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.. _using-main:
******************************
Using Reticulum on Your System
******************************
Reticulum is not installed as a driver or kernel module, as one might expect
of a networking stack. Instead, Reticulum is distributed as a Python module,
containing the networking core, and a set of utility and daemon programs.
This means that no special privileges are required to install or use it. It
is also very light-weight, and easy to transfer to, and install on new systems.
When you have Reticulum installed, any program or application that uses Reticulum
will automatically load and initialise Reticulum when it starts, if it is not
already running.
In many cases, this approach is sufficient. When any program needs to use
Reticulum, it is loaded, initialised, interfaces are brought up, and the
program can now communicate over any Reticulum networks available. If another
program starts up and also wants access to the same Reticulum network, the already
running instance is simply shared. This works for any number of programs running
concurrently, and is very easy to use, but depending on your use case, there
are other options.
Configuration & Data
--------------------
Reticulum stores all information that it needs to function in a single file-system
directory. When Reticulum is started, it will look for a valid configuration
directory in the following places:
- ``/etc/reticulum``
- ``~/.config/reticulum``
- ``~/.reticulum``
If no existing configuration directory is found, the directory ``~/.reticulum``
is created, and the default configuration will be automatically created here.
You can move it to one of the other locations if you wish.
It is also possible to use completely arbitrary configuration directories by
specifying the relevant command-line parameters when running Reticulum-based
programs. You can also run multiple separate Reticulum instances on the same
physical system, either in isolation from each other, or connected together.
In most cases, a single physical system will only need to run one Reticulum
instance. This can either be launched at boot, as a system service, or simply
be brought up when a program needs it. In either case, any number of programs
running on the same system will automatically share the same Reticulum instance,
if the configuration allows for it, which it does by default.
The entire configuration of Reticulum is found in the ``~/.reticulum/config``
file. When Reticulum is first started on a new system, a basic, but fully functional
configuration file is created. The default configuration looks like this:
.. code::
# This is the default Reticulum config file.
# You should probably edit it to include any additional,
# interfaces and settings you might need.
# Only the most basic options are included in this default
# configuration. To see a more verbose, and much longer,
# configuration example, you can run the command:
# rnsd --exampleconfig
[reticulum]
# If you enable Transport, your system will route traffic
# for other peers, pass announces and serve path requests.
# This should only be done for systems that are suited to
# act as transport nodes, ie. if they are stationary and
# always-on. This directive is optional and can be removed
# for brevity.
enable_transport = False
# By default, the first program to launch the Reticulum
# Network Stack will create a shared instance, that other
# programs can communicate with. Only the shared instance
# opens all the configured interfaces directly, and other
# local programs communicate with the shared instance over
# a local socket. This is completely transparent to the
# user, and should generally be turned on. This directive
# is optional and can be removed for brevity.
share_instance = Yes
# If you want to run multiple *different* shared instances
# on the same system, you will need to specify different
# shared instance ports for each. The defaults are given
# below, and again, these options can be left out if you
# don't need them.
shared_instance_port = 37428
instance_control_port = 37429
# You can configure Reticulum to panic and forcibly close
# if an unrecoverable interface error occurs, such as the
# hardware device for an interface disappearing. This is
# an optional directive, and can be left out for brevity.
# This behaviour is disabled by default.
panic_on_interface_error = No
# When Transport is enabled, it is possible to allow the
# Transport Instance to respond to probe requests from
# the rnprobe utility. This can be a useful tool to test
# connectivity. When this option is enabled, the probe
# destination will be generated from the Identity of the
# Transport Instance, and printed to the log at startup.
# Optional, and disabled by default.
respond_to_probes = No
[logging]
