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[WriteLog] Networking Multiple Machines

To: <writelog@contesting.com>
Subject: [WriteLog] Networking Multiple Machines
From: "Hal Kennedy" <halken@comcast.net>
Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 13:09:13 -0500
List-post: <mailto:writelog@contesting.com>
Hi Wayne, 
A few points:

1.  For very large networks, I would strongly suggest updating to
10.57H.  Significant improvements are in 10.57 for network stability.
This does not answer any of your questions however.
2.  When you say "all machines loaded a common file" I am not sure what
you mean, but it is unnecessary.  Each machine needs to be running the
same version of WL, and each machine needs to have the same contest log
open, i.e., if its CQ-WW-SSB, then they all need to have a CQ-WW-SSB log
open.  You do not need to make a log on one machine and copy it around.
3.  Its best to have one machine be the machine the others connect to,
but you don't absolutely have to do this.  The one they connect to does
not have to be called "A," it can be called any letter.  I have a six
machine network running as I type this, not every computer is connected
to "A".  The risk of not connecting all to one machine is you can
potentially set up a daisy chain.  Its best to go spoke-hub, i.e., B
thru F (or whatever letters you want) all connect to "A."
4.  You can log on "A" or do anything else on "A" you want.  I always
log on "A" and use "A" as my telnet connection as well as using "A" as
the hub machine.  
5.  If "A" goes down - and this happens all the time - all the other
machines are now running stand-alone.  If you are in a multi
environment, tell everyone in advance that if this happens to just keep
logging.  At this point you have two choices, you can wait for "A" to
come back, or you can reestablish a network by telling "C", "D", etc to
connect to "B" (or any other machine you want to be the new hub).  If
you do the latter, then when "A" comes back, tell it to establish
connection and then link to "B."  If you just leave things alone when
"A" goes down, then when "A" comes back you must:  Tell "A" to register
for connection, THEN TELL "B" to connect to "A", TELL "C" to connect to
"A" etc.  This reestablished the network as it was before.  
6.  I know of no scripts to do this automatically, but doing it manually
is not bad.  You can reconnect the machines whenever its convenient
during the contest and the logs will merge.  You can run for hours in
stand-along mode with little trouble other than in M/2 you might start
working a few dupes after a few band changes.

Hopes this helps.  Contact me direct if you would like to chat.
73
Hal
N4GG
      

  
Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 09:18:54 -0500
From: "Wayne Starnes" <waynestarnes@nc.rr.com>
Subject: [WriteLog] Networking Multiple machines - recovering the
        network
To: <writelog@contesting.com>
Message-ID: <006701c61395$4b514530$af14100a@local.starnesworld.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi gang, hope someone can help with a questions about multiple machine
networking.

I am networking 7-9 machines using WriteLog version 10.56c October 2005.
All
machines initially loaded a common file, manually "registered for
connections", and saved the .WL file locally. This was all according to
the
explicit documentation. They were started like this according to the
explicit documentation:

Start machine A. Register for connections. A is designated as the
'master
server'. It is NOT used for any station logging activity. Do not connect
to
any other machines, per documentation.
Start machine B. Register for connections. Connect to machine A.
Start machine C. Register for connections. Connect to machine A
Start machine D. Register for connections. Connect to machine A.
[etc.]

Great so far, working as designed. Machine D will see ALL entries made
on
machine A, B, C, etc as they are made. Machine C goes down, [perhaps to
fuel
the generator] then comes back up, manually "registers for connections"
and
connects to machine A. Again, machine C can see ALL entries made on
machine
A, B, D, etc as they are made.

Now the problem: Machine A goes down for whatever reason. Perhaps its
generator was fueled, perhaps a LAN switch AC plug was kicked unplugged
and
no one noticed until network activity had stopped. Now machine A, the
master
server, comes back up. you manually [ugh!] "register for connections."
Nothing happens! You connect machine A to machine C and C can now see A,
but
neither A or C has a view of B or D. B and D are now running 'locally'
both
in stand alone mode with no network updates from any machine.

Now Machine B connects to machine D [manually, ugh!, after someone runs
to
the other tent to tell them they are down]. Now B sees D, but no other
machines on the network.

All this lengthy explanation is to say, when machine A comes back up, IT
MUST MANUALLY 1) REGISTER and then 2) connect to ALL the machines in the
network for the network to restore properly.

The requirement we have is for the network to recover itself for any
machine
without manual intervention.

NOW HERE IS THE QUESTION[s]:

Does anyone have a script, API, knowledge, etc, of how to (1) force a
machine starting Writelog to automatically '"register for connections"
[is
there a writelog.ini setting?] and [2) how to force a machine running
Writelog to monitor its connection and reconnect to other machines
without
manual intervention when it sees its network connection is down?

Any thoughts and experiences would be appreciated !!


Wayne Starnes - KU4V





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