pybatmesh/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](https://www.open-mesh.org/projects/batman-adv/wiki),
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.

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Using the name Naxal does not imply any form of connection
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## How it works

The program naxalnet copies predefined systemd-networkd configuration
into networkd's runtime configuration directory. It uses iwctl to start
an ad-hoc network named "Hello World". The wireless interface is linked to
`bat0`, the batman interface. A bridge `bridge0` is created so that other
devices such as wired connections and wireless ap can be bridged. `bat0` is
added to the bridge, and the bridge gets an ip address (link-local, or
DHCP if any of the computers have a DHCP server configured). If these
were successful, an intranet is created. You can now use services
like [IPFS](https://ipfs.io), [Jami](https://jami.net),
[Secure Scuttlebutt](https://scuttlebutt.nz) and others which can work
without internet access.

## Requirements

- systemd 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](https://github.com/rhinstaller/dasbus)
- wifi adapter with ad-hoc support
- two or more computers with wifi adapter

## Installing

### Manually

Clone the repo and cd into it.

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:

```sh
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
```

## Running the program

You need more than one computer running for the connection to work.
Start the naxalnet service:

```sh
sudo systemctl start naxalnet.service
```

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, naxalnet will be stopped by systemd.

To run naxalnet at boot, enable the service:

```sh
sudo systemctl enable naxalnet.service
```

Now naxalnet will configure a batman interface on every boot.

## Uninstalling

Currently there is now way to uninstall naxalnet than manually removing
the files:

```sh
sudo rm -rf /usr/{bin,share}/naxalnet \
/usr/lib/systemd/system/naxalnet.service
```

## 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](LICENSE) for the complete version of the
license.

This project is in alpha stage. Documentation is incomplete.