.. _using-main: ****************************** Using Reticulum on Your System ****************************** Reticulum is not installed as a driver or kernel module, as one might expect of a networking stack. Instead, Reticulum is distributed as a Python module, containing the networking core, and a set of utility and daemon programs. This means that no special privileges are required to install or use it. It is also very light-weight, and easy to transfer to, and install on new systems. When you have Reticulum installed, any program or application that uses Reticulum will automatically load and initialise Reticulum when it starts, if it is not already running. In many cases, this approach is sufficient. When any program needs to use Reticulum, it is loaded, initialised, interfaces are brought up, and the program can now communicate over any Reticulum networks available. If another program starts up and also wants access to the same Reticulum network, the already running instance is simply shared. This works for any number of programs running concurrently, and is very easy to use, but depending on your use case, there are other options. Configuration & Data -------------------- Reticulum stores all information that it needs to function in a single file-system directory. When Reticulum is started, it will look for a valid configuration directory in the following places: - ``/etc/reticulum`` - ``~/.config/reticulum`` - ``~/.reticulum`` If no existing configuration directory is found, the directory ``~/.reticulum`` is created, and the default configuration will be automatically created here. You can move it to one of the other locations if you wish. It is also possible to use completely arbitrary configuration directories by specifying the relevant command-line parameters when running Reticulum-based programs. You can also run multiple separate Reticulum instances on the same physical system, either in isolation from each other, or connected together. In most cases, a single physical system will only need to run one Reticulum instance. This can either be launched at boot, as a system service, or simply be brought up when a program needs it. In either case, any number of programs running on the same system will automatically share the same Reticulum instance, if the configuration allows for it, which it does by default. The entire configuration of Reticulum is found in the ``~/.reticulum/config`` file. When Reticulum is first started on a new system, a basic, but fully functional configuration file is created. The default configuration looks like this: .. code:: # This is the default Reticulum config file. # You should probably edit it to include any additional, # interfaces and settings you might need. # Only the most basic options are included in this default # configuration. To see a more verbose, and much longer, # configuration example, you can run the command: # rnsd --exampleconfig [reticulum] # If you enable Transport, your system will route traffic # for other peers, pass announces and serve path requests. # This should only be done for systems that are suited to # act as transport nodes, ie. if they are stationary and # always-on. This directive is optional and can be removed # for brevity. enable_transport = False # By default, the first program to launch the Reticulum # Network Stack will create a shared instance, that other # programs can communicate with. Only the shared instance # opens all the configured interfaces directly, and other # local programs communicate with the shared instance over # a local socket. This is completely transparent to the # user, and should generally be turned on. This directive # is optional and can be removed for brevity. share_instance = Yes # If you want to run multiple *different* shared instances # on the same system, you will need to specify different # shared instance ports for each. The defaults are given # below, and again, these options can be left out if you # don't need them. shared_instance_port = 37428 instance_control_port = 37429 # You can configure Reticulum to panic and forcibly close # if an unrecoverable interface error occurs, such as the # hardware device for an interface disappearing. This is # an optional directive, and can be left out for brevity. # This behaviour is disabled by default. panic_on_interface_error = No [logging] # Valid log levels are 0 through 7: # 0: Log only critical information # 1: Log errors and lower log levels # 2: Log warnings and lower log levels # 3: Log notices and lower log levels # 4: Log info and lower (this is the default) # 5: Verbose logging # 6: Debug logging # 7: Extreme logging loglevel = 4 # The