AX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol Version 2.0 October 1984 By Terry L. Fox, WB4JFI American Radio Relay League, Inc. Newington, CT USA 06111This protocol is intended as a guide to aid in the design and use of amateur packet-radio systems, in order to ensure link-layer compatibility between stations. The existence of this protocel does not preclude anyone from designing, marketing or using products, processes or procedures not conforming to the protocol. This protocol is aubject to periodic review, and users are encouraged to use the latest edition. Copyright (c) 1984 by The American Radio Relay League, Inc. Copyright secured under the Pan-American Convent ion International Copyright secured This vork is publication No. 56 of the Radio Amateur’s Library, published by the League. Blanket permission to copy this publication by end users for noncommercial purposes is hereby granted. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form vhere such copy is offered in exchange for any payment unless written permission bas first been secured from the publisher. Printed in USA Quedan reservados todos los derechos Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84-72853 ISBN: 0-87259-011-9 $8.00 in USA $9.00 Canada and elsevhere4AX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol Foreword Packet radio ia « mode of communications that will link Amateur Radio stations Cogether directly or by means of a network. It is based on the latest technology, provides error-free communications, channel sharing by many stations, and automatic routing throughout « global data network. Amateur packet-radio local networks exist in a number of areas throughout North America and overseas. As this is written, amateurs are cascading packet repeaters up and down the East and West Coasts to extend the range of individual stations on VF. Experimental packet-radio contacts are taking place on the HF bands, via the AMSAT OSCAR 10 satellite, and using VEF meteor-scatter propagation. All these stations and networks can talk to one another only if common standards are ueed. This link-layer protocol document represents the culmination of several years of work by amateurs to develop a standard protocol for global use. The link layer is level 2 of the International Organization for Standardization (180) seven-layered reference model of Open Systems Interconnect ion (OSI). The other layers needed for amateur packet radio are now under active consideration. This link-layer protocol is not simply # paper exercise. The written definition has existed in its original form since 1982, and has undergone evolutionary improvements over these past two years. Operationally proven Link-layer software versions have kept pace vith protocol agreements. The result is a mature protocol that has been validated by practical software over a two-year period of development. I would like to acknowledge the special contributions made to this Protocol by the author, Terry Fox, WB4JFI, the amateur packet-radio organizations who cooperated in the development and implementation of this Protocol, and the ARRL Ad Hoc Committee on Digital Communication, created by the League's Board of Directors, as a recognized medium for presenting standards proposals and resolving differences. David Sumer, K1ZZ General ManagerAK.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol Preface Note: This preface ie not a part of the protocol. This is the first edition of AX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol (Version 2.0, October 1984) published by the American Radio Belay League. It was approved by the ABRL Board of Directors in October, 1984. The ABRL vas designated the international clearinghouse for information relating to packet radio vith « view to encouraging common standards and regulations on behalf of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) by their inistrative Council at their meeting in Paris during July, 1984. Earlier implementations of this protocol were based on a paper given at the Second ARRL Amateur Radio Computer Networking Conference in March 1983. Changes introduced since that paper are bracketed ({ ]). Major sections within this specification have been organized and numbered in a manner similar to that of International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) Recommendation X.25. This document