# Valid log levels are 0 through 7:
# 0: Log only critical information
# 1: Log errors and lower log levels
# 2: Log warnings and lower log levels
# 3: Log notices and lower log levels
# 4: Log info and lower (this is the default)
# 5: Verbose logging
# 6: Debug logging
# 7: Extreme logging
loglevel = 4
# The interfaces section defines the physical and virtual
# interfaces Reticulum will use to communicate on. This
# section will contain examples for a variety of interface
# types. You can modify these or use them as a basis for
# your own config, or simply remove the unused ones.
[interfaces]
# This interface enables communication with other
# link-local Reticulum nodes over UDP. It does not
# need any functional IP infrastructure like routers
# or DHCP servers, but will require that at least link-
# local IPv6 is enabled in your operating system, which
# should be enabled by default in almost any OS. See
# the Reticulum Manual for more configuration options.
[[Default Interface]]
type = AutoInterface
interface_enabled = True
If Reticulum infrastructure already exists locally, you probably don't need to
change anything, and you may already be connected to a wider network. If not,
you will probably need to add relevant *interfaces* to the configuration, in
order to communicate with other systems.
You can generate a much more verbose configuration example by running the command:
``rnsd --exampleconfig``
The output includes examples for most interface types supported
by Reticulum, along with additional options and configuration parameters.
It is a good idea to read the comments and explanations in the above default config.
It will teach you the basic concepts you need to understand to configure your network.
Once you have done that, take a look at the :ref:`Interfaces<interfaces-main>` chapter
of this manual.
Included Utility Programs
-------------------------
Reticulum includes a range of useful utilities, both for managing your Reticulum
networks, and for carrying out common tasks over Reticulum networks, such as
transferring files to remote systems, and executing commands and programs remotely.
If you often use Reticulum from several different programs, or simply want
Reticulum to stay available all the time, for example if you are hosting
a transport node, you might want to run Reticulum as a separate service that
other programs, applications and services can utilise.
The rnsd Utility
================
It is very easy to run Reticulum as a service. Simply run the included ``rnsd`` command.
When ``rnsd`` is running, it will keep all configured interfaces open, handle transport if
it is enabled, and allow any other programs to immediately utilise the
Reticulum network it is configured for.
You can even run multiple instances of ``rnsd`` with different configurations on
the same system.
**Usage Examples**
Run ``rnsd``:
.. code:: text
$ rnsd
[2023-08-18 17:59:56] [Notice] Started rnsd version 0.5.8
Run ``rnsd`` in service mode, ensuring all logging output is sent directly to file:
.. code:: text
$ rnsd -s
Generate a verbose and detailed configuration example, with explanations of all the
various configuration options, and interface configuration examples:
.. code:: text
$ rnsd --exampleconfig
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnsd.py [-h] [--config CONFIG] [-v] [-q] [-s] [--exampleconfig] [--version]
Reticulum Network Stack Daemon
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-v, --verbose
-q, --quiet
-s, --service rnsd is running as a service and should log to file
--exampleconfig print verbose configuration example to stdout and exit
--version show program's version number and exit
You can easily add ``rnsd`` as an always-on service by :ref:`configuring a service<using-systemd>`.
The rnstatus Utility
====================
Using the ``rnstatus`` utility, you can view the status of configured Reticulum
interfaces, similar to the ``ifconfig`` program.
