[aprssig] Designating HOME Igates

[AE5PL Lists]

A different approach to your thought which could be implemented today
without changes in any IGate software (something that definitely needs
to be considered since UI-View is no longer in development):

A message sent to a server asking for the last posit seen for a specific
station.  The message would be acked by the server providing normal
operation.  Then, the server would send an unnumbered message containing
information such as "Last posit was X minutes ago" using the
callsign-SSID of the station queried about.  An unnumbered message is
not acked so there will be no problem caused by attempted acking.  Along
with that message would be the last posit received for the station.

Now the downside of this approach: it will appear that the posit was
sent again by the queried station.  It would be possible to create a
posit for the station which would be identifiable by the database
programs as originating from the "last posit" server.  Packets would
appear to originate from the queried station when, in fact, they come
from the server.  Also, the query will need to be initiated by the user
(not automatic), but this might also be considered to be an upside.

The upside is that no carte blanche gating will occur.  Also, no changes
to IGate, APRS-IS server, or client software need be implemented.  Only
updates to the database servers such as findU, jFindu, and APRSWorld
would need to be updated to identify the response packets.  And of
course, the "last posit" server would need to be implemented but this
would be fairly trivial for something like jFindu.

73,

Pete Loveall AE5PL
mailto:pete at ae5pl.net 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wes Johnston
> Posted At: Saturday, June 18, 2005 8:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [aprssig] Designating HOME Igates
> 
> Another way (which I prefer) is a subscription - by the 
> person wanting to see the traveller.  In your suggestion, you 
> said that the traveller must send a message to the "home 
> igate".  In my suggestion, I'll say that the person wanting 
> to see the traveller must send a message to the igate.  The 
> message needs to be general in nature (no specific IGATE 
> callsign needed), and should cause the IGATE to send position 
> reports from the requested station - but only for 30 minutes.