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README.md

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-# dsgwdashboard
-# dsgwdashboard
+# dsgwdashboard 
+
+This is a realtime Dashboard for F4FXL's [DStarGateway](https://github.com/F4FXL/DStarGateway)
+
+It is written in JavaScript.  The server side is a NodeJS application using the Express framework that runs over HTTPS and uses secure WebSockets (WSS) to
+pass data over the Internet to the web browser. WSS requires encryption which is why it is implemented with that feature.
+
+Installing this will require some familiarity with Linux/Unix command line and system.
+
+You will need to have a domain name for the site and current certificates tied to that domain. The index.js file, which defines the HTTPS server, is looking for 
+**key.pem** and **cert.pem**
+in the same directory as index.js. I suggest using (Certbot)[https://certbot.eff.org/] to obtain free signed certificates that all major browsers recognize
+as legitimate.  I typically run Apache2 or another webserver to allow Certbot to authenticate the site to create the certificates. The certificates will 
+typically reside in /etc/live/**your domain name** and I simply soft link (ls -s) them from the dsgwdashboard directory.  You can disable the webserver, 
+such as Apache2 or NGNIX once you have the certificates.
+
+Before starting up the dsgwdashboard you will want to have DStarGateway running, to prepopulate the log files.  Your first task
+will be to edit dashboard.ini to put in your hostname and to ensure file paths match your install of DStarGateway.  The dashboard parses those log files
+in realtime to update the dashboard.
+
+This dashboard runs under a current version of NodeJS.  Your distribution may install an older version, so use the methods documented at (nodesource)[https://github.com/nodesource/distributions]. Make sure **node -v** returns the version you installed.
+
+Your next task is to install the modules used with the command **npm install -save** within the dsgwdashboard directory.
+
+You can start the dsgwdashboard server on the command line by entering the install directory for dsgwdashboard and typing
+**sudo node index.js** It should also run under the newer/faster [Bun Runtime](https://bun.sh/)
+
+If it comes up successfully, go to a browser put in a HTTPS request to your domain name.  If you get a dashboard, you have done everything correctly.
+
+I have included a systemd service file in the util subdirectory which can be copied to /lib/systemd/system and managed with the **sudo systemctl** command.
+
+This program is still under development, but you are welcome to try it out. Consider it alpha code.
+