naxalnet | ||
systemd-networkd | ||
.gitignore | ||
HACKING.md | ||
LICENSE | ||
Makefile | ||
naxalnet.service | ||
README.md |
naxalnet
naxalnet is an experiment to create a wireless mesh network for communicating with each other during an internet shutdown, using existing software and tech as much as possible. Currently you can only communicate with other peers running naxalnet or using the same network as naxalnet. 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.
The name naxal comes from Naxalbari, a village in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Requirements
- systemd{,-networkd} v248 or more (for batman support)
- Linux kernel with batman-adv module (if
modinfo batman-adv
shows no error then you already have it) - iwd (for starting ad-hoc network)
- python3
- python-dasbus
- wifi adapter with ad-hoc support
- two or more computers 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.
Communicate between peers
Connect a wifi adapter to all the computers you intend to run naxalnet. Start the naxalnet service on all of them:
sudo systemctl start naxalnet.service
To test if it works, run ip addr
to find out your address.
Note the inet
or inet6
address of bridge0
. Ping the address
from another computer (example: ping 169.254.62.90
) to find out
if it is online. Press Ctrl-C to stop.
Getting internet access
Connect an ethernet 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
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 is started, systemd will stop naxalnet.
To run naxalnet at boot, enable the service:
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 rm -rf /usr/{bin,share}/naxalnet \
/usr/lib/systemd/system/naxalnet.service
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 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.
This project is in alpha stage. Documentation is incomplete.