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@ -53,149 +53,6 @@ and gives example configurations for the respective interface types.</p>
<p>For a high-level overview of how networks can be formed over different interface
types, have a look at the <a class="reference internal" href="networks.html#networks-main"><span class="std std-ref">Building Networks</span></a> chapter of this
manual.</p>
<div class="section" id="common-interface-options">
<span id="interfaces-options"></span><h2>Common Interface Options<a class="headerlink" href="#common-interface-options" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>A number of general configuration options are available on most interfaces.
These can be used to control various aspects of interface behaviour.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">enabled</span></code> option tells Reticulum whether or not
to bring up the interface. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">False</span></code>. For any
interface to be brought up, the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">enabled</span></code> option
must be set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Yes</span></code>.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mode</span></code> option allows selecting the high-level behaviour
of the interface from a number of options.</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><p>The default value is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">full</span></code>. In this mode, all discovery,
meshing and transport functionality is available.</p></li>
<li><p>In the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">access_point</span></code> (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ap</span></code>) mode, the
interface will operate as a network access point. In this
mode, announces will not be automatically broadcasted on
the interface, and paths to destinations on the interface
will have a much shorter expiry time. This mode is useful
for creating interfaces that are mostly quiet, unless when
someone is actually using them. An example of this could
be a radio interface serving a wide area, where users are
expected to connect momentarily, use the network, and then
disappear again.</p></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">outgoing</span></code> option sets whether an interface is allowed
to transmit. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code>. If set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">False</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">No</span></code>
the interface will only receive data, and never transmit.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">network_name</span></code> option sets the virtual network name for
the interface. This allows multiple separate network segments
to exist on the same physical channel or medium.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">passphrase</span></code> option sets an authentication passphrase on
the interface. This option can be used in conjunction with the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">network_name</span></code> option, or be used alone.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ifac_size</span></code> option allows customising the length of the
Interface Authentication Codes carried by each packet on named
and/or authenticated network segments. It is set by default to
a size suitable for the interface in question, but can be set
to a custom size between 8 and 512 bits by using this option.
In normal usage, this option should not be changed from the
default.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_cap</span></code> option lets you configure the maximum
bandwidth to allocate, at any given time, to propagating
announces and other network upkeep traffic. It is configured at
2% by default, and should normally not need to be changed. Can
be set to any value between <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">1</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">100</span></code>.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bitrate</span></code> option configures the interface bitrate.
Reticulum will use interface speeds reported by hardware, or
try to guess a suitable rate when the hardware doesn’t report
any. In most cases, the automatically found rate should be
sufficient, but it can be configured by using the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bitrate</span></code>
option, to set the interface speed in <em>bits per second</em>.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="section" id="interface-modes">
<span id="interfaces-modes"></span><h2>Interface Modes<a class="headerlink" href="#interface-modes" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mode</span></code> setting is available on all interfaces, and allows
selecting the high-level behaviour of the interface from a number of modes.
These modes affect how Reticulum selects paths in the network, how announces
are propagated and how long paths are valid.</p>
<p>Configuring modes on interfaces is not strictly necessary, but can be useful
when building or connecting to more complex networks. When not running a
Transport Node, it is rarely useful to configure an interface mode.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The default value is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">full</span></code>. In this mode, all discovery,
meshing and transport functionality is activated.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">In the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">access_point</span></code> (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ap</span></code>) mode, the
interface will operate as a network access point. In this
mode, announces will not be automatically broadcasted on
the interface, and paths to destinations on the interface
will have a much shorter expiry time. This mode is useful
for creating interfaces that remain quiet, unless when
someone is actually using them. An example of this could
be a radio interface serving a wide area, where users are
expected to connect momentarily, use the network, and then
disappear again.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code> mode should be used on interfaces that are
roaming (physically mobile), seen from the perspective of
other nodes in the network. As an example, if a vehicle is
equipped with an external LoRa interface, and an internal,
WiFi-based interface, that serves devices that are moving
_with_ the vehicle, the external LoRa interface should be
configured as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code>, and the internal interface can
be left in the default mode. With transport enabled, such
a setup will allow all internal devices to reach each other,
and all other devices that are available on the LoRa side
of the network, when they are in range. Devices on the LoRa
side of the network will also be able to reach devices
internal to the vehicle, when it is in range. Paths via
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code> interfaces also expire faster.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The purpose of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code> mode is to specify interfaces
that establish connectivity with network segments that are
significantly different than the one this node exists on.
