This version is feature complete, just need to find remaining bugs.
Detailed information and installation instructions can be found here:
http://www.trevorsbench.com/meshchat-messaging-for-mesh-networks/
**** Action Script support is now ready for testing. More info here: http://www.trevorsbench.com/mesh-chat-action-scripts/ ****
Installation is the same for v0.7b4 as in the blog post link above. Doc and blog post will be updated when beta is finished. Just change the files for these ones:
AREDN Node: https://s3.amazonaws.com/aredn/meshchat_0.7b4_all.ipk
Raspberry Pi: https://s3.amazonaws.com/aredn/meshchat_0.7b4_all.deb
This is a BETA version. Bugs guaranteed. Please try it and let me know what you find. This will place nicely with v0.6. v0.6 will display all messages regardless of channel from v0.7. You can install this version right over top of any existing version of meshchat.
**** Raspberry Pi / Debian / Linux Users ****
After you install the package you need to edit this file:
/usr/lib/cgi-bin/meshchatconfig.pm
These 2 lines at the bottom:
our $pi_zone = 'MeshChat'; our $local_meshchat_node = 'k7fpv';
$pi_zone is the zone that mesh chat should sync with. Zones are described in the release notes below.
$local_meshchat_node is a AREDN node on your mesh running mesh chat v0.7. The Pi queries this node to get the node list it should poll for the zone it belongs too.
Once those config file changes are made, restart the daemon:
sudo /etc/init.d/meshchatsync stop sudo /etc/init.d/meshchatsync start
So to run mesh chat on a Pi you need to have the same version of mesh chat installed on a AREDN node somewhere on your mesh.
**** If you change your Zone on an AREDN node it is recommenced that your reboot the node for it take effect. ****
v0.7b4 Release Notes:
UI queries the message db version and only downloads when it does not match what it has loaded. This dramatically reduces the network traffic and load on the node.
Tighten up white space to bring messages above the fold
Added message search
Change file list sync to use one file per node vs a merged db
v0.7b3 Release Notes:
Action Scripts ready for testing
Ctrl-Enter will send a message vs clicking the Send button
v0.7b2 Release Notes:
v0.7b1 Release Notes:
Zones: You can now have segmented mesh chat databases on a single mesh. Mesh chat looks up the service name it has been given in OLSR. The default is MeshChat. It will only sync with other nodes / pi's that share the same service name. Now you can setup SoCalMeshChat, UtahMeshChat, etc and only the nodes with the same service name will sync with each other. Now when you tunnel into another mesh you won't dump your whole message db into their mesh chat, unless of course you share the same service name.
Change max message db size from bytes to 500 max messages: There was some issues when the db would get full, the whole db would get sent over every sync since the version did not match. To make things simple and robust all message db's are limited to 500 messages so when it is full, the quick version check works properly. Message db's are now stored in sorted order as part of this change too.
Added channels: You select or create a new channel when you send a message. You can select the drop down filter at the top of the message pane to select which messages to display. All message db's contain messages from all channels. They are filtered client side with the display filter.
Action scripts: Action scripts are only supported on the Pi version. This is pretty much done but needs more testing. If you feel adventurous you can add a line in /etc/meshchat_actions.conf You can read the comments in that file on what kind of matches you can do. I have a SMS gateway and archive working. More details and code to come.
Happy PI day everybody. (Also Einstein's birthday).
On the pi version - long file names spill into the next column (this is not a problem in the ubiquiti version).
More of an issue is that I find that I cannot access files, uploaded by ras pi, from the ubiquiti side.
I get the ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED message.
I can retrieve them ok from the ras pi side.
I found that the link reported for the file does not consider the port being used. For example :
http://ke2n-raspbx/cgi-bin/meshchat?action=file_download&file=ke2n-mobile.jpg
http://ke2n-raspbx:8080/cgi-bin/meshchat?action=file_download&file=ke2n-mobile.jpg
When you ask for the file from the non-ras node you do not get any port number - if I manually insert ":8080", of course, it works.
Apparently the browser needs an explicit port number when it comes to downloading a file (?)
The problem is that the raspberry pi version posts links that are missing the :8080 port designation.
It's a deficiency that I am sure Trevor will patch on the next go-around.
Yeah I was counting on Pi users running apache on something other than port 80. I'll fix it in b5.
This would appear to be self-inflicted. When installing the mesh chat on my FreePBX, the first thing I did was set the http listening port to 8080, because I saw that all the AREDN stuff used that port. Still - it be good to follow the way that advertised services links are done in the Mesh Node - the URL incorporates a specific port designation....
