Serval DNA is the core component of all mesh networking products produced by The Serval Project, including the Serval Mesh app for Android and the Commotion OpenBTS GSM base station mesh network.

Serval DNA contains the implementation of the following core Serval technologies:

• Mesh Datagram Protocol (MDP) – the packet transport layer of the Mesh network
• Voice over Mesh Protocol (VoMP) – the voice call session and audio carrier protocol
• Rhizome – the resilient file distribution system
• MeshMS – a secure, one-to-one text messaging system

Serval DNA is not a complete software product in its own right, but is designed to be included in other products, so it does not have its own “install” procedure.

The Serval DNA executable, servald, once built on a supported platform can be run as a daemon (either foreground or background). This will cause that host to become a node in the local Mesh network, as long as its Wi-Fi interface is active and in the suitable mode (Ad Hoc or Client or Access Point).

The README of the VoMP channel driver for Asterisk describes how to integrate Serval DNA with Asterisk 1.8, for example as part of Commotion OpenBTS integration.

The Serval DNA component is only released as a component in other software products. As such, Serval DNA does not bear any version or release number other than a Git commit identifier.

The instructions for developing Serval DNA describe the source code branching and versioning policies and procedures.

See instructions for developing Serval DNA for bug reporting procedures.

Bugs in Serval DNA generally arise from:

• feature suggestions by developers
• automated software test failures
• bugs observed in encapsulating products (eg, Serval Mesh)

In the latter case, a bug report from another product may give rise to a Serval DNA issue.

See instructions for developing Serval DNA.