Procházet zdrojové kódy

Notes on the software freedom status of the Beaglebone Black

Bob Mottram před 8 roky
rodič
revize
5a38e348f6
No account linked to committer's email
2 změnil soubory, kde provedl 52 přidání a 46 odebrání
  1. 3
    1
      doc/EN/mesh.org
  2. 49
    45
      website/EN/mesh.html

+ 3
- 1
doc/EN/mesh.org Zobrazit soubor

@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ sudo dd bs=1M if=mesh-client-insecure-i386-20160913.img of=/dev/sdX conv=fdatasy
76 76
 #+end_src
77 77
 
78 78
 ** Router images
79
-Routers are intended to build network coverage for an area using small and low cost hardware. You can bolt them to walls or leave them on window ledges. They don't have any user interface and their only job is to haul network traffic across the mesh. Copy the image to a microSD card and insert it into the router, plug in an Atheros wifi dongle and power on. That should be all you need to do.
79
+Routers are intended to build network coverage for an area using small and low cost hardware. You can bolt them to walls or leave them on window ledges. They don't have any user interface and their only job is to haul network traffic across the mesh and to enable peers to find each other via running bootstrap nodes for Tox and IPFS. Copy the image to a microSD card and insert it into the router, plug in an Atheros wifi dongle and power on. That should be all you need to do.
80 80
 *** Beaglebone Black
81 81
 #+BEGIN_CENTER
82 82
 [[file:images/mesh_router.jpg]]
@@ -97,6 +97,8 @@ sudo dd bs=1M if=mesh-router-beaglebone-black-20160913.img of=/dev/sdX conv=fdat
97 97
 
98 98
 If you have a few Beaglebone Blacks to use as routers then repeat the /dd/ command to create however many microSD cards you need.
99 99
 
100
+There is still a software freedom issue with the Beaglebone Black, but it doesn't prevent you from running a fully free system on the board. The TI AM335X SOC has a PowerVR SGX530 GPU which will only run with a proprietary blob, but this would only be an issue for systems with a monitor or LCD screen attached running a desktop environment which also needs GPU acceleration. For "headless" systems such as servers or mesh routers this isn't a problem.
101
+
100 102
 * Building Disk Images
101 103
 It's better not to trust images downloaded from random places on the interwebs. Chances are that unless you are in the web of trust of the above GPG signatures then they don't mean very much to you. If you actually want something trustworthy then build the images from scratch. It will take some time. Here's how to do it.
102 104
 

+ 49
- 45
website/EN/mesh.html Zobrazit soubor

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
3 3
 "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
4 4
 <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
5 5
 <head>
6
-<!-- 2016-09-14 Wed 16:00 -->
6
+<!-- 2016-09-14 Wed 22:49 -->
7 7
 <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" />
8 8
 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
9 9
 <title></title>
@@ -272,13 +272,13 @@ for the JavaScript code in this tag.
272 272
 </colgroup>
273 273
 <tbody>
274 274
 <tr>
275
-<td class="org-left"><a href="#org1c078d0">What the system can do</a></td>
275
+<td class="org-left"><a href="#org3143035">What the system can do</a></td>
276 276
 <td class="org-left">-</td>
277
-<td class="org-left"><a href="#org6eeb8a9">Disk Images</a></td>
277
+<td class="org-left"><a href="#org91a9af4">Disk Images</a></td>
278 278
 <td class="org-left">-</td>
279
-<td class="org-left"><a href="#org846c266">Building Disk Images</a></td>
279
+<td class="org-left"><a href="#org5776287">Building Disk Images</a></td>
280 280
 <td class="org-left">-</td>
281
-<td class="org-left"><a href="#orgd3e14e6">How to use it</a></td>
281
+<td class="org-left"><a href="#org5c71eab">How to use it</a></td>
282 282
 </tr>
283 283
 </tbody>
284 284
 </table>
@@ -287,9 +287,9 @@ for the JavaScript code in this tag.
287 287
 Mesh networks are useful as a quick way to make a fully decentralised communications system which is not connected to or reliant upon the internet. Think festivals, hacker conferences, onboard ships at sea, disaster/war zones, small business internal office communications, protests, remote areas of the world, temporary "digital blackouts", scientific expeditions and off-world space colonies. The down side is that you can't access any internet content. The upside is that you can securely communicate with anyone on the local mesh. No ISPs. No payments or subscriptions beyond the cost of obtaining the hardware. Systems need to be within wifi range of each other for the mesh to be created. It can be an ultra-convenient way to do purely local communications.
288 288
 </p>
289 289
 
290
-<div id="outline-container-org1c078d0" class="outline-2">
291
-<h2 id="org1c078d0">What the system can do</h2>
292
-<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org1c078d0">
290
+<div id="outline-container-org3143035" class="outline-2">
291
+<h2 id="org3143035">What the system can do</h2>
292
+<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org3143035">
293 293
 <ul class="org-ul">
294 294
 <li>Discovery of other users on the network</li>
295 295
 <li>Text based chat, one-to-one and in groups</li>
@@ -310,12 +310,12 @@ This system should be quite scalable. Both qTox and IPFS are based upon distribu
310 310
 </div>
311 311
 </div>
312 312
 
