Difference between revisions of "Mesh"

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'''We are an all-volunteer organization building the People's Open Network, a community-owned and operated non-profit internet infrastructure in Oakland.'''
'''We are an all-volunteer organization building the People's Open Network, a community-owned and operated non-profit internet infrastructure in Oakland.'''


A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking mesh network] is ''essentially'' free internet that gives users an alternative to their service provider. It consists of routers running software that allows them to communicate with other routers around them. The users who join the network enable others to be on the network and support [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality net neutrality]. These networks are resilient to disasters because the routers are distributed throughout the community rather than being dependent on the infrastructure provided by service providers.   
A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking mesh network] is ''essentially'' free internet that gives users an alternative to their service provider. It consists of routers that has software that allows it to communicate with other routers, instead of a modem (or service provider). The users who join the network enable others to be on the network and support [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality net neutrality]. These networks are resilient to disasters because the routers are distributed throughout the community rather than being dependent on the infrastructure developed by service providers.   


The software we've created is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source open source] and we're using it to develop free internet for Oakland and the surrounding areas. We hope the community will use our software to create a network that's ''available everywhere for free''. It's a project that will give access to internet, regardless of income, and reduce the divide between communities. We hope these networks will connect our neighbors, support local businesses, and enable community collaboration. In the event of disaster or censorship, a mesh network is a resilient means of communication and sharing of information.
The software we've created is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source open source] and we're using it to develop free internet for Oakland and the surrounding areas. We hope the community will use our software to create a network that's ''available everywhere for free''. It's a project that will give access to internet, regardless of income, and reduce the divide between communities. We hope these networks will connect our neighbors, support local businesses, and enable community collaboration. In the event of disaster or censorship, a mesh network is a resilient means of communication and sharing of information.
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{{Mesh nav}}
{{Mesh nav}}
 


 
 
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* We have '''weekly hack nights''' on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30-11:00pm at [[Getting_there|Sudo Room]]. The first three Thursdays of the month are work nights -- help us change the internet!
* We have '''weekly hack nights''' on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30-11:00pm at [[Getting_there|Sudo Room]]. The first three Thursdays of the month are work nights -- help us change the internet!
* Learn more at our general meetings, which are the last Thursdays of every month. We have focus groups and we collaborate on different parts of the or join the mailing list for details.
* Learn more at our general meetings, which are the last Thursdays of every month. We have focus groups and we collaborate on different parts of the or join the mailing list for details.
* Chat with us on [http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/irctutorial.html IRC]: #peoplesopen.net on [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=peoplesopen.net Freenode IRC]
* Chat with us on [http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/irctutorial.html IRC]: [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=peoplesopen.net #peoplesopen.net]
* We generally collaborate on [https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudomesh meeting notes] at each meeting. Look at our archive of past [[Mesh/Minutes|meeting minutes]]!
* We generally collaborate on [https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudomesh meeting notes] at each meeting. Look at our archive of past [[Mesh/Minutes|meeting minutes]]!


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*Send bitcoins to our wallet address: {{bitcoin wallet}}
*Send bitcoins to our wallet address: {{bitcoin wallet}}
*Come to our meetings in Oakland! (listed above).
*Come to our meetings in Oakland! (listed above).
*Talk to your neighbors about joining the mesh.
*Improve our documentation.
 
*Talk to your community about joining the mesh.
= Technical overview =
 
The mesh is made up mostly of wifi routers using Atheros chipsets and running [https://github.com/sudomesh/sudowrt-firmware our own firmware] based on [http://openwrt.org/ OpenWRT], [http://www.open-mesh.org/projects/batman-adv/wiki/ B.A.T.M.A.N. Advanced] and wlan slovenja's [https://github.com/sudomesh/tunneldigger tunneldigger]. We're using 2.4 GHz routers for indoor and street-level coverage and 5 GHz 802.11n routers for high-bandwidth and long distance roof to roof links. Most of our outdoor equipment is from Ubiquiti. We refer to the wifi routers as mesh nodes, or simply nodes.
 
