Italian Cisar Radio Amateur WiFi Network Overview: CisarNet
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Abstract
The National Digital Link Cisar CisarNet (http://wifi.cisar.it), is an ambitious project that is joining much of the italian region via a backbone digital technology wifi connections to 2.4 and 5.7 GHz, which allows experimentation for radio amateur and any use if needed in an emergency to coordinate and support relief efforts. In addition to the National Voice Link is one of the main resources that the association Cisar gives available to the Department of Civil Protection, through the association RNRE (Group National Emergency Communications, http://www.rnre.eu), a member of the National Volunteer and which is Cisar one of the founder members. Complete Guide Line documentation (in Italian) could be found on the Cisar RadioWiki pages at http://www.cisar.it/radiowiki/index.php?title=Linee_Guida_piano_di_indirizzamento_IP_e_gestione. At the moment are fully monitored more than 50 devices wireless linked, routing dynamically via OSPF more then 80 Cisar networks. Other 276 networks of 44.0.0.0/8 are known by connecting other ampr.org gateway via Internet access.
History and Awards
The National Digital Link was started by a group led by Giorgio Pagan, IW3IBG, after the first positive experiments in connecting WiFi devices on long range distances. Basically, Giorgio's idea was to emulate the same concepts of the older National Voice Link (analog) project, based on UHF technology, which consisted in interconnecting several repeaters on ordser to to have a wireless coverage of all the national territory. An important target was aimed in the June of 2007, when the group led by Paolo Presenti IK0PCJ connected Amiata mount in Tuscany to Limbara mount in Sardinia; in this way, we deserved the world record of radio amateur permanent wireless link of 304 Km at 5.7 Ghz with handmade aerials. You can find more information (in italian) about the wireless distance record at (http://www.cisar.it/images/BollettiniTecnici/BollettinoTecnicoCisar-06-2007.pdf). In April 2011 CisarNet project received a nomination for the final phase of ComputerWorld Honors Program 2011, occorring the 20th of June in Washington DC (U.S.A.) and where IW0SAB Renzo Rossi (Manager of CisarNet WiFi) rappresented CISAR and received a medal during the cerimony. You can find further information on the offical site of ComputerWorld Honors Award Program [1]. If you are interested, you can read the CisarNet WiFi project description presented to the Program at the official site of CISAR [2] and the related news about the nomination published on the italian portal of ComputerWorld [3]
Wireless Technology
All the CisarNet project is vendor indipendent; any kind of applied solution privileged this specific choice. At the moment, we have been using Mikrotik, Ubiquity, D-Link and Linksys. On the lastone, we privileged OpenWRT firmware with Quagga extension for OSPF implementation.
2.4 Ghz devices
Mikrotik, LinkSys WRT54GL
5.7 Ghz devices
Mikrotik RouterBoard 433, 411 e PC Engines Alix
System Infrastructure
Differently from other experiences, the CISAR group tried to establish a whole infrastructure, made by not only wireless links, but also management and monitoring services in order to guarrantee the right level of quality and availability. On the top of this infrastructure, CISAR is activating several services, from voice and video over IP, DSTAR support and conferencing systems. All the servers are running on virtual VMWare ESXi environment (free), and are based on GNU/Linux Operating System (CentOS distribution). The activation of the dynamic routing protocol OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), has permitted to obtain an high level of overall availability and has candidate the Cisar Digital Network to be the natural solution for digital communication in emergency situations.
CisarNet connection policy
The above infrastructure permits any radio amateurs to connect to the CISAR Digital Networks, without requiring credentials or digital signature. This "guest" access is totally free, fully automatic, broadcasting wireless SSID, assigning DHCP IP address, DNS server IP address with DDNS record update, and easy to try. On the other hand, all the installation fully compliant with the Guide Line becomes integration part of the backbone of the CisarNet.
Published services
The most used service published via CisarNet infrastructure is the live map monitoring that can be found at http://wifi.cisar.it/. We published via Google Map the real time status of all the devices being part of the CISAR Digital Network. On the same web page, you can find the Link to the LogView application where everyone can check the log messages of all devices for first level of debugging and checking. This kind of services are accessible from Internet too and other published services are available only from inside CisarNet. The lastone added service is about Voice over IP project, based on Asterisk/Askotia server, that permit you to monitor the presence status of all VoIP hardware devices, including softphone (most common is 3Cx SIP client software).
IP Addressing Plan
CisarNet as private network mapped to 10.0.0.0/8 IP addresses
CisarNet is considered as a private network using class A IP addressing plan 10.0.0.0/8. The second digit mean the province and there are other indications for subnetting all the class B networks in /24, /28 and /30 subnets, depending on the use (LANMIX, Wireless Point-to-Point, Wireless Point-to-Multipoint, Tunnel VPN).
CisarNet and supported networks 44.0.0.0/8 of ampr.org
All the 44.0.0.0/8 are transported in native mode (no Network Address Translation is performed) in all Cisar Digital Networks, permitting the full compliance to ampr.org directives. Networks 10.0.0.0/8 and networks 44.0.0.0/8 are fully routed inside CisarNet.