**Usage Examples**
Run ``rnstatus``:
.. code:: text
$ rnstatus
Shared Instance[37428]
Status : Up
Serving : 1 program
Rate : 1.00 Gbps
Traffic : 83.13 KB↑
86.10 KB↓
AutoInterface[Local]
Status : Up
Mode : Full
Rate : 10.00 Mbps
Peers : 1 reachable
Traffic : 63.23 KB↑
80.17 KB↓
TCPInterface[RNS Testnet Dublin/dublin.connect.reticulum.network:4965]
Status : Up
Mode : Full
Rate : 10.00 Mbps
Traffic : 187.27 KB↑
74.17 KB↓
RNodeInterface[RNode UHF]
Status : Up
Mode : Access Point
Rate : 1.30 kbps
Access : 64-bit IFAC by <…e702c42ba8>
Traffic : 8.49 KB↑
9.23 KB↓
Reticulum Transport Instance <5245a8efe1788c6a1cd36144a270e13b> running
Filter output to only show some interfaces:
.. code:: text
$ rnstatus rnode
RNodeInterface[RNode UHF]
Status : Up
Mode : Access Point
Rate : 1.30 kbps
Access : 64-bit IFAC by <…e702c42ba8>
Traffic : 8.49 KB↑
9.23 KB↓
Reticulum Transport Instance <5245a8efe1788c6a1cd36144a270e13b> running
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnstatus.py [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--version] [-a] [-j] [-v] [filter]
Reticulum Network Stack Status
positional arguments:
filter only display interfaces with names including filter
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory
--version show program's version number and exit
-a, --all show all interfaces
-j, --json output in JSON format
-v, --verbose
The rnid Utility
====================
With the ``rnid`` utility, you can generate, manage and view Reticulum Identities.
The program can also calculate Destination hashes, and perform encryption and
decryption of files.
Using ``rnid``, it is possible to asymmetrically encrypt files and information for
any Reticulum destination hash, and also to create and verify cryptographic signatures.
**Usage Examples**
Generate a new Identity:
.. code:: text
$ rnid -g ./new_identity
Display Identity key information:
.. code:: text
$ rnid -i ./new_identity -p
Loaded Identity <984b74a3f768bef236af4371e6f248cd> from new_id
Public Key : 0f4259fef4521ab75a3409e353fe9073eb10783b4912a6a9937c57bf44a62c1e
Private Key : Hidden
Encrypt a file for an LXMF user:
.. code:: text
$ rnid -i 8dd57a738226809646089335a6b03695 -e my_file.txt
Recalled Identity <bc7291552be7a58f361522990465165c> for destination <8dd57a738226809646089335a6b03695>
Encrypting my_file.txt
File my_file.txt encrypted for <bc7291552be7a58f361522990465165c> to my_file.txt.rfe
If the Identity for the destination is not already known, you can fetch it from the network by using the ``-R`` command-line option:
.. code:: text
$ rnid -R -i 30602def3b3506a28ed33db6f60cc6c9 -e my_file.txt
Requesting unknown Identity for <30602def3b3506a28ed33db6f60cc6c9>...
Received Identity <2b489d06eaf7c543808c76a5332a447d> for destination <30602def3b3506a28ed33db6f60cc6c9> from the network
Encrypting my_file.txt
File my_file.txt encrypted for <2b489d06eaf7c543808c76a5332a447d> to my_file.txt.rfe
Decrypt a file using the Reticulum Identity it was encrypted for:
.. code:: text
$ rnid -i ./my_identity -d my_file.txt.rfe
Loaded Identity <2225fdeecaf6e2db4556c3c2d7637294> from ./my_identity
Decrypting ./my_file.txt.rfe...
File ./my_file.txt.rfe decrypted with <2225fdeecaf6e2db4556c3c2d7637294> to ./my_file.txt
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnid.py [-h] [--config path] [-i identity] [-g path] [-v] [-q] [-a aspects]
[-H aspects] [-e path] [-d path] [-s path] [-V path] [-r path] [-w path]
[-f] [-R] [-t seconds] [-p] [-P] [--version]
Reticulum Identity & Encryption Utility
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config path path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-i identity, --identity identity
hexadecimal Reticulum Destination hash or path to Identity file
-g path, --generate path
generate a new Identity
-v, --verbose increase verbosity
-q, --quiet decrease verbosity
-a aspects, --announce aspects
announce a destination based on this Identity
-H aspects, --hash aspects
show destination hashes for other aspects for this Identity
-e path, --encrypt path
encrypt file
-d path, --decrypt path
decrypt file
-s path, --sign path sign file
-V path, --validate path
validate signature
-r path, --read path input file path
-w path, --write path
output file path
-f, --force write output even if it overwrites existing files
-R, --request request unknown Identities from the network
-t seconds identity request timeout before giving up
-p, --print-identity print identity info and exit
-P, --print-private allow displaying private keys
--version show program's version number and exit
The rnpath Utility
====================
With the ``rnpath`` utility, you can look up and view paths for
destinations on the Reticulum network.
