freebsd/share/examples/isdn/README

$FreeBSD$

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

                                  isdn4bsd
                                  ========

                         Version 1.04.00 / August 2002

                                 written by:

			     Hellmuth Michaelis
                               Hallstrasse 20
                             D-25462 Rellingen

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

                                    -----

                          The isdn4bsd package is:

     Copyright (c) 1997, 2002 by Hellmuth Michaelis. All rights reserved. 

        The standard FreeBSD license applies, for details see the file 
                   /usr/share/examples/etc/bsd-style-copyright

                                    -----

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

                                    -----

        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 ThankYou!

                                    -----

                       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 by the drivers for passive cards
is the BRI protocol specified in I.430, Q.921 and Q.931; better known as 
DSS1 or Euro-ISDN.

Other ISDN Protocols may be / are supported by the microcode of the supported
active ISDN cards.

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-STABLE and FreeBSD-CURRENT is supported
	by this version of isdn4bsd.

	I4b was integrated into FreeBSD in January 1999, so it is part
	of the base FreeBSD system since FreeBSD 3.x.

	Please take the time to read the available documentation carefully.


NetBSD/i386:
------------
	The NetBSD specific support and the Diehl driver was written by 
	Martin Husemann, (martin@netbsd.org). Isdn4bsd was integrated
	into the NetBSD tree in January 2001, please have a look at
	http://www.de.netbsd.org/Documentation/network/isdn/ for more
	information.

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:
-------------
	Nikolay Sturm (sturm@physik.rwth-aachen.de) sent in patches to
	support OpenBSD/i386 2.6, they are still experimental and since
	i don't run OpenBSD i have no idea on the state of affairs.

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 "SupportedCards".

	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 at the isdn4bsd handbook
  available online at http://people.freebsd.org/~hm/i4b-home/

- isdn4bsd has a homepage at http://www.freebsd-support.de/i4b/ where i
  will try to maintain links to docs, updates and errata.

- Every program and every driver has a man page.
  Hint: try "apropos isdn4bsd", it displays all available manual pages.

- The file Overview contains a short technical overview of the inner 
  workings of isdn4bsd.

- The file Resources contains URL's and ISBN's to more interesting ISDN 
  related stuff.


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

Read the installation instructions in the isdn4bsd handbook which is
available online at http://people.freebsd.org/~hm/i4b-home/

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


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 part of FreeBSD since FreeBSD 3.0-RELEASE so you
get isdn4bsd where you can get FreeBSD: http://www.freebsd.org

Isdn4bsd has its own homepage at

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



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

Have fun!
hellmuth