313
-<div id="outline-container-org6eeb8a9" class="outline-2">
314
-<h2 id="org6eeb8a9">Disk Images</h2>
315
-<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org6eeb8a9">
316
-</div><div id="outline-container-orgc8f7234" class="outline-3">
317
-<h3 id="orgc8f7234">Client images</h3>
318
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-orgc8f7234">
313
+<div id="outline-container-org91a9af4" class="outline-2">
314
+<h2 id="org91a9af4">Disk Images</h2>
315
+<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org91a9af4">
316
+</div><div id="outline-container-orgaa7920a" class="outline-3">
317
+<h3 id="orgaa7920a">Client images</h3>
318
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-orgaa7920a">
319 319
 <div class="org-center">
320 320
 
321 321
 <div class="figure">
@@ -364,16 +364,16 @@ sudo dd <span class="org-variable-name">bs</span>=1M <span class="org-variable-n
364 364
 </div>
365 365
 </div>
366 366
 
367
-<div id="outline-container-org9b16059" class="outline-3">
368
-<h3 id="org9b16059">Router images</h3>
369
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org9b16059">
367
+<div id="outline-container-org546709f" class="outline-3">
368
+<h3 id="org546709f">Router images</h3>
369
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org546709f">
370 370
 <p>
371
-Routers are intended to build network coverage for an area using small and low cost hardware. You can bolt them to walls or leave them on window ledges. They don't have any user interface and their only job is to haul network traffic across the mesh. Copy the image to a microSD card and insert it into the router, plug in an Atheros wifi dongle and power on. That should be all you need to do.
371
+Routers are intended to build network coverage for an area using small and low cost hardware. You can bolt them to walls or leave them on window ledges. They don't have any user interface and their only job is to haul network traffic across the mesh and to enable peers to find each other via running bootstrap nodes for Tox and IPFS. Copy the image to a microSD card and insert it into the router, plug in an Atheros wifi dongle and power on. That should be all you need to do.
372 372
 </p>
373 373
 </div>
374
-<div id="outline-container-orgf9925aa" class="outline-4">
375
-<h4 id="orgf9925aa">Beaglebone Black</h4>
376
-<div class="outline-text-4" id="text-orgf9925aa">
374
+<div id="outline-container-orgf6b6c1d" class="outline-4">
375
+<h4 id="orgf6b6c1d">Beaglebone Black</h4>
376
+<div class="outline-text-4" id="text-orgf6b6c1d">
377 377
 <div class="org-center">
378 378
 
379 379
 <div class="figure">
@@ -402,14 +402,18 @@ sudo dd <span class="org-variable-name">bs</span>=1M <span class="org-variable-n
402 402
 <p>
403 403
 If you have a few Beaglebone Blacks to use as routers then repeat the <i>dd</i> command to create however many microSD cards you need.
404 404
 </p>
405
+
406
+<p>
407
+There is still a software freedom issue with the Beaglebone Black, but it doesn't prevent you from running a fully free system on the board. The TI AM335X SOC has a PowerVR SGX530 GPU which will only run with a proprietary blob, but this would only be an issue for systems with a monitor or LCD screen attached running a desktop environment which also needs GPU acceleration. For "headless" systems such as servers or mesh routers this isn't a problem.
408
+</p>
405 409
 </div>
406 410
 </div>
407 411
 </div>
408 412
 </div>
409 413
 
410
-<div id="outline-container-org846c266" class="outline-2">
411
-<h2 id="org846c266">Building Disk Images</h2>
412
-<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org846c266">
414
+<div id="outline-container-org5776287" class="outline-2">
415
+<h2 id="org5776287">Building Disk Images</h2>
416
+<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org5776287">
413 417
 <p>
414 418
 It's better not to trust images downloaded from random places on the interwebs. Chances are that unless you are in the web of trust of the above GPG signatures then they don't mean very much to you. If you actually want something trustworthy then build the images from scratch. It will take some time. Here's how to do it.
415 419
 </p>
@@ -504,9 +508,9 @@ The resulting image can be copied to a microSD card, inserted into a Beaglebone
504 508
 </div>
505 509
 </div>
506 510
 