interfaces section defines the physical and virtual # interfaces Reticulum will use to communicate on. This # section will contain examples for a variety of interface # types. You can modify these or use them as a basis for # your own config, or simply remove the unused ones. [interfaces] # This interface enables communication with other # link-local Reticulum nodes over UDP. It does not # need any functional IP infrastructure like routers # or DHCP servers, but will require that at least link- # local IPv6 is enabled in your operating system, which # should be enabled by default in almost any OS. See # the Reticulum Manual for more configuration options. [[Default Interface]] type = AutoInterface interface_enabled = True If Reticulum infrastructure already exists locally, you probably don't need to change anything, and you may already be connected to a wider network. If not, you will probably need to add relevant *interfaces* to the configuration, in order to communicate with other systems. It is a good idea to read the comments and explanations in the above default config. It will teach you the basic concepts you need to understand to configure your network. Once you have done that, take a look at the :ref:`Interfaces` chapter of this manual. Included Utility Programs ------------------------- Reticulum includes a range of useful utilities, both for managing your Reticulum networks, and for carrying out common tasks over Reticulum networks, such as transferring files to remote systems, and executing commands and programs remotely. If you often use Reticulum from several different programs, or simply want Reticulum to stay available all the time, for example if you are hosting a transport node, you might want to run Reticulum as a separate service that other programs, applications and services can utilise. The rnsd Utility ================ It is very easy to run Reticulum as a service. Simply run the included ``rnsd`` command. When ``rnsd`` is running, it will keep all configured interfaces open, handle transport if it is enabled, and allow any other programs to immediately utilise the Reticulum network it is configured for. You can even run multiple instances of rnsd with different configurations on the same system. .. code:: text # Install Reticulum pip3 install rns # Run rnsd rnsd .. code:: text usage: rnsd [-h] [--config CONFIG] [-v] [-q] [--version] Reticulum Network Stack Daemon optional arguments: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory -v, --verbose -q, --quiet --version show program's version number and exit You can easily add ``rnsd`` as an always-on service by :ref:`configuring a service`. The rnstatus Utility ==================== Using the ``rnstatus`` utility, you can view the status of configured Reticulum interfaces, similar to the ``ifconfig`` program. .. code:: text # Run rnstatus rnstatus # Example output Shared Instance[37428] Status : Up Serving : 1 program Rate : 1.00 Gbps Traffic : 83.13 KB↑ 86.10 KB↓ AutoInterface[Local] Status : Up Mode : Full Rate : 10.00 Mbps Peers : 1 reachable Traffic : 63.23 KB↑ 80.17 KB↓ TCPInterface[RNS Testnet Frankfurt/frankfurt.rns.unsigned.io:4965] Status : Up Mode : Full Rate : 10.00 Mbps Traffic : 187.27 KB↑ 74.17 KB↓ RNodeInterface[RNode UHF] Status : Up Mode : Access Point Rate : 1.30 kbps Access : 64-bit IFAC by <…e702c42ba8> Traffic : 8.49 KB↑ 9.23 KB↓ Reticulum Transport Instance <5245a8efe1788c6a1cd36144a270e13b> running .. code:: text usage: rnstatus [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--version] [-a] [-v] Reticulum Network Stack Status optional arguments: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory --version show program's version number and exit -a, --all show all interfaces -v, --verbose The rnpath Utility ==================== With the ``rnpath`` utility, you can look up and view paths for destinations on the Reticulum network. .. code:: text # Run rnpath rnpath c89b4da064bf66d280f0e4d8abfd9806 # Example output Path found, destination is 4 hops away via on TCPInterface[Testnet/frankfurt.connect.reticulu.network:4965] .. code:: text usage: rnpath [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--version] [-t] [-r] [-d] [-D] [-w seconds] [-v] [destination] Reticulum Path Discovery Utility positional arguments: destination hexadecimal hash of the destination optional arguments: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory --version show program's version number and exit -t, --table show all known paths -r, --rates show announce rate info -d, --drop remove the path to a destination -D, --drop-announces drop all queued announces -w seconds timeout before giving up -v, --verbose