[Sugar-devel] meshing XOs with netbooks (WAS: Re: [Bugs] #79 NORM: SOAS should mesh network when possible)

[Martin Dengler]

On Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 01:46:07AM +0100, Gary C Martin wrote:
> On 10 Jun 2009, at 00:53, Martin Dengler wrote:
>
>> On Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 01:20:41AM +0200, Sean DALY wrote:
>>> Hmmm this is an opportunity to display my ignorance and/or confusion,
>>> but my XOs usually just "find" each other on the mesh
[...]
> To my knowledge, XOs running OLPC builds go through a (far too long)  
> cycle where they try each of the 3 mesh channels, twice through, looking 
> for a school server providing mesh; then if no school server is found on 
> the mesh it will auto-connect to your 'favourite' AP; if that fails 
> you'll be un-ceremonially dumped on mesh channel 1, in the hope that 
> other XO mesh users will land there later (slowly swamping the wifi 
> spectrum down at ch1 unless users manually click on another mesh 
> channel).

Yup...another overview and some more pointers are:
http://www.mail-archive.com/devel@lists.laptop.org/msg10033.html

>> XOs on the "mesh" (802.11s draft) can't see
>> {XOs,Sugars}-connected-to-jabber-servers, unless the meshed XOs are
>> themselves connected to the same jabber server via inter-networking
>> feats completely beyond my (and any OLPC deployments', AFAIC) ken.
>>
>>> There's no way to designate a favorite AP I guess?
>
>> Not really [for an XO/OLPC software build]
>
> Yep, by authenticating/logging in to an AP. The XO will (eventually) get 
> around to looking for each AP you have authenticated with (after it's 
> sniffed all 3 mesh channels for a school server, twice).

Just to clarify why I said "Not really": "Yes [after 60-120 seconds]"
is quite close to a "no" in some users' book.  It does somewhat defeat
the purpose of a "Favorite".

>>> ... which seemed counterintuitive (two machines on the
>>> table needing external Internet + jabber server to see each other).
>>
>> To "see other Sugar learners in the Neighbourhood view", they do.
>> Unless we're talking about XOs with an OLPC build and one uses the
>> mesh.  But then they can't talk to non-XOs not using the mesh.
>
> Just blank out the jabber server, and they'll broadcast on the local  
> network.

I stand corrected - thanks.  So to rephrase (in case I've got it
wrong): an AP is necessary (at the moment, see below) but jabber
server isn't.

> There's another 'non-mesh' option possible for the '3 kids under a tree' 
> case. They will likely have no AP/infrastructure to connect to, so 
> blanking the jabber server is not an option. For them the existing  
> local-link config would be very viable solution, but there's no Sugar UI 
> for it yet.

Would this be as simple as a "ad-hoc" device in the frame that put the
wireless into ad-hoc mode?

Martin
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