507
-<div id="outline-container-orgc49417b" class="outline-2">
508
-<h2 id="orgc49417b">Customisation</h2>
509
-<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-orgc49417b">
511
+<div id="outline-container-orgf56cdba" class="outline-2">
512
+<h2 id="orgf56cdba">Customisation</h2>
513
+<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-orgf56cdba">
510 514
 <p>
511 515
 If you want to make your own specially branded version, such as for a particular event, then to change the default desktop backgrounds edit the images within <b>img/backgrounds</b> and to change the available avatars and desktop icons edit the images within <b>img/avatars</b>. Re-create disk images using the instructions shown previously.
512 516
 </p>
@@ -516,9 +520,9 @@ If you need particular <i>dconf</i> commands to alter desktop appearance or beha
516 520
 </p>
517 521
 </div>
518 522
 </div>
519
-<div id="outline-container-orgd3e14e6" class="outline-2">
520
-<h2 id="orgd3e14e6">How to use it</h2>
521
-<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-orgd3e14e6">
523
+<div id="outline-container-org5c71eab" class="outline-2">
524
+<h2 id="org5c71eab">How to use it</h2>
525
+<div class="outline-text-2" id="text-org5c71eab">
522 526
 <p>
523 527
 When you first boot from the USB drive the system will create some encryption keys, assign a unique network address to the system and then reboot itself. When that's done you should see a prompt asking for a username. This username just makes it easy for others to initially find you on the mesh and will appear in the list of users.
524 528
 </p>
@@ -528,9 +532,9 @@ After a minute or two if you are within wifi range and there is at least one oth
528 532
 </p>
529 533
 </div>
530 534
 
531
-<div id="outline-container-orgf4aebcf" class="outline-3">
532
-<h3 id="orgf4aebcf">Set the Date</h3>
533
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-orgf4aebcf">
535
+<div id="outline-container-orgbf15dd5" class="outline-3">
536
+<h3 id="orgbf15dd5">Set the Date</h3>
537
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-orgbf15dd5">
534 538
 <p>
535 539
 On the ordinary internet the date and time of your system would be set automatically via NTP or TLSdate. But this is not the internet and so you will need to manually ensure that your date and time settings are correct. You might need to periodically do this if your clock drifts. It's not essential that the time on your system be highly accurate, but if it drifts too far or goes back to epoch then things could become a little confusing in regard to the order of blog posts.
536 540
 </p>
@@ -540,9 +544,9 @@ On the ordinary internet the date and time of your system would be set automatic
540 544
 </p>
541 545
 </div>
542 546
 </div>
543
-<div id="outline-container-org572b58b" class="outline-3">
544
-<h3 id="org572b58b">Check network status</h3>
545
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org572b58b">
547
+<div id="outline-container-org52d0cf4" class="outline-3">
548
+<h3 id="org52d0cf4">Check network status</h3>
549
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org52d0cf4">
546 550
 <p>
547 551
 Unlike with ordinary wifi, on the mesh you don't get a signal strength icon and so it's not simple to see if you have a good connection.
548 552
 </p>
@@ -566,9 +570,9 @@ When you are finished close the window and then select the <i>Network Restart</i
566 570
 </div>
567 571
 </div>
568 572
 
569
-<div id="outline-container-org608113a" class="outline-3">
570
-<h3 id="org608113a">Chat System</h3>
571
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org608113a">
573
+<div id="outline-container-org5214afc" class="outline-3">
574
+<h3 id="org5214afc">Chat System</h3>
575
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org5214afc">
572 576
 <p>
573 577
 Ensure that you're within wifi range of at least one other mesh peer (could be a router or client) and then you should see that the <i>Chat</i> and <i>Other Users</i> icons appear. Select the users icon and you should see a list of users on the mesh. Select the <i>Chat</i> icon and once you are connected you should see the status light turn green. If after a few minutes you don't get the green status light then try closing and re-opening the Tox chat application. Select the plus button to add a friend and then copy and paste in a Tox ID from the users list.
574 578
 </p>
@@ -627,9 +631,9 @@ At present video doesn't work reliably, but text and voice chat do work well.
627 631
 </div>
628 632
 </div>
629 633
 
630
-<div id="outline-container-org4ee3bca" class="outline-3">
631
-<h3 id="org4ee3bca">Sharing Files</h3>
632
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org4ee3bca">
634
+<div id="outline-container-org1ac9298" class="outline-3">
635
+<h3 id="org1ac9298">Sharing Files</h3>
636
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org1ac9298">
633 637
 <p>
634 638
 You can make files publicly available on the network simply by dragging and dropping them into the <i>Public</i> folder on the desktop. To view the files belonging to another user select the desktop icon called <i>Visit a site</i> and enter the username or Tox ID of the other user.
635 639
 </p>
@@ -644,9 +648,9 @@ You can make files publicly available on the network simply by dragging and drop
644 648
 </div>
645 649
 </div>
646 650
 
647
-<div id="outline-container-org787d061" class="outline-3">
648
-<h3 id="org787d061">Blogging</h3>
649
-<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org787d061">
651
+<div id="outline-container-org4a1391f" class="outline-3">
652
+<h3 id="org4a1391f">Blogging</h3>
653
+<div class="outline-text-3" id="text-org4a1391f">
650 654
 <p>
651 655
 To create a blog post select the <i>Blog</i> icon on the desktop and then use the up and down cursor keys, space bar and enter key to add a new entry. Edit the title of the entry and add your text. You can also include photos if you wish - just copy them to the <b>CreateBlog/content/images</b> directory and then link to them as shown.
652 656
 </p>