Introduction
One of the things that was important to get working this time around with my Linux TNC Node interface was the concept of a “NET/ROM”. Perhaps naively in a post-internet world, my mind jumped to this being a gateway between nodes available via radio and via the internet, meaning I could connect to any BBS around the world that is using “netrom”. The reality is a lot more complex.
According to the Linux Programmers Manual (man netrom)
“NET/ROM is a protocol used extensively by radio amateurs. The Linux NET/ROM protocol family permits access to these protocols via the standard networking socket metaphor.”
It would appear that NET/ROM is a protocol, not a gateway, and it overlays on top of AX/25 to provide a network stack. Poking around online, the Linux Amateur Radio AX.25 HOWTO says as much:
“The NET/ROM protocol is an attempt at a full network protocol and uses AX.25 at its lowest layer as a datalink protocol. It provides a network layer that is an adapted form of AX.25. The NET/ROM protocol features dynamic routing and node aliases.”
So what is NET/ROM?