If a file name with a space in it is saved, the file name that is saved, does not have the space or letters past space saved, and gets a bin extention.
Ron
It was a file that Andre K6AH uploaded so do not have upload environment. Name shown was Woodson Explanation.xlsx download file was Woodson.bin I am using windows so don't think it would add a .bin
Ron
Andre
Looks like a issue with SeaMonkey could also apply to it's relatives Mozilla, Firefox, Thunderbird.
b5 did fix SeaMonkey.
Good job.
Thanks
Ron
http://www.aredn.org/content/meshchat-v07b5-released
We are thrashing Meshchat V0.7b5 on our small, two county, still isolated, island.
There are only 5 of us using it so far and we have been discovering well implemented, well designed capability every time we look closely.
An unanticipated 'use-case' for Meshchat is to log SNR and throughput as you survey various locations post installation of Mtn Top infrastructure. If you get a good enough signal to use MeshChat you know you have a useful location for whatever type of MESHMobile gear or GoBox you are using
When I compare Meshchat to many other EmComm oriented messaging systems I'm blown away by how well you have designed and integrated Meshchat (& the embryonic yet very enticing Video Chat) into AREDN. Those two apps coupled with real broadband connectivity will effect a revolution re: how Amateurs can provide EmComm support to managers who will immediately recognize the benefits of using their own handsets (cellphones) and Office equipment.
The ability to use Meshchat to pass files on RPIs or other linux host computers makes it the 'does nearly everything' messaging environment for real time tactical communications.
Do you know if anyone is working on a 'Meshchat Handy User Guide' or do you have any more complete instructions someplace I haven't found yet?
Your message above is the most complete intro to Meshchat I've seen to-date. I haven't yet undertaken digesting the 'Action Script' capability so pls forgive if having done so would answer any or all my questions. Can you predict whether Meschhat will be happiest with any specific RasPi (3) distro?
Is it your design intent to leave Meshchat entirely open with no call sign or other 'login' validation, or do you see eventually having the option of making specific channels invisible w/out some kind of user ID, callsign or tactical, check? I'm thinking of Meshchat as a Served Agency real time texting utility wherein they might prefer to not see 'our' background noise.
Also, will the 'alldeb' version of Meshchat replicate File Spaces among itself and gracefully address widely different file space situations (MBs vs GBs vs TBs)?
Re: VideoChat - the problem of audio echo feedback on most laptops/computers pretty much requires use of a headset.
We recently discovered that a recent MAC Pro (Jan 2013) very much minimized the problem and almost permitted headphone free Audio Video 'chat' without any audio echoing issue. Possibly the noise cancelation hardware is simply better than on the other computers we've tried to use, including an new M$oft Surface Pro 4.
We haven't yet tried something like a JamBox as speaker/microphone for the audio I/O (I'm guessing they have to have good audio feedback cancelation) but I'm curious if you believe you will be able to solve the problem with software and make Video Chat 'auxiliary headset and/or noise canceling microphone free' and immediately useful from pretty much any BYOD Served Agency laptops?
Thank you very much, please don't stop<g>.
73, ...dan wl7coo
I should have listened to my instinct more carefully ...'his code is so good he must have some decent documentation too'.
http://www.trevorsbench.com/meshchat-messaging-for-mesh-networks/
How about we just pretend I never wrote much of yesterday's message?
'slow is smooth, smooth is fast' .... maybe someday.
73, ...dan wl7coo
It kind of looked like the Package removal never finished on either of them, after many minutes. I confirmed the package was no longer listed as installed, and reooted.
On the first one, the Service is still listed on the mesh page:http: //w6bi-24-0.local.mesh:8080/meshchat. Clicking on it takes you to an apparently functional MeshChat page. But clicking on (for example) Status gives you:
Not Found
The requested URL /meshchat/status.html was not found on this server.
Clicking on Files yields a similar error (even after rebooting).
On the second server, after removing the package and rebooting, verified the package was no longer listed.
Click on the MeshChat service gives this:
Index of /meshchat/
- ../
- db/
In both cases it looks like the removal was partial.modified: Thu, 30 Jun 2016 00:39:21 GMT
directory - 0.00 kbyte
modified: Thu, 30 Jun 2016 00:39:21 GMT
directory - 0.00 kbyte
Anyone else seen this?
In addition to reporting a possible bug, I'd like some guidance on finishing the removals manually.
Thanks.
Orv W6BI