As an example, if a Reticulum instance is part of a LoRa-based
network, but also has a high-speed connection to a
public Transport Node available on the Internet, the interface
connecting over the Internet should be set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code> mode.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>For a table describing the impact of all modes on announce propagation,
please see the <a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html#understanding-announcepropagation"><span class="std std-ref">Announce Propagation Rules</span></a> section.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="auto-interface">
<span id="interfaces-auto"></span><h2>Auto Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#auto-interface" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>The Auto Interface enables communication with other discoverable Reticulum
@ -653,6 +510,211 @@ beaconing functionality described above.</p>
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" id="common-interface-options">
<span id="interfaces-options"></span><h2>Common Interface Options<a class="headerlink" href="#common-interface-options" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>A number of general configuration options are available on most interfaces.
These can be used to control various aspects of interface behaviour.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">enabled</span></code> option tells Reticulum whether or not
to bring up the interface. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">False</span></code>. For any
interface to be brought up, the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">enabled</span></code> option
must be set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Yes</span></code>.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mode</span></code> option allows selecting the high-level behaviour
of the interface from a number of options.</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><p>The default value is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">full</span></code>. In this mode, all discovery,
meshing and transport functionality is available.</p></li>
<li><p>In the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">access_point</span></code> (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ap</span></code>) mode, the
interface will operate as a network access point. In this
mode, announces will not be automatically broadcasted on
the interface, and paths to destinations on the interface
will have a much shorter expiry time. This mode is useful
for creating interfaces that are mostly quiet, unless when
someone is actually using them. An example of this could
be a radio interface serving a wide area, where users are
expected to connect momentarily, use the network, and then
disappear again.</p></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">outgoing</span></code> option sets whether an interface is allowed
to transmit. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code>. If set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">False</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">No</span></code>
the interface will only receive data, and never transmit.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">network_name</span></code> option sets the virtual network name for
the interface. This allows multiple separate network segments
to exist on the same physical channel or medium.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">passphrase</span></code> option sets an authentication passphrase on
the interface. This option can be used in conjunction with the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">network_name</span></code> option, or be used alone.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ifac_size</span></code> option allows customising the length of the
Interface Authentication Codes carried by each packet on named
and/or authenticated network segments. It is set by default to
a size suitable for the interface in question, but can be set
to a custom size between 8 and 512 bits by using this option.
In normal usage, this option should not be changed from the
default.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_cap</span></code> option lets you configure the maximum
bandwidth to allocate, at any given time, to propagating
announces and other network upkeep traffic. It is configured at
2% by default, and should normally not need to be changed. Can
be set to any value between <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">1</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">100</span></code>.</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div><p><em>If an interface exceeds its announce cap, it will queue announces
for later transmission. Reticulum will always prioritise propagating
announces from nearby nodes first. This ensures that the local
topology is prioritised, and that slow networks are not overwhelmed
by interconnected fast networks.</em></p>
<p><em>Destinations that are rapidly re-announcing will be down-prioritised
further. Trying to get “first-in-line” by announce spamming will have
the exact opposite effect: Getting moved to the back of the queue every
time a new announce from the excessively announcing destination is received.</em></p>
<p><em>This means that it is always beneficial to select a balanced
announce rate, and not announce more often than is actually necesarry
for your application to function.</em></p>
</div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bitrate</span></code> option configures the interface bitrate.
Reticulum will use interface speeds reported by hardware, or
try to guess a suitable rate when the hardware doesn’t report
any. In most cases, the automatically found rate should be
sufficient, but it can be configured by using the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bitrate</span></code>
option, to set the interface speed in <em>bits per second</em>.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="section" id="interface-modes">
<span id="interfaces-modes"></span><h2>Interface Modes<a class="headerlink" href="#interface-modes" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mode</span></code> setting is available on all interfaces, and allows
selecting the high-level behaviour of the interface from a number of modes.