Node-owners can choose to connect the nodes to their existing LAN using ethernet. If they have Internet access, they can share a portion of it with the mesh. The amount of bandwidth shared is limited with 'tc'. It is chosen at node-configuration time and can be changed using the simple built-in web admin interface.
 
== Wifi networks and IP assignment ==
 
The nodes each run three wifi networks (three SSIDs on the same physical wifi interface):
 
* peoplesopen.net is an open access point. Most people will use the network by connecting to this.
* pplsopen.net-node2node is an ad-hoc network that the nodes use to mesh with each other
* A private wifi network is named by the node owner (or a name is generated) and uses WPA2-PSK.
 
If a node-owner is sharing internet, then the node will create a layer 2 (L2TP) tunnel to a VPN server on the Internet using tunneldigger. batman-adv will connect over this tunnel to other nodes on the mesh, so the mesh can route traffic over the internet if no wifi path to another node is available (e.g. other nodes are physically too far away). When people connect to the peoplesopen.net access point and try to access the Internet, the traffic will flow through the VPN, and the source IP of requests will appear to be the VPN with the sudo mesh organization listed as the abuse contact.
 
The nodes run DHCP servers and each have a /24 IPv4 subnet in the 10.0.0.0/8 range that is statically assigned by coordination between mesh groups and individuals hosting and administrating their own nodes on People's Open Network (currently only the sudo mesh organization). If a user connects to the peoplesopen.net access point on a node that isn't sharing internet, then batman-adv intercepts the DHCP request and forwards the request to another node on the network that has Internet connectivity (see the gw_mode option for batman-adv).
 
The private network does not limit bandwidth and provides access to both direct access to the Internet (if the node owner has hooked the node up to the Internet) and access to the mesh. Each node's private network runs on 172.30.0.0/16 and uses NAT between the private network and the mesh. It does not accept any new incoming connections from the mesh onto the 172.30.0.0/16 subnet.
 
== Node flashing and configuration ==
 
One of our medium-term goals is to be able to sell nodes on our website and minimize the amount of work required to re-flash/configure the nodes and provide documentation for the user. To facilitate this, our current process for new nodes is:
 
* A new node is flashed either automatically (using e.g. [https://github.com/sudomesh/ubiquiti-flasher ubiquiti-flasher] or [https://github.com/sudomesh/merakiflasher merakiflasher]) or manually with the [https://github.com/sudomesh/sudowrt-firmware sudowrt] firmware.
* The node is plugged into a server running our [https://github.com/sudomesh/node-configurator node-configurator] software.
* A sudo mesh volunteer pulls up https://nodeconf.local and uses a web interface to fill out contact info for the node owner, initial bandwidth sharing limits and private wifi SSID.
* The node-configurator generates SSH keys, SSH root password, web admin password and private wifi password, then it configures the node, saves the info in the [https://github.com/sudomesh/node-database node database] and shuts down the node.
* The node-configurator automatically [https://github.com/sudomesh/ql570 prints a sticker] containing some basic info including wifi and web admin passwords.
* The sudo mesh volunteer attaches the sticker to the nodes power supply and puts the node back in the box with a set of instructions for how to install and use the node.
* The node is shipped to the new node owner!
 
The node-configurator has both a [https://github.com/sudomesh/node-configurator server] and a [https://github.com/sudomesh/node-configurator-client client] component. The newly flashed sudowrt nodes automatically run the node-configurator client when they boot, and the client uses DNS-SD and mDNS to find node-configurator servers on the local network. The node then connects to the server using SSL and the server is ready to configure the node. The node-configurator server talks to Avahi using DBUS to announce itself using DNS-SD. The server is written in Python using Twisted and the client is written in Lua using luasec, and uses the [https://github.com/sudomesh/mdnssd-min mdnssd-min] utility to provide DNS-SD and mDNS.
 
