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VK2RQ > SYSOP 30.12.12 12:16l 54 Lines 2499 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 1664_VK2RQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: Virtual machines & Winfbb
Path: IZ3LSV<IV3SCP<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<F1OYP<VK4TUB<VK2RQ
Sent: 121230/1059Z @:VK2RQ.#SYD.NSW.AUS.OC #:1664 [Sydney] $:1664_VK2RQ
From: VK2RQ@VK2RQ.#SYD.NSW.AUS.OC
To : SYSOP@WW
Hi Tubby,
As you know, I just got started into packet recently. I have gone
the Linux route, as that is what I am most comfortable with, and
use a netbook running Linux for the main packet services, and
use VMWare running Linux for testing.
The netbook has soundcards that physically connect to my radios,
and so the machine is physically locted in the shack near the
radios. The machine runs an instance of linux soundmodem for each
radio. I have a ham friend who has a physical TNC in his shack that
is logically connected to a machine in the cloud via a Serial Over
LAN IP connection, so that is one possibility. In my case, since my
TNC is soundmodem running on a netbook, I can and do run a BBS
program on that netbook, and I use Linux FBB running in daemon
mode.
The other option I can do is run BBS software on a separate machine.
In this case, it is a VMWare virtual machine running on my Macbook,
with Linux as a guest operating system. Within the Linux virtual
machine I run BPQ32+BPQMailChat under Wine, using my second callsign.
The virtual machine connects to my main packet station using AX25
tunnelled over UDP/IP (ie. AXUDP).
To get to the virtual machine via RF interfaces connected to
my netbook, it is normally necessary to do NET/ROM routing
via the Linux Node running on the netbook. However, if this
is not desirable, and direct access to the virtual machine
is required via RF, I can brige the soundmodem and AXUDP
interfaces on the netbook using rxecho. Then, RF users can
establish direct AX25 L2 links to the virtual machine without
going via NET/ROM. Of course, instead of running the virtual
machine on my Macbook, I could just as easily run it in the
cloud.
However, the reason I use a virtual machine mainly for development
and testing. It is convenient using a VM, because it makes it easy
to install various OS environments, take snapshots/backups, capture
console output during kernel panics and crashes, etc., so it is
convenient to have the VM running on my main laptop. However, for
running a BBS full time, it is better to run it either on my netbook
or in the cloud. I choose to do the former, since my netbook has
to run full time anyway for the soundmodems, and has sufficient
capacity to run the BBS, but a cloud-based BBS would work equally
well.
Sounds like you are taking the Windoze path Tubby, I look forward
to hearing how that works out for you in a cloud environment.
73, Matt VK2RQ
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