AREDN Firmware Sync Script

This script mirrors the AREDN firmware repository, patches the firmware site config to use a local mesh URL, and regenerates JSON indexes. See Creating a Local AREDN® Software Server. This script was designed for use Disaster Response Communications & Information Technology (DRCIT) but is freely reusable by other hams/groups.

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🚀 Quick Start (5 minutes)

# 1. Clone this repo
git clone https://drcit.dev/DRCIT/aredn.git
cd aredn

# 2. Edit sync.sh variables for your node
nano sync.sh   # set ROOT, LOG, NEW_URL

# 3. Make it executable
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/sync.sh

# 4. Test once manually
~/.local/bin/sync.sh

# 5. Add cron (every 4 hours, as local user part of the docker group)
sudo crontab -u <user> -e 
# add this line:
0 */4 * * * ~/.local/bin/sync.sh >> ~/.local/logs/aredn.log 2>&1

# 6. Add logrotate rule
sudo tee /etc/logrotate.d/aredn-sync <<'EOF'
su <user> <group>
/<home path>/.local/logs/aredn.log {
    daily
    rotate 7
    compress
    delaycompress
    missingok
    notifempty
    create 0640 <user> <group>
}
EOF

Done ✅ — your mirror will now stay up to date automatically. Replace with actual user & group (usually drcit drcit) and any with the correct absolute path (e.g. "/home/drcit/.local/logs/aredn.log {")

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🔧 How it works

1. Sync: runs rsync to mirror upstream firmware files into $ROOT.
2. Patch: replaces the default firmware URL in afs/www/config.js with your local mesh URL ($NEW_URL).
3. Collect: runs afs/misc/collect.py to regenerate JSON indexes.
4. Log: everything is written to ~/.local/logs/aredn.log.

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⚙️ Variables to Edit

At the top of sync.sh, adjust these for your environment:

ROOT="$HOME/<path to root folder>/aredn"  # mirror root
AFS="$ROOT/afs"                                   # firmware site files
LOG="$HOME/.local/logs/aredn.log"                 # log path
UPSTREAM="downloads.arednmesh.org::aredn_firmware" # rsync source
NEW_URL="http://n2drc-ls1.local.mesh/"           # mesh URL to inject

Replace any with the correct path (e.g. "$HOME/docker/fileserver/files/aredn").

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📅 Cron Job

To keep your mirror current, run the script daily:

0 0 * * * ~/aredn/sync.sh >> ~/.local/logs/aredn.log 2>&1

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📂 Log Rotation

To prevent logs from growing indefinitely, add /etc/logrotate.d/aredn-sync:

su <user> <group>
/home/drcit/.local/logs/aredn.log {
    daily
    rotate 7
    compress
    delaycompress
    missingok
    notifempty
    create 0640 <user> <group>
}

This rotates logs daily, keeps 7 days, and compresses older logs. Replace with the actual user & group (usually drcit drcit).

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.
You are free to use, modify, and share this script. Attribution to DRCIT is appreciated.