The rnprobe Utility ==================== The ``rnprobe`` utility lets you probe a destination for connectivity, similar to the ``ping`` program. Please note that probes will only be answered if the specified destination is configured to send proofs for received packets. Many destinations will not have this option enabled, and will not be probable. .. code:: text # Run rnprobe rnprobe example_utilities.echo.request 2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708 # Example output Sent 16 byte probe to <2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708> Valid reply received from <2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708> Round-trip time is 38.469 milliseconds over 2 hops .. code:: text usage: rnprobe [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--version] [-v] [full_name] [destination_hash] Reticulum Probe Utility positional arguments: full_name full destination name in dotted notation destination_hash hexadecimal hash of the destination optional arguments: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory --version show program's version number and exit -v, --verbose The rncp Utility ================ The ``rncp`` utility is a simple file transfer tool. Using it, you can transfer files through Reticulum. .. code:: text # Run rncp on the receiving system, specifying which identities # are allowed to send files rncp --receive -a 1726dbad538775b5bf9b0ea25a4079c8 -a c50cc4e4f7838b6c31f60ab9032cbc62 # From another system, copy a file to the receiving system rncp ~/path/to/file.tgz 73cbd378bb0286ed11a707c13447bb1e You can specify as many allowed senders as needed, or complete disable authentication. .. code:: text usage: rncp [-h] [--config path] [-v] [-q] [-p] [-r] [-b] [-a allowed_hash] [-n] [-w seconds] [--version] [file] [destination] Reticulum File Transfer Utility positional arguments: file file to be transferred destination hexadecimal hash of the receiver optional arguments: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config path path to alternative Reticulum config directory -v, --verbose increase verbosity -q, --quiet decrease verbosity -p, --print-identity print identity and destination info and exit -r, --receive wait for incoming files -b, --no-announce don't announce at program start -a allowed_hash accept from this identity -n, --no-auth accept files from anyone -w seconds sender timeout before giving up --version show program's version number and exit -v, --verbose The rnx Utility ================ The ``rnx`` utility is a basic remote command execution program. It allows you to execute commands on remote systems over Reticulum, and to view returned command output. .. code:: text # Run rnx on the listening system, specifying which identities # are allowed to execute commands rnx --listen -a 941bed5e228775e5a8079fc38b1ccf3f -a 1b03013c25f1c2ca068a4f080b844a10 # From another system, run a command rnx 7a55144adf826958a9529a3bcf08b149 "cat /proc/cpuinfo" # Or enter the interactive mode pseudo-shell rnx 7a55144adf826958a9529a3bcf08b149 -x # The default identity file is stored in # ~/.reticulum/identities/rnx, but you can use # another one, which will be created if it does # not already exist rnx 7a55144adf826958a9529a3bcf08b149 -i /path/to/identity -x You can specify as many allowed senders as needed, or completely disable authentication. .. code:: text usage: rnx [-h] [--config path] [-v] [-q] [-p] [-l] [-i identity] [-x] [-b] [-a allowed_hash] [-n] [-N] [-d] [-m] [-w seconds] [-W seconds] [--stdin STDIN] [--stdout STDOUT] [--stderr STDERR] [--version] [destination] [command] Reticulum Remote Execution Utility positional arguments: destination hexadecimal hash of the listener command command to be execute optional arguments: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config path path to alternative Reticulum config directory -v, --verbose increase verbosity -q, --quiet decrease verbosity -p, --print-identity print identity and destination info and exit -l, --listen listen for incoming commands -i identity path to identity to use -x, --interactive enter interactive mode -b, --no-announce don't announce at program start -a allowed_hash accept from this identity -n, --noauth accept files from anyone -N, --noid don't identify to listener -d, --detailed show detailed result output -m mirror exit code of remote command -w seconds connect and request timeout before giving up -W seconds max result download time --stdin STDIN pass input to stdin --stdout STDOUT max size in bytes of returned stdout --stderr STDERR max size in bytes of returned stderr --version show program's version number and exit The rnodeconf Utility ===================== The ``rnodeconf`` utility allows you to inspect and configure existing :ref:`RNodes`, and to create and provision new :ref:`RNodes` from any supported hardware devices. .. code:: text usage: rnodeconf [-h] [-i] [-a] [-u] [-U] [--fw-version version] [--nocheck] [-C] [-N] [-T] [-b] [-B] [-p] [--freq Hz] [--bw Hz] [--txp dBm] [--sf factor] [--cr rate] [--eeprom-backup] [--eeprom-dump] [--eeprom-wipe] [--version] [port] RNode Configuration and firmware utility. This program allows you to change various settings and startup modes of RNode. It can also install, flash and update the firmware on supported devices. positional arguments: port serial port where RNode is attached options: -h, --help show this help message and exit -i, --info Show device info -a, --autoinstall Automatic installation on various supported devices -u, --update Update firmware to the latest version -U, --force-update Update to specified firmware even if version matches or is older than installed version --fw-version version Use a specific firmware version for update or autoinstall --nocheck Don't check for firmware updates online -e, --extract Extract firmware from connected RNode for later use -E, --use-extracted Use the extracted firmware for autoinstallation or update -C, --clear-cache Clear locally cached firmware files -N, --normal Switch device to normal mode -T, --tnc Switch device to TNC mode -b, --bluetooth-on Turn device bluetooth on -B, --bluetooth-off Turn device bluetooth off -p, --bluetooth-pair Put device into bluetooth pairing mode --freq Hz Frequency in Hz for TNC mode --bw Hz Bandwidth in Hz for TNC mode --txp dBm TX power in dBm for TNC mode --sf factor Spreading factor for TNC mode (7 - 12) --cr rate Coding rate for TNC mode (5 - 8) --eeprom-backup Backup EEPROM to file --eeprom-dump Dump EEPROM to console --eeprom-wipe Unlock and wipe EEPROM --version Print program version and exit For more information on how to create your own RNodes, please read the :ref:`Creating RNodes` section of this manual. Improving System Configuration ------------------------------ If you are setting up a system for permanent use with Reticulum, there is a few system configuration changes that can make this easier to administrate. These changes will be detailed here. Fixed Serial Port Names ======================= On a Reticulum instance with several serial port based interfaces, it can be beneficial to use the fixed device names for the serial ports, instead of the dynamically allocated shorthands such as ``/dev/ttyUSB0``. Under most Debian-based distributions, including Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi OS, these nodes can be found under ``/dev/serial/by-id``. You can use such a device path directly in place of the numbered shorthands. Here is an example of a packet radio TNC configured as such: .. code:: text [[Packet Radio KISS Interface]] type = KISSInterface interface_enabled = True outgoing = true port = /dev/serial/by-id/usb-FTDI_FT230X_Basic_UART_43891CKM-if00-port0 speed = 115200 databits = 8 parity = none stopbits = 1 preamble = 150 txtail = 10 persistence = 200 slottime = 20 Using this methodology avoids potential naming mix-ups where physical devices might be plugged and unplugged in different orders, or when device name assignment varies from one boot to another. .. _using-systemd: Reticulum as a System Service ============================= Instead of starting Reticulum manually, you can install ``rnsd`` as a system service and have it start automatically at boot. If you installed Reticulum with ``pip``, the ``rnsd`` program will most likely be located in a user-local installation path only, which means ``systemd`` will not be able to execute it. In this case, you can simply symlink the ``rnsd`` program into a directory that is in systemd's path: .. code:: text sudo ln -s $(which rnsd) /usr/local/bin/ You can then create the service file ``/etc/systemd/system/rnsd.service`` with the following content: .. code:: text [Unit] Description=Reticulum Network Stack Daemon After=multi-user.target [Service] # If you run Reticulum on WiFi devices, # or other devices that need some extra # time to initialise, you might want to # add a short delay before Reticulum is # started by systemd: # ExecStartPre=/bin/sleep 10 Type=simple Restart=always RestartSec=3 User=USERNAMEHERE ExecStart=rnsd --service [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target Be sure to replace ``USERNAMEHERE`` with the user you want to run ``rnsd`` as. To manually start ``rnsd`` run: .. code:: text sudo systemctl start rnsd If you want to automatically start ``rnsd`` at boot, run: .. code:: text sudo systemctl enable rnsd