AI Node as Network Bridge
Connecting AI Node with Skynode while exposing additional Ethernet port
Last updated
Connecting AI Node with Skynode while exposing additional Ethernet port
Last updated
Before proceeding, make sure you have interconnected AI Node and Skynode.
By default, when AI Node is connected to Skynode, Skynode's ethernet port is occupied, and other ethernet peripherials such as radios cannot be connected. In order to bypass that limitation, AI Node may be configured as bridge, allowing its second ethernet port to be used as Skynodes port.
Once AI Node was connected to Skynode via ETH0, connect required peripheral, in this example Microhard radio module, to ETH1 of AI Node. The setup should look like following:
Refer to the following page for details on how to store Environment Variables in AuterionOS.
Modifying Environment VariablesLogin to AI Node via any of the available developers methods. In order to enable bridge mode, a number of Environment variables has to be set on AI Node side:
On older versions of AOS:
Less than v2.7.3 for Skynode
Less than ainode-v0.7.0 for AI Node
Environment variables prefixed AINODE_ shall be NVIDIA_ instead
172.20.50.50 represents the IP of AI Node. The IP address has to lie in the same subnet as Skynode. AI Node is accessible from Skynode by this static IP address.
Once configured, AI Node will act like network switch, with IP address forwarding enabled. In this mode, any device attached to ETH1 of AI Node can be accessed directly by its IP from Skynode.
If you added the environment variables to /data/override.env, power-cycle device afterwards for the changes to take effect
The following example configuration works with Skynode's Internet Sharing and provides update capabilities through the local web server.
To achieve that, combine above mentioned configutation, with configurations from Internet sharing with Skynode, and use one of the subnet which can be used for local updates.
Following changes are requirerd to enable bridge mode, and receive internet from Skynode
Following changes are required to enable internet sharing
If Microhard Radios are being used, the AI Node's IP address must be within the subnet 192.168.168.0/24, as this is the default configuration of the Radios.
Example configuration then could be as following:
In case of Microhard radios, AI Node IP address cannot be any of the following addresses, as these are reserved for being assigned to air/ground units:
192.168.168.1
192.168.168.2
192.168.168.10
192.168.168.20-39
192.168.168.100
To confirm successfull setup, make sure the radio is visible from Skynode, eg. by pinging its default IP address of 192.168.168.2. You may now proceed with pairing sequence as usual as described in the Microhard Data Link guide.
The caveat when using this configuration is that installing AuterionOS images via this particular network connection will not be possible. In particular:
Skynode won't be able to forward AuterionOS updates on this network interface
You won't be able to install updates by visiting the web UI through this network interface
This limitation can be avoided by using the "standard" IP settings as shown in the next example. Updates via USB, update via Suite are also not affected.