The node-configurator includes a webserver and management web app. The web app talks to the server and connected nodes using websockets.
 
== Node management ==
 
All nodes set up by sudo mesh automatically allow root access using an SSH key held by a few trusted sudo mesh organizers. This is to allow us to update the firmware and troubleshoot network issues. We inform node-owners of this fact and tell them how to prevent sudo mesh from accessing their nodes, but also indicate that they should be ready to manage their own node if they choose to do this.


We don't yet have a solution for node monitoring but we're expecting to use the new version of wlan slovenja's nodewatcher software.
== Be a User ==


We don't yet have an automatic update solution in place, but it will work similarly to the node-configurator:
We need more users on the network to improve the quality of the service. We have a user introduction that should When you setup a node, you're able to access the internet for free and give more people access. Also, We need users to talk to their communities and


* Any number of node-updater servers announce themselves on the mesh and whether or not an update is available.
== Be a Developer ==
* The nodes run a future version of mdnssd-min as a daemon that keeps a currently list of node-updaters.
* Once every N hours +/- a random factor, if any node-updaters have updates available, all nodes connect to a randomly chosen node-updater and request an update.
* The node-updaters send the nodes an ipk file with the update and the nodes check the signature and install it if it's signed by a trusted authority.


== Minimum hardware specs ==
We need hardware and software engineers to help us with our code. We have an overview of technical documentation that will be helpful in understanding the network.


The sudowrt firmware minimally needs:
== Be a Designer ==


* Atheros chipset
We need artists and designers to make things look nice! We have [[Mesh/Design|design scheme]] we already use, but we're always looking to improve it. We need to improve our presentation content and [[Mesh/Diagrams|diagrams]] too!
* 32 MB ram
* 8 MB flash
**(or 4 MB flash and a USB port with a USB drive attached)
 
The firmware is currently working on the older Atheros chipset (OpenWRT "atheros" architecture) as well as the newer Atheros chipsets (OpenWRT "ar71xx" architecture).
 
We don't support less than 32 MB of ram because OpenWRT itself doesn't support less than 32 MB of ram as of the 12.09 "Attitude Adjustment" release.
 
We could probably squeeze the firmware into 4 MB flash, but we've decided it's not worth the trouble, and using jffs instead of squashfs simplifies some things.
 
== Internet bandwidth ==
 
We encourage node-owners to share their internet with the mesh, but on top of that we are talking to local non-profit organizations and ISPs about getting access to more cheap and free bandwidth.
 
=Social=
 
==Community-Based Participatory Action Research==
* We are currently researching existing community spaces across Oakland for potential collaboration, and have established relationships with several grassroots organizations in the San Antonio neighborhood as well as the [http://archive.org Internet Archive] (which has a 70ft tower in Richmond). Moving forward, we intend to expand the mesh through reaching out to grassroots organizations and local businesses, schools, libraries, etc: our process of designing and deploying mesh services guided by the needs and desires of existing community actors. See our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao_Q7DQvNFT-dC1mVjlaeTVSckhrZUc4VjNvZ0dGTlE&usp=drive_web Community Outreach spreadsheet] to add organizations or contacts.
 
* The ethnographic research component of the project also involves interviewing local residents, designing and distributing community surveys, historical and political analysis, and asset mapping of existing and potential community resources.
 
* Another key aspect of the project is working with [https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/Other_mesh_projects existing mesh groups] across the planet, [https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/Interviews_with_other_meshers learning from them through interviews], and [https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/Presentations collaborating at conferences] and through [https://www.newschallenge.org/challenge/2014/submissions/toward-a-network-commons-building-an-internet-for-and-by-the-people shared funding campaigns].
 
==Documentation of use cases and user stories==
* Articulating use cases for mesh networks involves the creation of user stories based on interviews with local residents and participatory engagement with existing community organizations and groups. The research process will be transparently documented on a research wiki, incorporating interview notes, meeting minutes, an annotated bibliography, written analysis and visual infographics (for an example, see Jenny's past research wiki here: http://wiki.tidepools.co).
 