CisarNet and Internet
To be compliant to Italian Law (Codice delle Comunicazioni e Decreto Pisanu), connection from CisarNet to Internet is only possible for radio amateurs aims. DSTAR devices connect to CisarNet are contacting XReflector linked to Internet.
CisarNet, ampr.org and other project's networks interfacing
Interfacing CisarNet to ampr.org
CisarNet is fully compliant to ampr.org directives. Cisar group is maintaining a Cisco gateway con connect all 44.0.0.0/8 networks directly to CisarNet, by means of 3 classes C IP address directly allocated inside italian 44.134.0.0/16 IP space of ampr.org. Below the information directly estracted by IW2OHX Marco's documentation (http://www.iw2ohx.net/Host-ita.pdf), italian coordinator of 44.134.0.0/16 ampr.org addresses.
Responsabile per le sottoreti del Progetto "Link Digitale CISAR": IW0SAB - e-mail: renzorossi@libero.it 226.0 Progetto "Link Digitale CISAR": <descrizione> ____________________________________________________________________ NETADDRESS = 44.134.226.0 DNS PRIMARIO = [attualmente assente] BROADCAST = 44.134.226.255 DNS SECONDARIO = [attualmente assente] SUBNETMASK = 255.255.255.0 ____________________________________________________________________ 227.0 Progetto "Link Digitale CISAR": <descrizione> ____________________________________________________________________ NETADDRESS = 44.134.227.0 DNS PRIMARIO = [attualmente assente] BROADCAST = 44.134.227.255 DNS SECONDARIO = [attualmente assente] SUBNETMASK = 255.255.255.0 ____________________________________________________________________ 228.0 Progetto "Link Digitale CISAR": <descrizione> ____________________________________________________________________ NETADDRESS = 44.134.228.0 DNS PRIMARIO = [attualmente assente] BROADCAST = 44.134.228.255 DNS SECONDARIO = [attualmente assente] SUBNETMASK = 255.255.255.0 ____________________________________________________________________ Le subnet di cui sopra sono pubblicate nel sistema encap (Ampr Gateways): --- Gateway: 94.101.48.130 Subnets: 44.134.226/24, 44.134.227/24, 44.134.228/24 Gateway Area: Italy Maintained by: Renzo Rossi (IW0SAB) renzorossi@libero.it Notes: This system is connected to ther Cisar "Italian Digital Network" For more details, please visit: www.cisar.it ---
From October 2011 ampr.org assigned the new subnet 44.208/16 to CisarNet Project. Abstract from http://www.ampr.org/amprnets.txt
44.208/16 Italy CisarNet Cisar Association IW5CGM Giuseppe Misuri IW0SAB Renzo Rossi IW2OHX Marco Di Martino
Abstract from ftp://ftp.ampr-gateways.org/gateways
Gateway: 94.101.48.134 Sent By: "renzorossi@libero.it" <renzorossi@libero.it> Subnets: 44.208/16 Gateway to: 44.208/16 Gateway area: 44.208/16 Gubbio, Umbria, ITALY Maintained by: Giuseppe Misuri IW5CGM gmisuri@gmail.com, Renzo Rossi IW0SAB renzorossi@libero.it , Marco Di Martino IW2OHX iw2ohx@iw2ohx.net Run by: Cisar Gubbio Sezione "Fausto Regni" Notes: The system supports the project "CisarNet" of CISAR Association Last Update: Thu Oct 6 2:18:05 2011
Interfacing CisarNet to other project's networks
It's working from Septmeber 2010 the wireless direct connection from CisarNet to HamNet (via Alps between Italia and Austria). Thanks to Tobias IW3BRC and to the coordinator of HamNet project Jann DG8NGN. Other contacts are in progress with Spain and Croatia. We could accept wireless connection (see most suitable on the map http://wifi.cisar.it) or via Internet Tunnel (IPIP, GRE, OpenVPN or DMVPN) by means of our Internet public gateway.
Contacts
For further information please contact by e-mail the manager of CisarNet IW0SAB Renzo Rossi (renzorossi [at] libero.it)
Who's CISAR Association (brief)
The Cisar Association (Italian Center for Radio Amateurs Experimentation, http://www.cisar.it), founded in Rome in 1981, is one of the main Italian associations that attract thousands of amateur members throughout the country, with about 50 sections. The president of CISAR Association is Giuseppe Misuri (IW5CGM) of Arezzo, while the headquarters of the association is in Mestre (Venice). It is known in Italy and abroad mainly for two important projects, the National Voice Link and the National Digital Link, which allow you to connect simultaneously to Amateur Radio over most of the country, with a backbone radio links in UHF (430 Mhz) and WiFi Access (2.4 and 5.7 Ghz) which crosses the peninsula and that it can be used with simple hand-held radio devices also. Important Experimentation has been conducted with emerging radio amateur technology DSTAR. All these systems are useful for testing their normal activities of amateur radio operators, have proven crucial in the management of relief activities in an emergency situation.
