The TextWin version from Demon Internet Services includes support for DNS server, packet filtering, FTP, SMTP/POP2/POP3 servers, NNTP server, VT102 support, NTP, BBS, SLIP/CSLIP,PPP (I don't know anyone who has gotten this to work), demand dial, ping, hop
check (traceroute equivalent).
From mailto:mike@childsoc.demon.co.uk (Michael Bernardi):
"Demon Internet Services have a dialin Internet service in the UK.
They also support a customised version of KA9Q optimised for
dialup, they also support the PCElm mailer, SNEWS news reader and
a customised front end. There is also a combined NEWS and MAIL
program called CPPNEWS and an alternative MAIL program called
VIEW, these last are unsupported by mailto:Internet@demon.co.uk but other
DIS users do support them. All these programs can be found on
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/ibmpc/ and are written to
work with KA9Q (specifically the DIS version)."
Anthony McCarthy has added a multi-windowing system to KA9Q that
supports the mouse, which has been recommended. See Resource
listings for info.
The DIS release includes three versions, small, medium and large.
The large version includes everything but the kitchen sink, including
an NNTP server. I also believe it includes the KA9Q BBS code, and
radio support.
Editorial: To my mind, the time has come for the major releases to combine
their code bases and produce a version with the best features of all of them.
To my mind, the ideal KA9Q release would be a release combining the improved
server support of the CWRU release with a working PPP implementation, demand
dial, and DNS server support.
C-2. What do I need to run KA9Q? Why won't it do VT-100 emulation?
KA9Q is usually run from a startup script, such as my script
startnos.bat:
\nos\drivers\8003pkdr
\nos\net -d \nos
Here I first load the packet drivers for my 8003 Ethernet card, then
run KA9Q (known as net.exe).
The KA9Q package then reads commands from a configuration file, called
AUTOEXEC.NOS in some implementations, AUTOEXEC.NET in others.
For VT100 emulation with KA9Q, try using Giles Todd's VT102.COM,
available via ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/ibmpc/DIS.
C-3. How do I configure KA9Q as a SLIP dialup connection?
Here is a sample CSLIP only configuration file, which was
written for Demon Internet Service's version of KA9Q (as
are all other KA9Q sample configs in this FAQ):
# This config file is for use with the large TextWin
# version of KA9Q available from ftp.demon.co.uk
#
# Set the host name
#
hostname foobar.com
#
# Configure COM3 on Interrupt 5, at 38400 bps with
# RTS/CTS (c) and Van Jacobsen Compression (v) and
# MTU = 1008
#
attach asy 0x3e8 5 vjslip sl0 8092 1008 38400 cv
ifconfig sl0 ipaddress [192.187.134.3]
ifconfig sl0 netmask 255.255.255.0
dialer sl0 dialer.sl0
#
#
# route all packets over sl0 by default (sl0 is the route
# to the Internet)
#
route add default sl0
#
# Time To Live is the maximum number of hops a packet
# can take before it is thrown away. This command
# prevents packets from looping infinitely.
#
ip ttl 255
#
# The Maximum Segment Size is the largest single
# transmission that you care to receive. An mss of 216
# will force folks to send you packets of 256 characters
# or less (counting the overhead).
#
tcp mss 1048
#
# The Window parameter establishes the maximum number
# of bytes that may be outstanding before your system
# expects an ack. If window is twice as big as mss,
# for example, there will be two active packets on the
# channel at any given time. Large values of window
# provide improved throughput on full-duplex links, but
# are a problem on the air.
# Keep mss <= window <= 2*mss if you're on the air.
#
tcp window 6888
#
# This entry will open net.log in the \spool directory
# and will record the server activity of your system. If
# you don't want a log, comment out this line; if you do,
# make sure you have a \spool directory!
#
log \textwin\spool\net.log
#
# Each of the servers (services you will provide) must
# be turned on before they will be active. The
# following entries turn all of them on. To turn any
# function off use the command 'stop' after NET gets
# fired up, or just comment out the line here.
#
start ftp
ftpopt binary
start echo
start discard
# start telnet
start smtp
# This machine uses primary and seconary DNS servers
# to resolve addresses
domain addserver 192.100.81.101
domain addserver 192.100.81.105
# Command indicating presence of IBM AT
isat on
#
smtp gateway 140.174.7.1
#
#
# THE END
dialer.sl0 file:
# Configuration section.
#
configure:
init "ATZ\r"
dial_cmd "ATDT"
ld_code ""
number "15108658169"
retries 5
#
# Execution section.
#
execute:
#
# Toggle DTR.
#
control down
wait 2000
control up
wait 2000
#
# Initialize the modem.
#
init
wait 3000 "OK"
#
# Dial and wait for connection.
#
dial
wait 45000 "CONNECT"
#
# Now log in.
#
wait 60000 "ogin:"
wait 1000
send "userID\r"
wait 60000 "word:"
send "password\r"
After executing this setup file, you should hear the modem dial out
to your SLIP host. Assuming that the dialing script is correct,
it should login and go into SLIP mode.
Type RESET at the prompt. This kills any residual processes that
may be operating.