* This documentation is intended to support a model of open source technology design that is bottom-up in nature, rooted in the interests of those who would receive the greatest humanitarian benefit from the technology and participate intimately with the development process.
 
==Illustrated instructables for learning about networking==
* A major focus of the project is to experiment with recycled and donated hardware for the purposes of designing mesh solutions at minimal cost. Experimentation with various firmwares (eg; Commotion, Freifunk, Byzantium) and protocols (eg; OLSRd, batman-adv, Babel) using off-the-shelf and upcycled hardware (eg; donated routers and satellite dishes) will be extensively documented.
 
* Well-designed instructables/comics will incorporate use cases, user stories, and DIY building processes in an effort to engage everyday folks to experiment with mesh technology in their local neighborhoods. See also the [[Hackpack]] project toward teaching hacking skills to local teenagers.
 
* See our [[Mesh/Diagrams|Diagrams]] page for first drafts of instructables and diagrams of the network topology.
 
==Getting municipal actors to support the mesh==
*Over time, we expect municipal actors (people working for local governments, libraries, schools, etc.) to see the mesh as an ally in efforts to bridge the digital divide. We are creating a [[why municipal actors should care about the mesh|short introduction]] to the project explaining why municipal actors should care about the mesh what they can do to support it.


= Mesh pages =
= Mesh pages =
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*[[Mesh/Wishlist]] - List of hardware we'd love to experiment with!
*[[Mesh/Wishlist]] - List of hardware we'd love to experiment with!


==Design==
== Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)==
*[http://meshmap.sudoroom.org Map] - of potential nodes.
*[[Mesh/Website]] - Notes and documentation for the design of peoplesopen.net and meshthepla.net.
*[[Mesh/MeshApps]] - Local applications to run on the mesh!
*[[Mesh/Swag]] - Research on custom-printed t-shirts and other swag.
*[[Mesh/Stickers]] - Sticker design
*[[Ascii Art]] - for linux logins
 
==Technical Documentation==
*[[Mesh/Tracking]] - Problems and solutions related to tracking, logging and anonymity
*[[Mesh/WalkThrough]] - Easy how-to for setting up OpenWRT & BATMAN-adv on Ubiquiti routers
**[[Mesh/OpenWRT]] - Experiences with the OpenWRT router firmware
**[[Mesh/BATMAN-adv]] - Experiences with the batman-adv mesh protocol
*[[Mesh/Firmware]] - Everything related to our firmware
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Flash]] - How to install the sudowrt firmware based on openwrt with supported hardware
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Splash page]] - Splash page / Captive Portal
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Bandwidth shaping]] - QoS / Bandwidth shaping
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Zeroconf]] - Issues related to mDNS and DNS-SD
**[[Mesh/Firmware/MTU_issues]] - MTU issues
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Generating]] - How do we generate firmwares on demand
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Web Admin Development]] - Web admin development
*[[Mesh/Network topology]] - High-level explanation of the mesh network structure
*[[Mesh/Specs]] - Specs sheet on different access points
*[[Mesh/Frequencies]] - Information on different frequencies.
*[[Mesh/Software tools]] - List of useful mesh troubleshooting tools
*[[Mesh/Terms]] - Hidden Node, Fresnal zone, and other jargons
*[[Mesh/Power]] - Stuff about power usage, batteries and solar power.
*[[Mesh/Monitoring]] - notes about how to monitor systems
*[[Mesh/Spectrum]] - Different forms of spectral analysis
*[[Mesh/Hardware support]] - Officially and unofficially supported hardware / routers
*[[Mesh/Relay setup]] - Setting up a relay node
*[[Mesh/Exit setup]] - Setting up an exit node
*[[Mesh/Spectrum mapping]] - The setup we use for mapping local spectrum and wifi usage
**[[Mesh/Spectrum mapping/XO-1 Laptop]] - How to configure an XO-1 laptop for use with our spectrum mapping setup
* [[Mesh/Install]] - physical installation notes/stories
* [[Mesh/Diagrams]] - technical diagrams to support new outreach materials


