[Sugar-devel] Using ad hoc network, was Re: XO laptop as wireless remote terminal for Internet-in-a-Box

[Tony Anderson]

The dicussion below  appears to refer to the use of an XO to administer 
a schoolserver. I urgently need help at the other end: using an XO 
toserve content in a classroom using 'SimpleHTTPServer'. This is an 
installed Python module that enables an XO to serve content via an 
ad-hoc network. The content is put on a usb pendrive or an sd card. It 
is mounted on an XO which acts as the server. This XO connects to an ad 
hoc network The system moves to the pendrive as the working directory. 
Note: XO laptops in Rwanda have at most 2GB storage.  It issues python 
-m SimpleHTTPServer. The XO serves content on a selected port (by 
default 8000). The provider notes the url shown on the Frame network 
widget (right-click). This IP adddress is written on a blackboard.

The client XOs connect to the same ad hoc network. They open Browse and 
issue an http request such as http 169.258.9.16:8000 where the address 
is the IP address on the blackboard. The return is a list of files and 
folders in the pendrive root or the index.html page in the root. That 
page can display an index to the content, a subset of the IIAB content 
(e.g. pdfs from Rachel or Sugar activities or Phet simulations). This 
technique has proven very valuable in classrooms that cannot be reached 
by a router from the schoolserver or in schools which do not have a 
school server. It costs only the price of the usb device. An 8gb device 
provides 4 times the storage capacity of the XO.

My problem is that this no longer works (13.2.9 Sugar 0.112). The server 
XO does not see the http requests from the clients XOs. My suspicion is 
the shared|private switch in private mode blocks the communication over 
the ad-hoc network. It would help lots of students and teachers if this 
problem can be resolved. Perhaps there is a way to enable the network 
without becoming dependent on the collaboration system.

Tony



On 02/12/2019 19:00, support-gang-request at lists.laptop.org wrote:
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>     1. XO laptop as wireless remote terminal for Internet-in-a-Box
>        (Nathan Riddle)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2019 11:35:44 -0500 (EST)
> From: Nathan Riddle <xoapart at xoshare.org>
> To: support-gang at lists.laptop.org
> Subject: [support-gang] XO laptop as wireless remote terminal for
> 	Internet-in-a-Box
> Message-ID: <1214647805.1373408.1575304544228 at email.ionos.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> An XO(*) laptop can be used as a wireless remote terminal for Internet-in-a box (IIAB) on a RaspberryPi computer.
>
> Directly, the Browse Activity (or Firefox on XO's) is not compatible with IIAB; however, SSH with XO's X11 Forwarding (no sound) can display IIAB screens.
>
> In August, a post by George Hunt demonstrated wifi "AP client" plus AP on Pi prompted a look at using wireless. Earlier, a USB wired connection was being used with SSH / X11 Forwarding.   A wireless connection was thought to have some advantages.
>
> The full Debian Desktop has a Chromium Browser, so the SSH link starts Desktop /Chromium or Chromium Browser directly.   IIAB is then started in Chromium Browser. There is also access to a large part of the Debian Desktop.
>
> Can anyone point to a way to start IIAB directly after SSH into RaspberryPi ??
>
> Used was the standard method of setting up a wireless, headless Pi :   connect Pi and XO to wireless router and ssh pi at raspberrypi (ip address 192.168.128.4) with XO laptop. Commands from the XO installed IIAB on a RaspberryPi Zero W.
>
> Unfortunately, the AP client of George Hunt's shortcut would not survived IIAB installation and was abandoned for the simple method.   Still, wlan0 survived, but was blocked without an inet address. IIAB had been configure for unblocked gateway.
>
> Any suggestions for enabling wlan0 so internet service is available ??
>
> Multiple (2) XO laptops can connect to IIAB AP and small programs, such as Terminal and Calculator, will work separately on each of the remotes. Large programs, such as Chromium and Libre Office when started on the second remote, just open another Tab on the first remote.   These are not server version programs, but the programs that appear to download do work.
>
> Chromium is very slow and may be due to typing "lookahead" . By contrast, IIAB seems to run at a speed similar to the usual XO speed.   The wireless version, surprisingly, seems to run faster than the wired version.   On IIAB, the Content Menu takes a long time.
>
> Nathan Riddle
>
>
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