[App_rpt-users] AllStarLink apt-get install

Mon Nov 13 17:36:35 UTC 2017

Great work Steve et al!  This will be great to facilitate a more
streamlined update process (exactly as you have outlined) etc... Kudos man!

JJC
N0PKT

On Mon, Nov 13, 2017 at 10:12 AM, Bryan Fields <bryan at bryanfields.net>
wrote:

> Sorry for the top post, I'm on a phone, but this is awesome.  Thanks for
> all your hard work on this.
>
> And it's blue due to Raleigh Scattering 😀
>
> --
> Bryan Fields
> M: +1-727-409-1194 <(727)%20409-1194>
>
> On Nov 13, 2017, at 12:06, Steve Zingman <szingman at msgstor.com> wrote:
>
>  Since the introduction of DIAL, we have had a number of requests for a
> better method of installing and upgrading AllStarLink. The D in DIAL stands
> for Debian. The Intel/AMD versions of DIAL are built on a slightly modified
> version of the NetInstaller from Debian.
> The Raspberry Pi version of DIAL is built on a modified version of
> Raspbian which is a modified version of Debian. The Intel/AMD installer
> builds ASL from the GitHub repository. The Raspbian image uses pre-compiled
> ASL programs and scripts. A number of people have also wanted to build ASL
> on their own install install of Debian or a derivative. I have tried to
> provide install scripts to accommodate this also. None of these are "easy"
> to upgrade and maintain.
>
>  One of the biggest stumbling blocks to installing ASL is the requirement
> for DAHDI. DAHDI is a set of kernel modules that HAS to be built for the
> running kernel. Every time a user upgraded the kernel, the user had to
> rebuild DAHDI. To say that is a pain is a understatement. A few months ago
> I started using a system call Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS). One of
> the features of DKMS is the ability to install the needed support programs
> and source to build the needed kernel modules. In simple terms Debian calls
> on DKMS to rebuild DAHDI. The big advantage to this is when the kernel is
> upgraded, DKMS tries to rebuild DAHDI. DHADI does not change very often,
> but it does require some maintenance. DKMS has helped to allow users to
> upgrade their host OS and continue to run ASL.
>
>  The other parts of ASL are or should be more fluid. They should be
> changing as new bugs are found and new features are added. Under the
> current system, this sometimes requires downloading and building asterisk
> from the GitHub repository. Not really that hard to do, but it is time
> consuming and error prone. I don't expect users to be Linux software
> experts, though some basic understanding of the OS they use to run their
> repeaters and remote bases would be nice. Due to this complexity, I have
> held off putting out a update to DIAL. There have been some changes in the
> installers and some minor tweaks, but nothing of consequence.  This will
> now start to change. Over the year since we have put the ASL source on
> GitHub, people have contributed changes. These changes have been or will be
> staged and tested. At some point they will be ready to be included in ASL.
> We need a mechanism to easily put these changes to use. I do not want to
> require a user to have to download an new image just to get fixes, upgrades
> and enhancements. It can be done, but should be limited and rare.
>
> I have taken the GitHub main branch(s) and built a Debian repository. What
> this means is the method to install ASL or upgrade ASL will change. Though
> the ARM and Intel/AMD images will be available, they will be built using
> the repository rather then static programs. This also open up the
> possibility of  support for other Debian based distribution. For ARM this
> means support for Armbian <https://www.armbian.com> Armbian is a very
> well done distribution supporting a number of ARM based single board
> computers. Many more boards to choose from! The next release of the images
> will use the repository. This will take some time. In the long run for
> images I will follow Debian. With each new revision of Debian I will
> release a new image. As of today, we are built on Debian 8. The next
> install image will be built on Debian 9 (Stretch) As we progress, the
> repository will also contain programs to enhance ASL. Rather then searching
> for and having how to figure out how to install the program it will become
> as simple as apt-get install Analog_Bridge. I will work with the developers
> to include their programs in the repository.
>
>  OK, so 4 paragraphs to get to the good stuff. How do I use the
> repositories? How do I upgrade my OS and ASL? Why is the sky blue? (Just
> waned to make sure you were still awake) For the adventurous among us here
> we go. In Debian it is quite easy to add a repository. I have built a
> simple script to add the repository for you. You will start with a off the
> shelf image, in this example from Raspbian. Intel/AMD users should get the
> idea. Remember this is a test. Most things will stay the same, some will
> change as issues are found. You can use either Jessie or Stretch image as a
> starting point. A couple of warnings are in order. These are stock images.
> There is NO protection from someone hacking into your machine if you expose
> it before at least changing to default password. A stock Raspbian image
> will not even allow you to use SSH to login the machine without 1 change.
> You must add a file to /boot. The file can be empty but must be named "ssh"
> I have take a stock Raspbian Jessie image and added the file. That is the
> ONLY change I have made to the image. It is available for download from <
> http://dvswitch.org/files/AllStarLink/2017-06-21-
> raspbian-jessie-lite.tar.gz> Extract the image and burn it to a SD card.
> The login is pi and the password is raspberry.
>
> DO NOT DO THIS ON TOP OF YOUR EXISTING DIAL INSTALL
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> You will need to do a few things to you fresh image to prepare for ASL
> install.
>
> sudo -s so you are root
> Use raspi-config to change the login password
> Use the advanced menu from raspi-config to expand the file system to use
> your whole SD card. On exit from raspi-config you will be asked to reboot
>
> After the reboot, log back in and become root.
>
> If you are installing on a fresh Intel/AMD or some other Debian
> derivative, start here.
>
> apt-get update
> apt-get upgrade -y
> At this point this is nothing but a ready to run Raspbian Jessie machine.
>
> cd /tmp
> wget https://github.com/AllStarLink/DIAL/raw/master/
> repository/install-repository
> chmod +x install-repository
> ./install-repository
>
> The ONLY thing the script does is add the new AllStarLink repository.
>
> To install ASL:
> apt-get install allstarlink
>
> When the install completes (yes it does take a while since DAHDI still has
> to be compiled) reboot.
> You should have a fresh install of ASL ready for you to edit the config
> files.
>
> Over the next few weeks, my time will be somewhat limited. When I have a
> update ready I'll post on the list. You will then be able to run apt-get
> upgrade and the changes will be applied to your test machine. Upgrade will
> NOT overwrite your config files.
> If you want to test this on a fresh install of Intel/AMD or the Raspbian
> Stretch, go for it. I have done some quick tests on Raspbian Stretch and it
> does work. Needs at least one bug fix and a LOT more testing.
>
> Last but not least is the support programs that are used to help you
> configure the node and OS. The existing scripts are a MESS. I have a
> completely new set of programs I'll be working on and roll out in time. For
> now, edit the config file and ask questions.
>
> --
> "The nice thing about DIY is that if you break it, you get to keep both
> pieces"
>
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