==Operational==
*[[Mesh/Legal]] - How do we use exit nodes, relays and legal structures to protect node owners and ourselves?
*[[Mesh/Legal]] - How do we use exit nodes, relays and legal structures to protect node owners and ourselves?
*[[Mesh/Hosting]] - How are we hosting and what does it cost?
*[[Mesh/Hosting]] - How are we hosting and what does it cost?

Revision as of 20:45, 17 July 2014

Feb 21: Launched "Snow Crash" release candidate v.0.1.0 - now deploying the first batch of experimental nodes!  

We are an all-volunteer organization building the People's Open Network, a community-owned and operated non-profit internet infrastructure in Oakland.

A mesh network is essentially free internet that gives users an alternative to their service provider. It consists of routers that has software that allows it to communicate with other routers, instead of a modem (or service provider). The users who join the network enable others to be on the network and support net neutrality. These networks are resilient to disasters because the routers are distributed throughout the community rather than being dependent on the infrastructure developed by service providers.

The software we've created is open source and we're using it to develop free internet for Oakland and the surrounding areas. We hope the community will use our software to create a network that's available everywhere for free. It's a project that will give access to internet, regardless of income, and reduce the divide between communities. We hope these networks will connect our neighbors, support local businesses, and enable community collaboration. In the event of disaster or censorship, a mesh network is a resilient means of communication and sharing of information.

Dishes in Action
Quick Links (see below for more details)
Documentation Technical Outreach Operations Research External Links
Install Instructions Overview FAQ Minutes User Research peoplesopen.net
Net Topology Hardware Blog To-Do's SF Bay Area network map
Presentations Power How to Help Legal Interviews code on github
History Security Wishlist Inventory Other Meshes DisasterRadio
Press Backup Website Meetings Software Tools BuildYourOwnInter.Net
Firmware Hosting Propaganda Funding Local Services
Mounting Decisions Self-Education
Next gen

 

Join Us

  • Join the email list!
  • Follow us on twitter and like us on facebook.
  • We have weekly hack nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30-11:00pm at Sudo Room. The first three Thursdays of the month are work nights -- help us change the internet!
  • Learn more at our general meetings, which are the last Thursdays of every month. We have focus groups and we collaborate on different parts of the or join the mailing list for details.
  • Chat with us on IRC: #peoplesopen.net
  • We generally collaborate on meeting notes at each meeting. Look at our archive of past meeting minutes!

How to Help

We successfully concluded a crowdfunding campaign on WePay (July 2013) to buy the first 100 wifi routers for the mesh! Thanks to all who supported with a donation. See Mesh/Purchases for details on how much was raised, who contributed, and what we've procured thus far with the funds!

There are many ways you can help us:

  • Support us with a small weekly donation on gittip.
  • Send bitcoins to our wallet address: 12RxU4DpLpdWcmEBn7Tj325CCXBwt5i9Hc
  • Come to our meetings in Oakland! (listed above).
  • Improve our documentation.
  • Talk to your community about joining the mesh.

Be a User

We need more users on the network to improve the quality of the service. We have a user introduction that should When you setup a node, you're able to access the internet for free and give more people access. Also, We need users to talk to their communities and

Be a Developer

We need hardware and software engineers to help us with our code. We have an overview of technical documentation that will be helpful in understanding the network.

Be a Designer

We need artists and designers to make things look nice! We have design scheme we already use, but we're always looking to improve it. We need to improve our presentation content and diagrams too!

Mesh pages

  • Mesh/ToDos - Tangible To Dos! Add some on, take some on!
  • Mesh/Wishlist - List of hardware we'd love to experiment with!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Background Research

Firmwares / groups

Web Resources

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