naxalnet | ||
systemd-networkd | ||
.gitignore | ||
HACKING.md | ||
LICENSE | ||
Makefile | ||
MANIFEST.in | ||
naxalnet.service | ||
README.md | ||
setup.cfg | ||
setup.py |
naxalnet
naxalnet is a program to create a wireless mesh network for communicating with each other. It can be useful during an internet shutdown, or to join online classes with a group of laptops. It uses B.A.T.M.A.N. Advanced,an implementation of the B.A.T.M.A.N. routing protocol to communicate with peers.
WARNING: This program uses an unencrypted network. This means, you do not get any more privacy or security than with an open wifi network.
The name naxal comes from Naxalbari, a village in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Requirements
- systemd v248 or more
- Linux kernel with batman-adv module
- iwd
- python3
- python-setuptools (for building)
- python-dasbus
- wifi adapter with ad-hoc support
- two or more computers, or laptops with wifi adapter, called nodes
- systemd-resolved (optional, for DNS)
- batctl (optional, for debugging)
Installing
Arch Linux
Install naxalnet (or naxalnet-git for the development version) from the AUR with your favourite helper:
yay -S naxalnet
Optionally, setup systemd-resolved for DNS if any of the nodes have internet access.
Manually
Clone the repo and cd into it.
git clone https://git.disroot.org/pranav/naxalnet.git
cd naxalnet
Or, if you have an IPFS client running, try:
git clone http://k51qzi5uqu5dlye74be0n9iihwk6sm54vexo7bf7pdr4w811y6mmrcp25djozv.ipns.localhost:8080/naxalnet.git
Run sudo make install
to install naxalnet. This will install naxalnet in
/usr/bin/naxalnet
.
After installing, reload systemd so that you can enable naxalnet.service
without rebooting:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
How to use
You need more than one computer running for the connection to work.
Start naxalnet
To start naxalnet, do the command on all the nodes:
sudo systemctl start naxalnet.service
To test if it works, run ip -c addr
to find out your address.
Note the inet
address of bridge0
. If there isn't one, try again
after a few seconds. If the address starts with 169.254, it has
got a link-local address. Otherwise, it has got an IP address
from DHCP.
Getting internet access
Connect an ethernet cable to any of the peers and
start naxalnet. Now all the peers should
be able to connect after renewing their DHCP connection
(sudo networkctl renew bridge0
).
Tethering via WiFi AP
If there are two adapters in a peer, naxalnet will start a wifi ap (wifi hotspot) on one of them.
Connect two wifi adapters on a device and start naxalnet.
Now an ap will be created on one of the adapters with
SSID NaxalNet
and password naxalnet256
.
If you had set up internet access on one of the peers, internet
can be accessed from the AP.
Running at boot
Starting the service will stop NetworkManager.service
and
wpa_supplicant.service
if it is running. If you start either of these
services after naxalnet was started, systemd will stop naxalnet.
To run naxalnet at boot, enable the service on all the nodes:
sudo systemctl enable naxalnet.service
Now naxalnet will configure a batman interface on every boot. Disable the service to stop running at boot:
sudo systemctl disable naxalnet.service
Stopping the service
# Stop the services
sudo systemctl stop naxalnet systemd-networkd systemd-resolved iwd
# Delete the virtual interfaces created by naxalnet
sudo networkctl delete bat0 bridge0
If your distribution uses NetworkManager, starting naxalnet.service
will have stopped it. Start NetworkManager again:
sudo systemctl start NetworkManager.service
How it works
The program naxalnet copies some systemd-networkd
configuration files
into networkd's runtime configuration directory. It uses iwd to start
an ad-hoc network named "HelloWorld". See the
systemd-networkd directory
to see how systemd-networkd configures the network. You can use
services like IPFS, Jami, Secure Scuttlebutt
and others which can work on an intranet.
Uninstalling
If you installed naxalnet manually, there is no way to uninstall than manually removing the files:
sudo pip uninstall naxalnet
sudo rm -rf /usr/share/naxalnet* /usr/lib/systemd/system/naxalnet.service
Contributing
See HACKING.md
Similar projects
The following projects are similar to naxalnet, but are not designed to be used in a laptop or computer with wifi adapter. If you live in an area where the materials required for any of them are easily available, consider using them instead of naxalnet.
- LibreMesh: framework for OpenWrt-based firmwares
- disaster.radio: solar-powered communications network
License
This program is free/libre/swatantra software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
See LICENSE for the complete version of the license.