defines « protocol to be used between two Amateur Radio stations in « point-to-point communications environment. It specifies only limk-layer functions, Other than certain interface requirements to and from other layers, this protocol is uot meant to specify any other layer. This protocol recognizes that the Amateur Radio operating environment is unique, and takes this into consideration. A key feature is the inclusion (at thie layer) of repeater stations and repeater linking. These repeater stations simply extend the RF range of Amateur Radio stations. Since they do not impose any flow controls, data switching, or routing, their inclusion at thie layer does not imply any network-layer functions. It is anticipated that repeater stations will be phased out (or at least their number greatly reduced) vhen a true network layer becomes operational. History Over the years there have been several link-layer protocole suggested for amateur packet radio. The first link-layer protocol to achieve widespread use was created by Douglas Lockhart, VETAPU, of the Vancouver (BC) Amateur Digital Communications Group (VADCG). It was based on the IBM SDLC protocol and implemented on a packet-radio controller board designed and built by VADCG. This protocol vas used for the first few years of amateur packet-radio activity. One of the limitations of the VADCG protocol was that it used a single octet (8 bits) for the station address, This restricted the number of stations to 254 or a smaller number, depending on bow the addressing schemeAX.25 Amateur Packet-Redio Link-Layer Protocol w plemented. It also required that someone had to at addresses to each amateur in « local area. gn these arbitrary In early 1982, the Amateur Radio Research and Development Corporation (AMRAD) began a study of the link-layer protocols in commercial use at the time. The intent was to recommend a protocol that vould not suffer from sajor Limitations in a few years, after packet radio had grown. The result of this study vas a recommendation for the use of a slightly modified version of the CCITT X.25 level 2 LAPB protocol standard, which could be considered a subset of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Advanced Data Communications Control Procedure (ADCCP), balanced mode. In June, 1982, a series of meetings was held by AHRAD and the Radio Amateur Telecommunications Society (RATS) of New Jersey. An exploratory meeting vas held at Bell Laboratories, Two definitive meetings in which the prototype of AX.25 protocol was developed took place in Vienna, Virginia. Involved at those meetings vere Gordon Beattie, N2DSY; Jon Bloom, KE3Z; Dave Borden, K8HMO; Terry Fox, WB4JFI; Paul Rinaldo, WRI; and Eric Scace, KINA. Both liok- and metwork-layer protocols were defined at that time. Since both layers vere based on the CCITT X.25 recommendation, it vas decided to follow the pattern set by AT&T (BX.25 for Bell X.25) and call this new protocol AK.25, for Amateur X.25. The link-layer protocol was then documented. by Terry Fox and circulated to other packet-radio experimenters for comment. The network-layer proposal was held for further study. Eric Scace was able to provide invaluable insight into CCITT X.25 as he vas one of its authors. The next atep in the evolution of AX.25 was taken in October of 1982. Thomas Clark, W3IWI, president of The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), hosted a gathering of most of the leaders in amateur packet radio at that time. AMRAD, AMSAT, the ARRL Ad Hoc Committee on Amateur Radio Digital Communication, Pacific Packet Radio Society (PPRS), St. Louis Amateur Packet Radio (SLAPR), and Tuceon Amateur Packet Radio Corporation (TAPR) vere represented. The AMRAD version 1.1 AX.25 link-layer protocol was slightly modified and adopted at thie meeting. Had AX.25 remained merely an agreeable concept, this document vould not exist today. It is due to yeoman efforts in software development of the AX.25 protocol implementations that packet radio flourishes today. Shortly after the October, 1982, meeting at AMSAT, AX.25 packet signals began to appear. The rapidity with which AX.25 was integrated into the TAPR TNC board vas due to the unstioting efforts of the TAPR software development crev, primarily such stalwart packet-radio enthusiasts as Dave Henderson, KD4NL; Margaret Morrison, KV7D; and Harold Price, NK6K. The original