freebsd-nq/share/examples/isdn/README

$FreeBSD$

Note: This is a modified README from the isdn4bsd 0.90.1 distribution. 

      In December 1998, i4b was integrated into the FreeBSD sourcetree
      and so the following parts about FreeBSD may not apply completely
      anymore. 

      For information of how isdn4bsd is integrated into FreeBSD now, please
      read the file ROADMAP in this directory.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                  isdn4bsd
                                  ========

                      beta Version 0.90.1 / December 1999

                                 written by:

			     Hellmuth Michaelis
                               Hallstrasse 20
                             D-25462 Rellingen

                           voice: +49 4101 473574
                            fax: +49 4101 473575
                             email: hm@kts.org

                                    -----

                          The isdn4bsd package is:

     Copyright (c) 1997, 1999 by Hellmuth Michaelis. All rights reserved. 

                      For details see the file LICENSE.

                                    -----

                   isdn4bsd would not be what it is without
                      the help and support of many people,
                           see file ACKNOWLEDGMENTS !

                                    -----

        Vote with your wallet: in case you want to buy new ISDN hardware,
          buy it from manufacturers who support the development of i4b,
         for a list of supporters have a look at file ACKNOWLEDGMENTS!

                                    -----

                       This package is postcard-ware:
                       ==============================

        The (for laywer infected places: optional) license fee for using
            isdn4bsd is sending a picture postcard of your home town.
                 My address can be found at the top of this file.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contents:
---------
	1.  Disclaimer
	2.  What is isdn4bsd ?
        3.  Which BSD's are supported ?
	4.  Which ISDN cards are supported ?
	5.  Where do i find documentation for isdn4bsd ?
	6.  How do i install isdn4bsd ?
	7.  Where do i get support for isdn4bsd ?
	8.  Where do i get commercial support for isdn4bsd ?
	9.  How can i help and/or support isdn4bsd ?
	10. How do i report bugs ?
	11. Is there a mailing-list available for isdn4bsd ?
	12. Where can i get isdn4bsd ?
	13. What is the reward for reading everything in this file ?


1. Disclaimer:
--------------

  It may be illegal in your country to connect an isdn4bsd based machine 
  using a passive ISDN card to the ISDN at your site because the protocol 
  stack of isdn4bsd, which is necessary to run passive cards, has not been 
  approved by the telecommunication certification authority of your country. 
  If in doubt, please contact your local ISDN provider !


  THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
  ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
  IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
  ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
  FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
  DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
  OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
  HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
  LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
  OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
  SUCH DAMAGE.


2. What is isdn4bsd ?
---------------------

Isdn4bsd (or in short i4b) is a package for interfacing a computer running
FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD or BSD/OS to the ISDN.

The only ISDN protocol currently supported is the BRI protocol specified in
I.430, Q.921 and Q.931; better known as DSS1 or Euro-ISDN.  

Isdn4bsd allows you to make IP network connections by using either IP packets
sent in raw HDLC frames on the B channel or by using built-in synchronous PPP
(or using userland ppp, this is experimental and only available for FreeBSD).

For telephony, isdn4bsd can answer incoming phone calls like an answering 
machine and now has preliminary dialout capabilities for voice and data calls.


3. Which BSD's are supported ?
------------------------------

FreeBSD:
--------

	FreeBSD >= 3.1 and FreeBSD 4.x (FreeBSD-current) is supported
	by this version of isdn4bsd. 

	FreeBSD 3.0 and FreeBSD <= 2.x are NOT supported anymore!

	I4b was integrated into FreeBSD in January 1999, so it is part
	of FreeBSD-current and FreeBSD 3.x.

	Usually i will commit a new i4b release as soon as possible to
	FreeBSD-current, but not to FreeBSD 3.x. In case you like to
	run the latest i4b version on FreeBSD >= 3.1, i recommend to 
	upgrade via the scripts found in the FreeBSD directory of the
	i4b ftp release.

	Please take the time to read the file FreeBSD/INSTALLATION and 
	the other available documentation carefully. Thank you!

NetBSD/i386:
------------
	The NetBSD specific support and the Diehl driver was written by 
	Martin Husemann, (martin@rumolt.teuto.de). Since i do not intend
	to run NetBSD and/or Diehl cards, i suggest contacting him in 
	case of problems in this two areas. 

	Martin has NetBSD/i386 running and is supporting isdn4bsd for
	that platform as his time permits it.

NetBSD/Amiga:
-------------
	The NetBSD/Amiga specific support was done by Ignatios Souvatzis,
	(is@netbsd.org).

NetBSD/Atari:
-------------
	The NetBSD/Atari specific support was done by Leo Weppelman,
	(leo@netbsd.org).

NetBSD/Alpha:
-------------
	This port is still experimental!

	The NetBSD/Alpha specific support was done by Jan-Hinrich Fessel,
	(oskar@zippo.unna.ping.de)

OpenBSD/i386:
-------------
	I have tested OpenBSD/i386 2.5 with isdn4bsd 0.83 and a Teles 16.3.
	The interest in this was nearly equal to zero so no further testing
	of any OpenBSD release with any isdn4bsd release was done.

BSD/OS:
-------
	The BSD/OS 4.0 specific support was done by Bert Driehuis. The
	support is not yet complete. Please contact Bert directly in case
	of questions regarding this at driehuis@playbeing.org.


4. Which ISDN cards are supported ?
-----------------------------------

	For a list of supported ISDN cards, please have a look at
	the file "Cards".

	Please have a look at the ReleaseNotes file !