At this point you should have a functioning connection. You might
try to ping your host via the command:
PING <host adddress>
If this works, you will then see the round trip time to your host,
in milliseconds.
Other possible diagnostic commands:
ASYSTAT <interface> Gives statistics on packets received, sent, etc.
TRACE <interface> 1011 Shows incoming characters
RIP TRACE 1 Traces RIP packets
HOP CHECK <address> Traces the route to the designated system. Useful
for figuring out routing problems.
C-4. How do I configure KA9Q as a router?
The KA9Q configuration that follows uses two interfaces, one a PPP
interface (pp0), the other an Ethernet interface (lan). Here I
am implementing dial on demand, and can also be doing packet
filtering, and DNS serving on the same box.
Please note the strange interrupt settings (Interrupt 5, port is COM3). One of
the nice things about KA9Q is that it is flexible enough to deal with
such situations.
Here is a sample router configuration file:
# This config file is for use with the large TextWin
# version of KA9Q available from ftp.demon.co.uk
#
# Set the host name
#
hostname gate.foobar.com
#
# Configure COM3 on Interrupt 5, at 38400 bps with
# RTS/CTS (c) and PPP
#
attach asy 0x3e8 5 ppp pp0 8092 576 38400 c
ifconfig pp0 ipaddress [192.187.147.2]
ifconfig pp0 netmask 255.255.255.0
dialer pp0 dialer.ppp demand
#
ppp pp0 trace 2
ppp pp0 quick
ppp pp0 lcp open
ppp pp0 ipcp open
#
# Packet driver installed at software interrupt
# number 0x60.
#
attach packet 0x60 lan 2 1500
ifconfig lan ipaddress [192.187.157.4]
ifconfig lan etmask 255.255.255.0
#
route add default pp0
#
# The local Ethernet has a Class C network address so
# route all IP addresses beginning with 192.187.157 to
# it.
route add 192.187.157/24 lan
#
# Time To Live is the maximum number of hops a packet
# can take before it is thrown away. This command
# prevents packets from looping infinitely.
#
ip ttl 255
#
# The Maximum Segment Size is the largest single
# transmission that you care to receive. An mss of 216
# will force folks to send you packets of 256 characters
# or less (counting the overhead).
#
tcp mss 576
#
# The Window parameter establishes the maximum number
# of bytes that may be outstanding before your system
# expects an ack. If window is twice as big as mss,
# for example, there will be two active packets on the
# channel at any given time. Large values of window
# provide improved throughput on full-duplex links, but
# are a problem on the air.
# Keep mss <= window <= 2*mss if you're on the air.
#
tcp window 6888
#
# This entry will open net.log in the \spool directory
# and will record the server activity of your system. If
# you don't want a log, comment out this line; if you do,
# make sure you have a \spool directory!
#
log \textwin\spool\net.log
#
# Each of the servers (services you will provide) must
# be turned on before they will be active. The
# following entries turn all of them on. To turn any
# function off use the command 'stop' after NET gets
# fired up, or just comment out the line here.
#
start ftp
ftpopt binary
start echo
start discard
start telnet
start smtp
# This machine will act as a DNS server;
# Boot file is c:\textwin\named.boo, configuration
# goes in c:\textwin\spool\zones
domain startdns
# Command indicating presence of IBM AT
isat on
#
smtp gateway 192.187.157.2
#
# Use Router Information Protocol (RIP) to inform
# the router at 192.187.147.253 about the existence
# of the local network. Send RIP packets every 240
# seconds. Only useful for dedicated routers.
rip add 192.187.147.253 240
#
# THE END
dialer.ppp file:
# Configuration section.
#
configure:
init "ATZ\r"
dial_cmd "ATDT"
ld_code ""
number "15108658169"
retries 5
#
# Execution section.
#
execute:
#
# Toggle DTR.
#
control down
wait 2000
control up
wait 2000
#
# Initialize the modem.
#
init
wait 3000 "OK"
#
# Dial and wait for connection.
#
dial
wait 45000 "CONNECT"
#
# Now log in.
#
wait 60000 "ogin:"
wait 1000
send "userID\r"
wait 60000 "word:"
send "password\r"
Here is another routing configuration file, using CSLIP and proxy arp:
# This config file is for use with the large TextWin
# version of KA9Q available from ftp.demon.co.uk
#
# Set the host name
#
hostname gate.foobar.com
#
# Configure COM3 on Interrupt 5, at 38400 bps with
# RTS/CTS (c) and Van Jacobsen Compression (v) and
# MTU = 1008
#
attach asy 0x3e8 5 vjslip sl0 8092 1008 38400 cv
ifconfig sl0 ipaddress [157.151.0.253]
ifconfig sl0 netmask 255.255.255.0
dialer sl0 dialer.sl0
#
#
#
# Packet driver at 0x60; probably an Ethernet card
#
attach packet 0x60 lan 2 1500
ifconfig lan ipaddress [157.151.64.1]
ifconfig lan netmask 255.255.255.0
#
# route all packets over sl0 by default (sl0 is the route
# to the Internet)
#
route add default sl0
#
# The local Ethernet has a Class C network address so
# route all IP addresses beginning with 157.151.64 to it.