VADCG board was soon running AX.25 as well, thanks to Hank Magnuski, KA6M, who modified the original Lockbart software to execute the new protocol. The first public release of the AX.25 link-layer protocol was in a paper given at the Second Amateur Radio Computer Networking Conference, in March, 1983, Some corrections and changes have been made since then by the ARRL Ad Hoc Committee on Amateur Radio Digital Communication. In July, 1983, West Coast packet groups met to form WESTNET -- to link packet-radio repeaters from San Diego to San Francisco. The WESTNET group decided to extend the AX.25 link-layer address field to accommodate up to eight repeaters. This modification was accepted by the ARRL Committee at their November, 1983,AX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol meeting in Washington, DC. Unresolved at that meeting was the handling of the poll/final bit. When the Committee met again at Trenton, NJ, in April, 1984, Phil Kara, KA9Q, proposed a solution to the poll/final bit problem. His proposal was published in QEX and packet-radio club newsletters, and later adopted by the Committee. It is fitting, given the history of collective effort by packet-radio pioneers, that this document is the work of many.- Special thanks are due to Chuck Green, NBADI; Lyle Johnson, WA7GXD; Phil Karn, FASQ; Paul Newland, AD7I; Harold Price, NK6K; and Eric Scace, K3NA, for their perceptive and helpful comment: ARRL Ad Hoc Committee on Digital Communication This protocol was finalized and approved for submission to the ARRL Board of Directors by the Ad Hoc Committee on Digital Communication. Committee approval of this protocol does not necessarily imply that all committee members voted for its approval. At the time it approved of thi protocol, the Committee was comprised of Paul L, Rinaldo, W4RI, Chairman 11 Quiat, AGBX, Board Liaison Connors, KD2S Terry Fox, WB4JFI Lyle Johnson, WA7GKD Douglas Lockhart, VE7APU Wally Linetruth, WA6JPR Henry S. Magnuski, KA6M Paul Newland, AD7I Eric L. Scace, K3NAAX,25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol Contents Page 2, AX.25 Link-Layer Protocol Specification»... +e sees eeeee 1 2.1 Scope and Field of Operation . 6s... eee eee eee eee Id 2.2 Frame Structure 2.1 ee oe ee ee ee 2 2.21 Flag Field. ose eee eee ee ee 2 2.2.2 Address Field se ee eee 2 2.2.3 Control Field... eee eee eee ee 2.2.4 PID Field 22. ee ee eee 8 2.2.5 Information Field «2. +e eee eee ee 2.2.6 Bit Stuffing... ee 2.2.7 Frame-Check Sequence. 2... 0. ete A 2.2.8 Order of Bit Transmission»... 2... ee A 2.2.9 Invalid Frames se ee eee eee ee ee ee 2.2.10 Frame Abort... ee ee ee & 2.2.11 Interframe Time Fill se... ee 4 2.2.12 Link Channel States ss... eee ee & 2.2.13 Address-Field Encoding... ss... 2... ee 5 2.2.13.1 Nourepeater Address-Field Encoding. . 1... 5 2.2.13.1.1 Destination Subfield Encoding... 7 2.2.13.2 Level 2 Repeater-Address Encoding... 1... 8 2.2.13.3 Multiple Repeater Operation .... 2+... 9 2.3 Elemente of Procedure... eee eee eee eee eee 10 2.3.2 Control-Field Formats and State Variables... 1... 10 2.3.2.1 Control-Field Formts.... 2... 20....10 2.3.2.1.1 Information—Transfer Format...) . 11 2.3.2.1.2 Supervisory Formt ....- 2... 211 2.3.2.1,3 Unnumbered Format 2... 2... 11 2.3.2.2 Control-Field Parameters... 2.0.00... 12 2.3.2.3, Sequence Numbers 2.2... ee 2 2.3.2.4 Frame Variables and Sequence Numbers... .. . 12 2.3.2.4.1 Send State Variable VS)... ... . 12 2.3.2.4.2 Send Sequence Number N(S) > 2... 12 2.3.2.4.3 Receive State Variable VR)... . 12 2.3.2.4.4 Received Sequence Number N(R)... . 12 2.3.3, Functions of Poll/Final (P/F) Bit ............12 ixAX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol Contents 2A 2.3.4 Control Field Coding for Commands and Responses . . . 2.3.5 Description of AX.25 Procedures»... + + 2.4.1 Address Field Operation . 2... + 2.3.4.1 2.3.4.2 2.3.4.3 2.4.11 2.4.1.2 P/F Bit Procedu: 2.4. 2.4.) 2.4.) 2.4.) 24. tbh 2.4.3.6 Information Command Frame Control Field . . - Supervisory Frame Control Field... 1. 2.3.4.2.1 Receive Ready (RR) Command and Response se ee ee ee 2.3.4.2.2 Receive Not Ready (RNR) Command d Response. ss ese ee ee 2,3.4.2.3 Reject (REJ) Command and Response Unnumbered Frame Control Fields... ... + 2.3.4.3.1 Set Asynchronous Balanced Hode . (SABH) Command... ee. eee 2.3.4.3.2 Disconnect (DISC) Command 2... 