These modes affect how Reticulum selects paths in the network, how announces
are propagated and how long paths are valid.</p>
<p>Configuring modes on interfaces is not strictly necessary, but can be useful
when building or connecting to more complex networks. When not running a
Transport Node, it is rarely useful to configure an interface mode.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The default value is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">full</span></code>. In this mode, all discovery,
meshing and transport functionality is activated.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">In the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">access_point</span></code> (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ap</span></code>) mode, the
interface will operate as a network access point. In this
mode, announces will not be automatically broadcasted on
the interface, and paths to destinations on the interface
will have a much shorter expiry time. This mode is useful
for creating interfaces that remain quiet, unless when
someone is actually using them. An example of this could
be a radio interface serving a wide area, where users are
expected to connect momentarily, use the network, and then
disappear again.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code> mode should be used on interfaces that are
roaming (physically mobile), seen from the perspective of
other nodes in the network. As an example, if a vehicle is
equipped with an external LoRa interface, and an internal,
WiFi-based interface, that serves devices that are moving
_with_ the vehicle, the external LoRa interface should be
configured as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code>, and the internal interface can
be left in the default mode. With transport enabled, such
a setup will allow all internal devices to reach each other,
and all other devices that are available on the LoRa side
of the network, when they are in range. Devices on the LoRa
side of the network will also be able to reach devices
internal to the vehicle, when it is in range. Paths via
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code> interfaces also expire faster.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The purpose of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code> mode is to specify interfaces
that establish connectivity with network segments that are
significantly different than the one this node exists on.
As an example, if a Reticulum instance is part of a LoRa-based
network, but also has a high-speed connection to a
public Transport Node available on the Internet, the interface
connecting over the Internet should be set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code> mode.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>For a table describing the impact of all modes on announce propagation,
please see the <a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html#understanding-announcepropagation"><span class="std std-ref">Announce Propagation Rules</span></a> section.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="announce-rate-control">
<span id="interfaces-announcerates"></span><h2>Announce Rate Control<a class="headerlink" href="#announce-rate-control" title="Permalink to this headline"></a></h2>
<p>The built-in announce control mechanisms and the default <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_cap</span></code>
option described above are sufficient most of the time, but in some cases, especially on fast
interfaces, it may be useful to control the target announce rate. Using the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_target</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_grace</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_penalty</span></code>
options, this can be done on a per-interface basis, and moderates the <em>rate at
which received announces are re-broadcasted to other interfaces</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_target</span></code> option sets the minimum amount of time,
in seconds, that should pass between received announces, for any one
destination. As an example, setting this value to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">3600</span></code> means that
announces <em>received</em> on this interface will only be re-transmitted and
propagated to other interfaces once every hour, no matter how often they
are received.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_grace</span></code> defines the number of times a destination
can violate the announce rate before the target rate is enforced.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_penalty</span></code> configures an extra amount of
time that is added to the normal rate target. As an example, if a penalty
of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">7200</span></code> seconds is defined, once the rate target is enforced, the
destination in question will only have its announces propagated every
3 hours, until it lowers its actual announce rate to within the target.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>These mechanisms, in conjunction with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">annouce_cap</span></code> mechanisms mentioned
above means that it is essential to select a balanced announce strategy for
your destinations. The more balanced you can make this decision, the easier
it will be for your destinations to make it into slower networks that many hops
away. Or you can prioritise only reaching high-capacity networks with more frequent
announces.</p>
<p>Current statistics and information about announce rates can be viewed using the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnpath</span> <span class="pre">-r</span></code> command.</p>
<p>It is important to note that there is no one right or wrong way to set up announce
rates. Slower networks will naturally tend towards using less frequent announces to
conserve bandwidth, while very fast networks can support applications that
need very frequent announces. Reticulum implements these mechanisms to ensure
that a large span of network types can seamlessly <em>co-exist</em> and interconnect.</p>
</div>
</div>
@ -665,8 +727,6 @@ beaconing functionality described above.</p>
<h3><a href="index.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Supported Interfaces</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#common-interface-options">Common Interface Options</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#interface-modes">Interface Modes</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#auto-interface">Auto Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#i2p-interface">I2P Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#tcp-server-interface">TCP Server Interface</a></li>
@ -677,6 +737,9 @@ beaconing functionality described above.</p>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#pipe-interface">Pipe Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#kiss-interface">KISS Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#ax-25-kiss-interface">AX.25 KISS Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#common-interface-options">Common Interface Options</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#interface-modes">Interface Modes</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#announce-rate-control">Announce Rate Control</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>