[App_rpt-users] PTTLink Community Update - 7 Jan 2021

[PTTLink Admin]

PTTLink Update:

It’s been a quick past few days and the group wanted to give an update on 
some items:


Implementation of multi-network app_rpt.

Initial efforts have begun to implement multi-network support in app_rpt. 
The concept our team has is to make use of a what is called a network 
prefix code associated with groups wanting to run their own networks. 
PTTLink will be one of the first networks and we expect AllStarLink will 
follow suit.  To help facilitate this we are reserving the first two 
network prefixes with the first to be assigned to AllStarLink (if they 
wish to participate) and the second to PTTLink.  Methods to publicly 
request a network prefix will be created using a similar procedure to 
https://dn42.net. Anyone will be able to request a network prefix using a 
newly created public GitHub repository (more details below).  By doing 
this on GitHub, all requests, and actions are completely visible to the 
community at large.

There are a number of technical challenges. This includes default network 
dialing, keeping backward compatibility with the existing networks, 
selecting a method to dial other networks, and how to securely allow 
connections from other nodes. We’re hoping to have more details on this in 
the coming weeks, and look forward to community comments on our 
recommendations.


Open sourcing PTTLink’s registration systems.

It’s nearly impossible to add more networks to the Amateur Radio VoIP 
landscape without giving more tools to groups to build them. As such, 
we’re putting the final touches on a Python based registration system that 
is easy to configure and use. This can simplify other interested parties 
in forming their own networks. Our goal is to foster innovation within our 
humble corner of the internet and this will hopefully bring us closer. 
Iterations of new registration tools have been in development for a few 
months and were already deployed in experimental phases. This new 
iteration is geared towards general usage as opposed to internal use only. 
To be fully clear, the project to create this was started independently 
several months ago before the  formation of PTTLink.  Only after events 
that created PTTLink was the decision made by the developer to create the 
registration system in Python and license its use for the community.


New GitHub Based Organization.

We believe network agnostic code should not be held by any single network. 
That has the potential to stifle the innovation we believe in. As such, a 
new GitHub based organization was created to house all the community code 
bases associated with the VoIP interconnection of repeaters, this includes 
the above projects this team is releasing to the amateur radio community.: 
Please keep an eye on https://GitHub.com/Apprpt-Central for current and 
future releases.


New PTTLink portal.

With the implementation of multi-network support on app_rpt, we want 
interested parties to have the ability to keep the same node number(s) 
that were originally assigned by AllStarLink (“ASL”) on the PTTLink 
network. Part of this includes a new management portal for nodes within 
the PTTLink network. This isn’t a small feat, given the state of the 
existing codebase. We’ve elected to start from scratch and migrate 
interested parties.


Multi-language node configuration menu.

Looking to make the project more accessible to the community, we are 
implementing multilingual versions for the shell configuration menu, 
starting with the Spanish language, including a first time configuration 
menu.

As follow ups to our Letter to the community:
Regarding not revoking access: We pledge to not remove or modify any post 
on any mailing list, forum, or otherwise within our control. We believe 
everyone is entitled to their opinions. However, there will be times we’ll 
need to end threads, moderate, and maybe forbid someone from posting for 
periods of time. The process for moderation isn’t something to be decided 
quickly, and a better, clearer policy with the expectation of having 
community input will follow.

Of course, in the interest of privacy to those involved, requests from 
individuals regarding their personal information will not be shared with 
anyone else.

A reminder that adding a registration line to your IAX2 config file only 
signals your intent to have the same node number on PTTLink, all call 
routing will still remain on the AllStarLink network until the 
multi-network implementation is added to app_rpt - You should NOT remove 
any existing registration lines unless you no longer want to register with 
that network.


A little about PTTLink:

The PTTLink team is made up of multiple individuals trying to give back to 
the amateur radio community. We strongly believe in sharing knowledge and 
helping others get on the air. We have members from multiple countries and 
look forward to having representation from other nations. Our backgrounds 
include Internet and computer security, major internet and telecom 
networking, project management, and web design.  Rather than speak of our 
individual experience and qualifications, the PTTLink team were the 
developers, administrators, and operations members of the AllStarLink 
network.  During our tenure, AllStarLink moved from a single server to a 
world wide scalable redundant cluster, systems were redesigned, lines upon 
lines of backend code were written then debugged and our team provided all 
user level support.

We look forward to working with community members on the development and 
innovation of interconnecting repeaters, hotspots, and hams all over the 
world, whether it be via the PTTLink Network or your very own network.

Signed,
The PTTLink Team