HamBSD Goals

Project guidelines

• Follow OpenBSD's security practices and coding style
  • Consistently use style(9) for all kernel code
  • Avoid complex parsing in the kernel, which may lead to not implementing some protocol features
  • Consistently use style(9), pledge(2) and unveil(2) across all userspace code
  • Use privilege-separation when parsing data from network, modem or disk
• Keep the entire code base as unrestricted as possible (at least unrestricted enough to upstream to OpenBSD)

Long-term goals

• Provide a complete amateur radio network stack for OpenBSD
• KISS TNC support:
  • a new kiss(4) line discipline
  • able to use any tty(4) including pty(4)s
  • attached via ldattach(8) (can be done during netstart(8))
• ax25(4) link layer support
  • TCP/IP in AX.25 encapsulation, simply give the interface an IP address
    • Compatibility with Linux hosts
  • AF_AX25 socket support, as a layer 2 (non-routed) protocol only, including:
    • SOCK_DGRAM — AX.25 UI frames
• AX.25 dissection for tcpdump(8)
• a new axkiss(4) network interface for AX.25 over KISS
• a new axtap(4) network interface for tunnels (e.g. APRS-IS and maybe soundmodems)
• a new axeth(4) network pseudo-interface for AX.25 encapsulation in Ethernet
• a new axip(4) network pseudo-interface for AX.25 encapsulation in IPv4/IPv6
• aprsd(8) — a new privilege-separated APRS tracker/digipeater
  • using location data available via the sensors framework, e.g. from nmea(4)
  • using data available via some mechanism from a weather station
• aprsisd(8) — APRS-IS client daemon
  • using (perhaps exclusively) TLS connection to the APRS-IS server
• rkissd(8) — Remote KISS daemon
• softmodem(8) — software modem supporting Bell 103 AFSK, Bell 202 AFSK and PACTOR modes
• Consider the needs of both leisure and emergency operators

Side goals

• A generic network interface driver for different serial line protocols (e.g. both KISS and SLIP)

Non-goals

• In-kernel digipeating
• AX.25 headers are variable length which gets a bit messy. We want to parse as little as possible in the kernel.
• SOCK_SEQPACKET for AF_AX25
• This is a complicated lump of code. There are state machines and timers and all sorts. If you want this, you can do it in userspace using the SOCK_RAW support.
• IPIP (protocol 4 or 94) tunnels
• Perhaps it is possible to be convinced that these are worthwhile, but the idea of a worldwide amateur Internet which joins the public Internet in places just isn't that appealing. Aside from the operating license headaches and potential abuse, it's not clear what services operate in 44net that are really useful for the average operator. It is already possible to establish tunnels using other technologies between sites.