**Usage Examples**
Resolve path to a destination:
.. code:: text
$ rnpath c89b4da064bf66d280f0e4d8abfd9806
Path found, destination <c89b4da064bf66d280f0e4d8abfd9806> is 4 hops away via <f53a1c4278e0726bb73fcc623d6ce763> on TCPInterface[Testnet/dublin.connect.reticulum.network:4965]
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnpath.py [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--version] [-t] [-r] [-d] [-D]
[-w seconds] [-v] [destination]
Reticulum Path Discovery Utility
positional arguments:
destination hexadecimal hash of the destination
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory
--version show program's version number and exit
-t, --table show all known paths
-r, --rates show announce rate info
-d, --drop remove the path to a destination
-D, --drop-announces drop all queued announces
-w seconds timeout before giving up
-v, --verbose
The rnprobe Utility
====================
The ``rnprobe`` utility lets you probe a destination for connectivity, similar
to the ``ping`` program. Please note that probes will only be answered if the
specified destination is configured to send proofs for received packets. Many
destinations will not have this option enabled, so most destinations will not
be probable.
You can enable a probe-reply destination on Reticulum Transport Instances by
setting the ``respond_to_probes`` configuration directive. Reticulum will then
print the probe destination to the log on Transport Instance startup.
**Usage Examples**
Probe a destination:
.. code:: text
$ rnprobe rnstransport.probe 2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708
Sent 16 byte probe to <2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708>
Valid reply received from <2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708>
Round-trip time is 38.469 milliseconds over 2 hops
Send a larger probe:
.. code:: text
$ rnprobe rnstransport.probe 2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708 -s 256
Sent 16 byte probe to <2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708>
Valid reply received from <2d03725b327348980d570f739a3a5708>
Round-trip time is 38.781 milliseconds over 2 hops
If the interface that receives the probe replies supports reporting radio
parameters such as **RSSI** and **SNR**, the ``rnprobe`` utility will print
these as part of the result as well.
.. code:: text
$ rnprobe rnstransport.probe e7536ee90bd4a440e130490b87a25124
Sent 16 byte probe to <e7536ee90bd4a440e130490b87a25124>
Valid reply received from <e7536ee90bd4a440e130490b87a25124>
Round-trip time is 1.809 seconds over 1 hop [RSSI -73 dBm] [SNR 12.0 dB]
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnprobe [-h] [--config CONFIG] [--version] [-v] [-s SIZE]
[full_name] [destination_hash]
Reticulum Probe Utility
positional arguments:
full_name full destination name in dotted notation
destination_hash hexadecimal hash of the destination
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-s SIZE, --size SIZE size of probe packet payload in bytes
--version show program's version number and exit
-v, --verbose
The rncp Utility
================
The ``rncp`` utility is a simple file transfer tool. Using it, you can transfer
files through Reticulum.
