What Did You Do?
RMS Gateway secure CMS login hangs/times out — N9GI-10 (Linux RMS Gateway / rmsgw)
Callsign: N9GI-10 (base call N9GI)
Grid: EM33GA
Software: Linux RMS Gateway (rmsgw), version 2.5.0, built May 2, 2019
Platform: Raspberry Pi 4B (“DigiPi” project stack), Direwolf 1.8 as TNC, AX.25 kernel stack, 1200 baud AFSK packet on 145.050 MHz simplex
Problem
RF and AX.25 are working correctly end to end — a client (RadioMail on a VR-N76 handheld) connects to N9GI-10 over the air, the connection completes cleanly, and the client successfully proposes a message to the gateway (FC EM …). But the gateway never completes the message transfer. rmsgw’s own debug log shows it connecting to CMS and starting a secure gateway logon, then hanging:
Login N9GI on radio connected to cms.winlink.org
*** Secure Gateway Logon
[… 5+ minutes with no further activity …]
; INFO: Connection closed by CMS (sense = 0x0000)
Logout N9GI tx:131 rx:22 311.0s 0.5 Bytes/s (0)
On the RF side, rmsgw reports the same event to the connected client:
*** Timeout waiting for secure login response - Disconnecting (208.161.59.43)
What we’ve already ruled out
• Not a network/firewall block. The TCP connection to CMS (54.87.150.33:8772) reaches ESTABLISHED and stays healthy for the full 311 seconds. CMS itself closes the connection at the end, not our side, and not a reset — a clean close.
• Not a credential typo. The password configured in channels.xml/sysop.xml on the gateway is the same one saved for this account, and it successfully logs into the winlink.org web portal directly.
• Some data is exchanged (22 bytes received from CMS, 131 bytes sent total) before it stalls — so the session isn’t rejected outright, it appears to get partway through the secure-login challenge/response and then goes silent.
Question for you
Is there a known compatibility issue between rmsgw 2.5.0 (2019) and the current CMS secure-login protocol on port 8772? Is there a newer rmsgw/RMS Gateway build we should be running instead, or a specific gateway-side setting on the account (distinct from the web-login password) that needs to be re-verified or re-enabled for a freshly registered gateway? Any log detail you’d like from our side (full debug output, packet captures) I’m happy to provide.
Thanks for your help — this gateway was just brought online this week and everything upstream of this point (RF, AX.25, framing) is confirmed working correctly.
73,
Mike, N9GI
What Happened?
Just a disconnect from the Winlink server.
What Did You Expect?
Should have sent the mail in the outbox
Device
iPad
iOS / iPadOS / macOS Version
iPad mini 5th genera
App Version
1.6.4(0)
Radio / Modem / TNC
VGC VR-N76