[arm-allstar] How does Allstarlink work?

[Doug Crompton]

Benjamin,

   First of all you are using an app_rpt subject in an arm_allstar list.
Never should never use a reply on a message from another forum and redirect
to another one or double post. I assume you are talking to the arm-allstar
email list in asking your question.

In answer to your question which is very broad I will narrow it down to how
a connection takes place using both systems in a non technical way.

When your Allstar node comes online (you boot up) it registers with
Allstar. This allows your node information - destination IP address and
port - to be placed in the node database. In turn this database is download
at boot by you and at 10 minute intervals (randomly) by others already
online. This information has to be know at BOTH ends in order for a
connection to take place. Using the non-dns file lookup method you would
not be able to connect at boot to anyone in the database until they had you
routing information. Since the file update timing is determined by their
system until their 10 minute time happened you would not be able to connect
to them. There is also about a 5 minute delay in the databases being update
so this adds to the total time.

Under the DNS system which hamvoip is testing in beta now and about to
release to all there is no database file stored on the individual servers.
Rather when you boot and register your info is immediately put into the DNS
and available for others to interrogate. The time required is seconds
rather than many minutes. So assuming both parties were using the DNS
method a system could come up be registered and connected to the other node
within 20-30 seconds or less. So about as long as it takes to boot a system
you could be connected to your destination assuming they too had DNS lookup.

This also greatly reduces the amount of data being transferred on a daily
basis. To put it in perspective there are as many as 216,000 node database
downloads daily in the Allstar system. If the old method was totally
eliminated on all Allstar nodes there would be 32,400,000,000 bytes or 32.4
terabytes not transferred through the Internet on a daily basis. This
example is based on each node updating 144 times a day, file size 150K,
number of active nodes 1500.

The code to do the DNS lookup will be offered to the Allstar community at
large. Whether they decide to implement it is up to them.

I hope this answers your questions.


*73 Doug*

*WA3DSP*

*http://www.crompton.com/hamradio <http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*



On Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 10:02 PM, Benjamin Naber <Benjamin at project23d.com>
wrote:

> I would like to know how allstarlink works. I could assume specific
> questions, but I'd rather like to start from the top.
>
> I'd like to know from an outside view of what the "DNS" system that has
> been put into place, and if it is a hamvoip thing, or if it is a ASL
> wide system.
>
> I have the basic understanding of node registering, as the fundamental
> IAX2 trunk linking is no different than two Asterisk boxes for a VoIP
> system. There are, obviously, other things at play to make this system
> of ours, work.
>
> Why am I asking? Because I like to know how stuff works, so when I
> bitch about something not working, I have a better understanding as to
> why it does not work, and can ask more intelligent questions.
>
> As entertaining as it may be, exclaiming: The damn thing doesn't work!
> is not a good starting point to getting an issue resolved.
>
> ~Benjamin, KB9LFZ
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