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I've been an active developer and user of network APIs back to 1983. Most of that was early TCP and UDP code written in C. The earliest depended on a single machine in the room with a 32 port serial board. It was the center of a star topology network running at 19,200 bps. After demonstrating a significant improvement in productivity, we were granted permission to put Ethernet boards in the mini-computers. $3,000 EACH. The cost savings rapidly paid for that upgrade. Next, we were set up with a high speed network between San Diego and Hayward data centers. 45 machines in San Diego, 40 more in Hayward. Networked to do distributed processing (1986) with fault tolerant queuing. Another big money savings. Soon, we connected the network to the IBM/Amdahl side of the house and had another huge operational saving. It was a great time to be at the right place to pull off some huge wins with networking. Each of the 80 machines eventually fanned out to 100 telephone switches each. The fun ended for me at PacBell in Dec 1991 when I moved on to my current employer. Time for new customers and new places.

I had some interesting VPN setups in the late 2000s. I used Linksys VPN capable routers to connect the locomotive shop in Bolingbrook, IL and the train hardware shop in Fairfax, VA to my VPN in Pocatello Idaho. I was the developer for the train hardware. Bolingbrook did the locomotive hardware/software. The locomotive shop enjoyed the range of control of handbrakes, anglecocks and cutlevers. The remainder of the data was non-actuator elements included brake piston position, ride quality accelerometers, bearing temperature, GPS data and bearing accelerometer data. A full working lab without need to travel. All software fully tested before deployment to the 5 research cars in the field.

Your NomadNet may be hindered by firewall settings. Assuming ping replies aren't blocked by the firewall, that is the first end to end to check. Next is level 2 (IP) layer firewall permissions, then level 3 (TCP). It can be difficult to fully analyze without access to network logs.

Holy cow! You are a wealth of knowledge going way back and I am honored you are sharing with me. I actually understand some of the train stuff you speak of. I worked on “fly by wire” garbage trucks for about ten years. “Limit switches” and such like would be needed to monitor the hydraulic ram position, air piston cylinder systems and such.

They are electric over air over hydraulic. An electric switch controlled an air solenoid that activated an air piston to push a hydraulic spool valve. And it was all limited by mechanical lever limit switches and hall magnetic sensor switches.

But these were all hardwired, I can imagine the complexity of putting them all on radio. I have lived next to a rail most of my life and went to school with those who operate them locally and they have shared how all that works with me. It is truly amazing... :)

Thank you for the pointer about my firewall. I absolutely did not check that and it makes sense. I will check that. I can get logs if you would be willing or have time to look them over? I think you are as interested as I am in Reticulum so it just might do us both some good to solve that problem?

By the way... I have been reading your stuff here for awhile now and have asked myself “Why isn’t anyone paying any attention to this wealth of knowledge?”

I’m paying attention, and have already learned some stuff from you... :)