2.3.4.3.3 Frame Reject (FEMR) Response 2.3.4.3.4 Unnumbered Acknowledge (UA) Response we ee ee ee ee ee 2.3.4.3.5 Disconnected Hode (DH) Response 2.3.4.3.6 Unnumbered Information (UI) Frame ror Reporting and Recovery . DXE Busy Condition ... . Send Sequence Number Error Reject (REJ) Recovery. . - Time-out Error Recovery... 2.3.5.4.1 Tl Timer Recovery 2.3.5.4.2 Timer T3 Recovery Invalid Frame or FCS Error. Frame Rejection Condition . « Address Information... . Command /Response Procedure Proceduress se eee eee eee res For Link Set-Up and Disconnection LAP Link Connection Establishment Informat ion-Transfer Phi Link Disconnection... +). ee Disconnected State... 1 ee es Collision Recovery .. +--+. +. - 2.4.3.5.1 Collisions in a Half-Duplex Environment 2+ ee eee eee ons of Unnumbered Conmands ion of a DM with a SABM or DISC wee ee ee eee : Connectionless Operation -. 1-2... 2.4.3.5.2 2.4.3.5.3 2B 2BAX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol Contents Page 2.4.4 Procedures for Information Transfer «s+ see ees 26 2.4.4.1 Sending I Frames oe eee eee ee ee 2.6.4.2 Receiving I Frames se ee ee eee ee eh 2.4.4.3 Reception of Out of Sequence Frames... 2... 25 2.4.4.4 Reception of Incorrect Frames... 2.52.25 2.4.4.5 Receiving Acknowledgement... . 0502 + 25 2.4.4.6 Receiving Reject... eee 2.4.4.7 Receiving a RNR Frames. 6 2.4.4.8 Sending « Busy Indication»... +... 1s ss 26 2.4.4.9 Waiting Acknowledgement... 2.000.000. 27 2.4.5 Frame Rejection Conditions»... see ee ee ee D 2.4.6 Resetting Procedure ss se eee cee ee eT 2.4.7, List of System Defined Parameters»... 0001s 28 247 Timers oe eee ee ee B 2.4.7.1.1 Acknovledgement Timer TL... 2... 28 2.4.7.1.2 Response Delay Timer T2 22... . 29 2.4.7.1.3 Inactive Link Timer 73.2.0... 2 29 Maximum Number of Retries (R2) . 2... 0... 29 Maximum Number of Octets in an I Field (NI)... 29 Maximum Number of I Frames Outstanding (k) .. . 29 ‘Appendix A EY ee eee ee Appendix B References... .. 2... Se ee ee Appendix C Implementation Notes... -.- eee ee eS Appendix D State Tables... 1. ee ee ee ee ee 6AX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol 2* 4X25 Link-Layer Protocol Specification 2.1 [Scope and Field of Operation In order to provide « mechanism for the reliable transport of data between tvo signaling terminals, it is necessary to define a protocol that can accept and deliver data over a variety of types of communications links. The AX.25 Link-Layer Protocol is designed to provide this service, independent of any other level that may or may not exist. 1 This protocol conforms to ISO Recommendations 3309, 4335 (including DAD 162) and 6256 high-level data link control (HDLC) and uses some terminology found in these documents. It also conforms with ANSI X3.66, which describes ADCP, balanced mode. {This protocol follows, in principle, the CCITT X.25 Recommendation, with the exception of an extended address field and the addition of the Unnumbered Information (UI) frame. It also follows the principles of CCITT Recommendation Q.921 (LAPD) in the use of multiple links, distinguished by the address field, on a single shared channel. 1 As defined, this protocol will work equally vell in either half- or full- duplex Amateur Radio environments, This protocol has been designed to work equally well for direct connections between tvo individual amateur packet-radio stations or an individual station and a multiport controller. This protocol allows for the establishment of more than one link~: connection per device, if the device is so capable. layer This protocol does not prohibit self-comnections. A self-connection is dered to be when a device establishes a link to itself using its own for both the source and destination of the frai con! addres {Most Link-Layer protocols assume that one primary (or master) device (generally called a DCE, or data circuit-terminating equipment) is connected to one or more secondary (or slave) device(s) (usually called a DTE, or data terminating equipment). This type of unbalanced operation is not practical in 4 shared-RF Amateur Radio environment. Instead, AX.25 assumes that both ends of the link are of the e cla thereby eliminating the two different classes of devices. The term DXE is used in this protocol specification to describe the balanced type of device found in amateur packet radio. ] * All paragraph numbers begin with 2 to indicate the OSI protocol level.