Linux and X.25

hi @ll,
I want to make an application for X.25 networks using a linux
box with kernel 2.6.x. I googled "+linux +X.25" but I only got
empty/obsolete links (like man x25). I didn't find any how-to, tutorial
etc... I checked the sources and found a mailing list. I'll be glad if u
can redirect me to links/place where I could find tutorials on how to use
the X.25 layer on linux, exemples of code, infos on X.25 cards handling,
X.25 s options, API type i.e. sockets or TLI/XTI etc ...

Until now the only kind of information I got are from Sangoma, eicon and
Far-sync but their apis are not opensource/GPL and Vendor specific (i.e
made for the cards they sell):-(

ANYTHING WILL DO IT. I m just seeking for up to date information :-( to
develop my application on linux.

Regards,

--
---------------------------------------
Paulo PEREIRA
Paulo-Pereira@wanadoo.fr

Hi Paulo.

> I want to make an application for X.25 networks using a linux
> box with kernel 2.6.x. I googled "+linux +X.25" but I only got
> empty/obsolete links (like man x25). I didn't find any how-to, tutorial
> etc... I checked the sources and found a mailing list. I'll be glad if u
> can redirect me to links/place where I could find tutorials on how to use
> the X.25 layer on linux, exemples of code, infos on X.25 cards handling,
> X.25 s options, API type i.e. sockets or TLI/XTI etc ...
>
> Until now the only kind of information I got are from Sangoma, eicon and
> Far-sync but their apis are not opensource/GPL and Vendor specific (i.e
> made for the cards they sell):-(

You can add The Software Group to your list of X.25 vendors.

There are a couple of ways to get X.25 support in Linux. The first is
to use a commerical package which will include a binary-only X.25 stack.
As you have noted, the APIs to such stack are specific to each vendor's
stack.

The second way is to use the X.25 stack included with the linux kernel
distribution. It was written by a university student and isn't a full
implementation of the X.25 protocol. For example, I think it's missing
support for PVCs. The API that the student chose was sockets. While
it's open, it isn't really portable. I came across a number of X.25
stacks that used a socket interface when porting ISODE to our stack,
but most/all of those don't exist anymore (HPUX's X.25, for example).
Part of the problem is that through sockets, you don't have much control
over things like facilities in the X.25 packets (unless you want to set
custom socket options, but that's a bit clumsy and there goes the
portability).

With the open X.25 stack, it needs a hardware driver to sit below it.
Unfortunately, with the non-OSI model chosen for protocol stacks in Linux,
the driver has to register itself specifically for X.25 (versus PPP,
versus Frame Relay, etc). We created an open version of our SGP board
driver with the necessary hooks to sit below the open X.25 stack. It's
available on our website (select support then downloads). However, our
customers have chosen to use our binary product, so the open source driver
hasn't been maintained to current kernel versions and you'll have to play
with it. There's a readme file in there which will provide a lot more
detail on using the open X.25 stack.

Also, the open X.25 stack is provided with the linux distributions, but
not the application space components (without which the open stack is
useless). They can be hard to find on the net so we've put them on our
website as well. Again, it will be an old version. In this is a
telnet-like application which uses the open X.25 socket API to make an
X.25 call in case you want to learn by example.

Regards,
Steve

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Schefter phone: +1 705 725 9999 x26
The Software Group Limited fax: +1 705 725 9666
642 Welham Road,
Barrie, Ontario CANADA L4N 9A1 Web: www.wanware.com

Hi steve,

thank you very much for these informations, your website (download
section) is a good way to start :-) I'am gonna hack the sgp and kernel
source and try to see what I can learn/use from that.

Paulo.


Steve Schefter wrote:
> Hi Paulo.
>
>
>>I want to make an application for X.25 networks using a linux
>>box with kernel 2.6.x. I googled "+linux +X.25" but I only got
>>empty/obsolete links (like man x25). I didn't find any how-to, tutorial
>>etc... I checked the sources and found a mailing list. I'll be glad if u
>>can redirect me to links/place where I could find tutorials on how to use
>>the X.25 layer on linux, exemples of code, infos on X.25 cards handling,
>>X.25 s options, API type i.e. sockets or TLI/XTI etc ...
>>
>>Until now the only kind of information I got are from Sangoma, eicon and
>>Far-sync but their apis are not opensource/GPL and Vendor specific (i.e
>>made for the cards they sell):-(
>
>
> You can add The Software Group to your list of X.25 vendors.
>
> There are a couple of ways to get X.25 support in Linux. The first is
> to use a commerical package which will include a binary-only X.25 stack.
> As you have noted, the APIs to such stack are specific to each vendor's
> stack.
>
> The second way is to use the X.25 stack included with the linux kernel
> distribution. It was written by a university student and isn't a full
> implementation of the X.25 protocol. For example, I think it's missing
> support for PVCs. The API that the student chose was sockets. While
> it's open, it isn't really portable. I came across a number of X.25
> stacks that used a socket interface when porting ISODE to our stack,
> but most/all of those don't exist anymore (HPUX's X.25, for example).
> Part of the problem is that through sockets, you don't have much control
> over things like facilities in the X.25 packets (unless you want to set
> custom socket options, but that's a bit clumsy and there goes the
> portability).
>
> With the open X.25 stack, it needs a hardware driver to sit below it.
> Unfortunately, with the non-OSI model chosen for protocol stacks in Linux,
> the driver has to register itself specifically for X.25 (versus PPP,
> versus Frame Relay, etc). We created an open version of our SGP board
> driver with the necessary hooks to sit below the open X.25 stack. It's
> available on our website (select support then downloads). However, our
> customers have chosen to use our binary product, so the open source driver
> hasn't been maintained to current kernel versions and you'll have to play
> with it. There's a readme file in there which will provide a lot more
> detail on using the open X.25 stack.
>
> Also, the open X.25 stack is provided with the linux distributions, but
> not the application space components (without which the open stack is
> useless). They can be hard to find on the net so we've put them on our
> website as well. Again, it will be an old version. In this is a
> telnet-like application which uses the open X.25 socket API to make an
> X.25 call in case you want to learn by example.
>
> Regards,
> Steve
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Steve Schefter phone: +1 705 725 9999 x26
> The Software Group Limited fax: +1 705 725 9666
> 642 Welham Road,
> Barrie, Ontario CANADA L4N 9A1 Web: www.wanware.com