Correct way to install missing 'athstats' ?

[ajm]

Re: https://github.com/opnsense/src/tree/stable/13/tools/tools/ath

I need to debug an interface using the 'ath' driver, however the 'athstats' tool is not included in OPNsense 22.1, nor is it available as a package from the stock package repo.

What's the proper way to get this onto OPNsense ? Are there 3rd. party package repos that might have it ?

TIA

[franco]

You have to build this from source, possibly

# opnsense-code src
# cd /usr/src/tools/tools/ath
# make install


Cheers,
Franco

[ajm]

OK, thanks.

I've no probs compiling it, just seems a bit.. unusual. I'd already noted cc is installed by default. Certainly a 'first time' for me in a good few years looking after various firewalls. I'm still finding my feet with OPNsense so its all a bit new and strange !

ATB, Andy

[franco]

Hi Andy,

Things under src.git/tools are not built by default and not even packaged by FreeBSD so it's always in need of a compile.

As far as compilers go... yes... we needed a platform to solve issues quickly and went with it. The topic came up a few times and with multiple scripting languages preinstalled you don't have to worry about a C compiler to build malicious executables so much anymore. Times have changed a lot.

Most people appreciate the open and easy (as far as compiling an OS goes for being easy) system to replace parts and test kernels and build your own software from the ports tree.


Cheers,
Franco

[ajm]

Your detailed replies are much appreciated and will be very helpful as I get my bearings around OPNsense. I wasn't my intention to criticise, having 'cc' there is just 'different'. It's great to know the intent was to make things easier to customise, I wasn't sure if that was discouraged..

Cheers, Andy

[franco]

Hi Andy,

> I wasn't my intention to criticise

Didn't take it as criticism.

> I wasn't sure if that was discouraged..

The attempt is to go so far out of the way of customisations that people don't need to modify core components to achieve their goals. Several hooks or plugin facilities exist to make that happen and most should be documented in the development manual, see https://docs.opnsense.org/develop.html

Since we are BSD-licensed that goes really well with the spirit of the license you can use to make a commercial product out of all of this without sharing the source code, be that a single plugin or a full distribution-type change of OPNsense.

On the flip-side this means it's also easier to develop and deploy something which could then be used to be open-sourced. A number of plugins otherwise not available to non-developers have been written by outside contributors so we are happy to be driving the open source side of it as well.


Cheers,
Franco