**Usage Examples**
Run rncp on the receiving system, specifying which identities are allowed to send files:
.. code:: text
$ rncp --listen -a 1726dbad538775b5bf9b0ea25a4079c8 -a c50cc4e4f7838b6c31f60ab9032cbc62
You can also specify allowed identity hashes (one per line) in the file ~/.rncp/allowed_identities
and simply running the program in listener mode:
.. code:: text
$ rncp --listen
From another system, copy a file to the receiving system:
.. code:: text
$ rncp ~/path/to/file.tgz 73cbd378bb0286ed11a707c13447bb1e
Or fetch a file from the remote system:
.. code:: text
$ rncp --fetch ~/path/to/file.tgz 73cbd378bb0286ed11a707c13447bb1e
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rncp.py [-h] [--config path] [-v] [-q] [-S] [-l] [-f] [-b seconds]
[-a allowed_hash] [-n] [-p] [-w seconds] [--version] [file] [destination]
Reticulum File Transfer Utility
positional arguments:
file file to be transferred
destination hexadecimal hash of the receiver
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config path path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-v, --verbose increase verbosity
-q, --quiet decrease verbosity
-S, --silent disable transfer progress output
-l, --listen listen for incoming transfer requests
-f, --fetch fetch file from remote listener instead of sending
-b seconds announce interval, 0 to only announce at startup
-a allowed_hash accept from this identity
-n, --no-auth accept files and fetches from anyone
-p, --print-identity print identity and destination info and exit
-w seconds sender timeout before giving up
--version show program's version number and exit
The rnx Utility
================
The ``rnx`` utility is a basic remote command execution program. It allows you to
execute commands on remote systems over Reticulum, and to view returned command
output. For a fully interactive remote shell solution, be sure to also take a look
at the `rnsh <https://github.com/acehoss/rnsh>`_ program.
**Usage Examples**
Run rnx on the listening system, specifying which identities are allowed to execute commands:
.. code:: text
$ rnx --listen -a 941bed5e228775e5a8079fc38b1ccf3f -a 1b03013c25f1c2ca068a4f080b844a10
From another system, run a command on the remote:
.. code:: text
$ rnx 7a55144adf826958a9529a3bcf08b149 "cat /proc/cpuinfo"
Or enter the interactive mode pseudo-shell:
.. code:: text
$ rnx 7a55144adf826958a9529a3bcf08b149 -x
The default identity file is stored in ``~/.reticulum/identities/rnx``, but you can use
another one, which will be created if it does not already exist
.. code:: text
$ rnx 7a55144adf826958a9529a3bcf08b149 -i /path/to/identity -x
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnx [-h] [--config path] [-v] [-q] [-p] [-l] [-i identity] [-x] [-b] [-n] [-N]
[-d] [-m] [-a allowed_hash] [-w seconds] [-W seconds] [--stdin STDIN]
[--stdout STDOUT] [--stderr STDERR] [--version] [destination] [command]
Reticulum Remote Execution Utility
positional arguments:
destination hexadecimal hash of the listener
command command to be execute
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config path path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-v, --verbose increase verbosity
-q, --quiet decrease verbosity
-p, --print-identity print identity and destination info and exit
-l, --listen listen for incoming commands
-i identity path to identity to use
-x, --interactive enter interactive mode
-b, --no-announce don't announce at program start
-a allowed_hash accept from this identity
-n, --noauth accept files from anyone
-N, --noid don't identify to listener
-d, --detailed show detailed result output
-m mirror exit code of remote command
-w seconds connect and request timeout before giving up
-W seconds max result download time
--stdin STDIN pass input to stdin
--stdout STDOUT max size in bytes of returned stdout
--stderr STDERR max size in bytes of returned stderr
--version show program's version number and exit
The rnodeconf Utility
=====================
The ``rnodeconf`` utility allows you to inspect and configure existing :ref:`RNodes<rnode-main>`, and
to create and provision new :ref:`RNodes<rnode-main>` from any supported hardware devices.
**All Command-Line Options**
.. code:: text
usage: rnodeconf.py [-h] [-i] [-a] [-u] [-U] [--fw-version version] [--nocheck] [-e]
[-E] [-C] [--baud-flash baud_flash] [-N] [-T] [-b] [-B] [-p] [-D i]
[--freq Hz] [--bw Hz] [--txp dBm] [--sf factor] [--cr rate]
[--eeprom-backup] [--eeprom-dump] [--eeprom-wipe] [-P]
[--trust-key hexbytes] [--version] [port]
RNode Configuration and firmware utility. This program allows you to change various
settings and startup modes of RNode. It can also install, flash and update the firmware
on supported devices.