5. Where do i find documentation for isdn4bsd ?
-----------------------------------------------

- in case you are upgrading from previous versions of isdn4bsd, have a
  look at the ReleaseNotes file in the top level directory for major
  changes and improvements.

- For installation instructions have a look under the the FreeBSD, NetBSD
  and OpenBSD directories, each of these contains a file "INSTALLATION"
  which describes the installation procedure for isdn4bsd on those operating
  systems.

- handbook/i4b.ps contains a handbook for isdn4bsd describing how i4b is
  unpacked, configured, compiled and run on a FreeBSD system. With minor
  differences this applies to the other supported Operating Systems as
  well.

- Every program has a man page in the respective subdirectory and every 
  driver has a man page in the "man" subdirectory. All the man pages are 
  installed by running "make install" so its very easy to access them
  (hint: try "apropos isdn4bsd" after you installed isdn4bsd, it displays
   all available manual pages).

- misc/Overview contains a short technical overview of the inner workings 
  of isdn4bsd.

- misc/Resources contains URL's and ISBN's to more interesting ISDN related
  stuff.


6. How do i install isdn4bsd ?
------------------------------

Read the instructions in the file {FreeBSD|NetBSD|OpenBSD|BSDI}/INSTALLATION. 

In case they are incomplete, unclear, wrong or outdated, please send me an 
update for inclusion into a future distribution!

The handbook contains detailed installation instructions for FreeBSD.


7. Where do i get support for isdn4bsd ?
----------------------------------------

Please send all questions regarding the installation, configuration
and setup of isdn4bsd to the isdn4bsd mailing list (see below).

Please do not send me private mail asking for help with the installation, 
configuration and setup of isdn4bsd: due to the amount of mail of this 
type i'm no longer able to reply to those mails.

Before sending mail asking for help, PLEASE (!) read the supplied
documentation, the examples, the handbook, the manual pages and the FAQ !

I will support and help with isdn4bsd as my time permits it. Please 
keep in mind that in this case support is given on a voluntary basis
and your questions might not be answered immediately.

Also, i strongly recommend subscribing to the mailing list mentioned below.

Due to the experience gained supporting the predecessor of isdn4bsd, let
me please clearly state that there is no guarantee that your bug will be
fixed within some specific amount of time, in fact there is no guarantee 
that your bug will be fixed at all; i'll do my best but there might be
more important things going on in my life than giving free support for
isdn4bsd. 

Some bugs seem to occur only in certain environments and are not 
reproduceable here without access to the equipment you are connected
to or other equipment like ISDN simulators (which i don't get access to
for free): in this case you are the only person being able to trace down
the bug and fix it.

There is a web page for i4b at http://www.freebsd-support.de/i4b available
where i will put bugfixes, updates and contributions. In particular it has
an "errata" page, where you should look in case you have problems with i4b.


8.  Where do i get commercial support for isdn4bsd ?
----------------------------------------------------

In case you want to pay for support, maintenance, enhancements, extensions
to isdn4bsd or whatever else you may need, it is possible to hire me for
reasonable rates through my employer HCS GmbH; in this case please contact 
me for details at hm@hcs.de and/or look at http://www.freebsd-support.de


9. How can i help and/or support isdn4bsd ?
-------------------------------------------

Send a postcard! :-)

I'm open for constructive suggestions, bugreports, fixes, patches, 
enhancements and comments to improve isdn4bsd.

Please send all questions regarding the installation, configuration
and setup of isdn4bsd to the isdn4bsd mailing list. 

Please send flames to /dev/null and/or start writing your own ISDN package.

Isdn4bsd is a project on a voluntary basis and writing and supporting
communication systems like isdn4bsd costs much money and much time.

Any contribution in terms of equipment, cards, documentation, cash
and/or daytime payed work on isdn4bsd will be highly appreciated!

You can help by not only reporting bugs, but by sending in a patch for
the problem together with a bugreport.

In case you cannot fix something yourself, please describe your problem
as detailed as possible, include information which version of an operating
system you are running, which ISDN board you are using, to which kind
of ISDN equipment (like the brand of PBX) you are connected etc. etc.

In case you want to get a currently unsupported card supported, write a
low level driver for it yourself and submit it. In case you can't write
it yourself there is a good chance to get it supported if you can donate
one of those cards and - if at all possible - docs for it.


10. How do i report bugs ?
--------------------------

Please submit patches ONLY as context diffs (diff -c)!

I vastly prefer receiving bug fixes and enhancements that are clearly
differentiated. I don't always know what to do with large patches that
contain many bugs and enhances folded into the same context diffs. 

Please keep it to one fix or enhancement per patch!

If your change modifies the external interface of an isdn4bsd program,
i.e. more config options, command-line switches, new programs, etc., 
then please also include patches for the manual pages and documentation.

Thank you!


11. Is there a mailing-list available for isdn4bsd ?
---------------------------------------------------

There is a mailing list available at

        freebsd-isdn@freebsd.org

The list is maintained by majordomo, so i.e. to subscribe,
send a mail with the text

        subscribe freebsd-isdn
        
in the message body sent to

        majordomo@freebsd.org

This mailing list is NOT (!) FreeBSD specific, everyone is welcome there!


12. Where can i get isdn4bsd ?
------------------------------

The isdn4bsd package is available from:

	ftp://i4b.consol.de/pub


Finally, i4b got an own web-page at 

	http://www.freebsd-support.de/i4b



13. What is the reward for reading everything in this file ?
------------------------------------------------------------

Have fun!
hellmuth