /DExtra_Hosts.txt as that appears to be the only way I can link hot spot to hot spot these days. Still playing around with this function to get Call Sign Routing to individual hot spots to work.

In the earlier version V4.1.2_20-May-2020, that I was running until the upgrade to 4.1.4, I did not need to do anything special other than enter the destination callsignBL to link to the destination hot spot.

So there has been some subtle changes somewhere as this method of linking no longer seems to work???

However, I can link to many XRF, DCS and XLX reflectors both from the dash board or via radio commands, so that side is working, as well as the older REF Dplus reflectors.

Thanks for trying to help, I think we have to wait for those with some idea of what might be happening to comment,

73, Ben VK5BB
VK5BB
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:31 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5BB »

Hi Jason,

Yes my router supports uPNP and yes it is switched on.

From my home network side of things, there have been no changes from when I was able to link hot spot to hot spot.
In your expert configuration you have this set, correct?
Within the Expert Configuration, I am presuming you are referring to the ircDDB Gateway page?
If so yes.
ircddbHostname = ircv4.openquad.net
73, Ben VK5BB
VK5BB
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:31 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5BB »

Hi Jason,
I have checked my home router and I have 11 clients listed all to the same IP address, (192.168.1.110) which is the hot spot.
Ports, 30001, 20001, 30051, 30062, 30064, 40000, 30061, 42000, 42010, 42001, 30063, are all UDP to internal and external matching ports.

I can't respond regarding my mates configuration as he is currently not available. Though we have previously been able to link, via his home QTH system and also via his portable Telco Internet access point, all without needing to review IP addresses, only using callsignBL in the UR field to establish the link.

Yes I think it must be in the way the ircDDB system is handling Call Routing these days? Back a couple of months ago, all we needed to do was to put in the destination cal sign and link to that to establish the linking of the two hot spots.

It seems that there were "behind the scenes" changes that coincided with the Pi-Star upgrades and it was around this time we lost the linking feature.

We can re-establish the feature, but we have to manually load the destination call sign and IP address into the Hosts.txt files, and I do not believe that this is the way to achieved the function?

We need to work out what changed "behind the scenes" and see if that can be corrected or fixed?

73, Ben VK5BB
VK5VC
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:06 am

Re: Pi-Star Hot Spot to Hot Spot connectivity?

Post by VK5VC »

Hi Jason

I am Charlie VK5VC one of the other hams here in Adelaide that is trying to connect with Ben hotspot to hotspot.

In answer to your questions.
Yes my router does support UPnP and it is enabled. The ports listed are: 20001,42000, 30062, 40000, 30063, 42010, 30064, 30061, 42001, 30051, 30001

In the expert configuration ircDDBgateway is set .

I have been watching with interest this discussion

73’s Charlie VK5VC
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