positional arguments:
port serial port where RNode is attached
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-i, --info Show device info
-a, --autoinstall Automatic installation on various supported devices
-u, --update Update firmware to the latest version
-U, --force-update Update to specified firmware even if version matches or is older than installed version
--fw-version version Use a specific firmware version for update or autoinstall
--nocheck Don't check for firmware updates online
-e, --extract Extract firmware from connected RNode for later use
-E, --use-extracted Use the extracted firmware for autoinstallation or update
-C, --clear-cache Clear locally cached firmware files
--baud-flash baud_flash
Set specific baud rate when flashing device. Default is 921600
-N, --normal Switch device to normal mode
-T, --tnc Switch device to TNC mode
-b, --bluetooth-on Turn device bluetooth on
-B, --bluetooth-off Turn device bluetooth off
-p, --bluetooth-pair Put device into bluetooth pairing mode
-D i, --display i Set display intensity (0-255)
--freq Hz Frequency in Hz for TNC mode
--bw Hz Bandwidth in Hz for TNC mode
--txp dBm TX power in dBm for TNC mode
--sf factor Spreading factor for TNC mode (7 - 12)
--cr rate Coding rate for TNC mode (5 - 8)
--eeprom-backup Backup EEPROM to file
--eeprom-dump Dump EEPROM to console
--eeprom-wipe Unlock and wipe EEPROM
-P, --public Display public part of signing key
--trust-key hexbytes Public key to trust for device verification
--version Print program version and exit
For more information on how to create your own RNodes, please read the :ref:`Creating RNodes<rnode-creating>`
section of this manual.
Improving System Configuration
------------------------------
If you are setting up a system for permanent use with Reticulum, there is a
few system configuration changes that can make this easier to administrate.
These changes will be detailed here.
Fixed Serial Port Names
=======================
On a Reticulum instance with several serial port based interfaces, it can be
beneficial to use the fixed device names for the serial ports, instead
of the dynamically allocated shorthands such as ``/dev/ttyUSB0``. Under most
Debian-based distributions, including Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi OS, these nodes
can be found under ``/dev/serial/by-id``.
You can use such a device path directly in place of the numbered shorthands.
Here is an example of a packet radio TNC configured as such:
.. code:: text
[[Packet Radio KISS Interface]]
type = KISSInterface
interface_enabled = True
outgoing = true
port = /dev/serial/by-id/usb-FTDI_FT230X_Basic_UART_43891CKM-if00-port0
speed = 115200
databits = 8
parity = none
stopbits = 1
preamble = 150
txtail = 10
persistence = 200
slottime = 20
Using this methodology avoids potential naming mix-ups where physical devices
might be plugged and unplugged in different orders, or when device name
assignment varies from one boot to another.
.. _using-systemd:
Reticulum as a System Service
=============================
Instead of starting Reticulum manually, you can install ``rnsd`` as a system
service and have it start automatically at boot.
If you installed Reticulum with ``pip``, the ``rnsd`` program will most likely
be located in a user-local installation path only, which means ``systemd`` will not
be able to execute it. In this case, you can simply symlink the ``rnsd`` program
into a directory that is in systemd's path:
.. code:: text
sudo ln -s $(which rnsd) /usr/local/bin/
You can then create the service file ``/etc/systemd/system/rnsd.service`` with the
following content:
.. code:: text
[Unit]
Description=Reticulum Network Stack Daemon
After=multi-user.target
[Service]
# If you run Reticulum on WiFi devices,
# or other devices that need some extra
# time to initialise, you might want to
# add a short delay before Reticulum is
# started by systemd:
# ExecStartPre=/bin/sleep 10
Type=simple
Restart=always
RestartSec=3
User=USERNAMEHERE
ExecStart=rnsd --service
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Be sure to replace ``USERNAMEHERE`` with the user you want to run ``rnsd`` as.
To manually start ``rnsd`` run:
.. code:: text
sudo systemctl start rnsd
If you want to automatically start ``rnsd`` at boot, run:
.. code:: text
sudo systemctl enable rnsd
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