[Xastir] AX 25 networking kernel warnings --- heads up all AX.25 users Re: Error in Syslog

Sun Jan 28 13:31:08 PST 2018

Changing the subject line to get more people to see this.

Max reports that on his linux system the kernel is putting warnings in the
syslog about xastir using deprecated arguments to a socket call.  I looked into
it.  

The issue was known to Chuck Byam in 2003, but he made a minor error in the
code he put in to detect GLIBC versions, and so his alternate code has never
been getting built, and the old code just kept on working because it's just
deprecated, not removed.  And that alternate code, which simply used
PF_INET/SOCK_DGRAM instead of PF_INET/SOCK_PACKET, didn't work for me -- it
would compile and Xastir could connect to the socket, but it wouldn't receive
any data.

It took a while, but I think I found some code that should work (using
AF_PACKET and SOCK_DGRAM), and am pushing it to github on my own fork so you 
can try it out.  If the warnings go away for you, and AX.25 networking still 
work for everyone who reports in, then I will push it to the main line code.

You can test it out easily:

   git checkout master      # Likely a no-op, but let's be careful
   git checkout -b tvr-fix-ax25
   git pull https://github.com/tvrusso/Xastir.git fix-ax25

then rebuild the code and try it out.  You should be able to start an AX.25
kernel port in Xastir and NOT see those warnings in your syslog.  If it works,
please let me know and I'll merge it to main line.  It is working for me Just
Fine.  But then again, I never had those warnings in syslog.

You can and should return to the unmodified code with "git checkout master"
and a rebuild after testing out the branch and reporting the results.

BTW, Max, you reported these warnings in this email from 2013:
http://xastir.org/pipermail/xastir/2013-November/021836.html
but unfortunately the conversation turned to the real source of your problem
(broken wireless settings) at that time, and this obsolete socket settings
issue got overlooked.  So these warnings have been around for a good long
time and weren't causing any problem -- but the code was still wrong to be
using obsolete socket types, and someday this would have caused a problem 
when the "SOCK_PACKET" socket type is finally removed.  If it was already
deprecated in 2003, it's reasonable for them to think that folks would have
had time to adapt their code. 

I should note that the common ax25 tool "axlisten" uses "AF_PACKET/SOCK_PACKET" to do its work, so one of these days *that* will have some trouble, too.  Max, do you see the same warnings show up if you run "sudo axlisten -a -c"?

I would appreciate it if *everyone* on the list who uses AX.25 networking
routinely would test out this code --- it impacts *everyone* who uses AX.25 
networking in Xastir.

>On Sun, Jan 28, 2018 at 12:14:39PM -0700, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <russo at bogodyn.org> flavor, containing:
>> 
>> I just experimented with fixing the preprocessor symbol so it actually
>> detects we're running with a newer GLIBC, and it made Xastir AX.25 connections
>> broken, so this code that has never actually been enabled isn't in fact
>> correct.  Turns out that replacing PF_INET,SOCK_PACKET with PF_INET,SOCK_DGRAM,
>> as is done in that block of code, was never right.  The correct thing is
>> to use AF_PACKET,SOCK_PACKET instead of PF_INET,SOCK_PACKET.  If I fix
>> the symbol *and* fix that usage, Xastir builds and does connect to an
>> AX.25 interface correctly.
>
>Actually, SOCK_PACKET is deprecated, too, and should not be used in new
>programs.  This is going to take a little more careful experimentation.

> > On Sun, Jan 28, 2018 at 05:58:54PM +0000, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <kg4pid at yahoo.com> flavor, containing:
> > > Looking the the file /var/log/syslog, I noticed this...
> > > 'Jan 27 07:13:18 Igate kernel: [26779.439570] xastir uses obsolete (PF_INET,SOCK_PACKET)'
> > > 
> > > I don't have a clue what it means or if I should even worry about it. Anyone else see this?
> > > I just did an install a week ago so it's the latest version of xastir.
> > > Thanks, Max KG4PID??
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Xastir mailing list
> > > Xastir at lists.xastir.org
> > > http://xastir.org/mailman/listinfo/xastir
> > 
> > -- 
> > Tom Russo    KM5VY   SAR502   DM64ux          http://www.swcp.com/~russo/
> > Tijeras, NM  QRPL#1592 K2#398  SOC#236        http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM
> >  echo "prpv_a'rfg_cnf_har_cvcr" | sed -e 's/_/ /g' | tr [a-m][n-z] [n-z][a-m]
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Xastir mailing list
> > Xastir at lists.xastir.org
> > http://xastir.org/mailman/listinfo/xastir
> 
> -- 
> Tom Russo    KM5VY   SAR502   DM64ux          http://www.swcp.com/~russo/
> Tijeras, NM  QRPL#1592 K2#398  SOC#236        http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM
>  echo "prpv_a'rfg_cnf_har_cvcr" | sed -e 's/_/ /g' | tr [a-m][n-z] [n-z][a-m]
> 
>  
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Xastir mailing list
> Xastir at lists.xastir.org
> http://xastir.org/mailman/listinfo/xastir

-- 
Tom Russo    KM5VY   SAR502   DM64ux          http://www.swcp.com/~russo/
Tijeras, NM  QRPL#1592 K2#398  SOC#236        http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM
 echo "prpv_a'rfg_cnf_har_cvcr" | sed -e 's/_/ /g' | tr [a-m][n-z] [n-z][a-m]