Each gateway consists of a dedicated computer running custom software that is connected to both a radio and the Internet.
A real-time searchable list of all nodes worldwide (including their current status) is available anytime by viewing the IRLP Network at a Glance.
Stations wishing to communicate with 3 or more nodes at the same time may accomplish this by connecting to what is called an IRLP Reflector.
On November 12, 1998, the VE7RHS node was first installed in Gage Towers, UBC, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada using Linux.
A few days later, the VE7RVN node came online from the residence of Michael Paul Illingby, VE7TFD in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada.
After all the reflectors were converted the "super-" was dropped... Linux is the operating system (OS) of choice for IRLP, as it allows the best in reliability, programmability, efficiency, and functionality.
As of March 2007, IRLP no longer supports Red Hat and started shipping with the CentOS 4 distribution.
As of December 2012, IRLP has released a final version of CentOS 4.9, but now supports Debian as its operating system of choice.
Two chips are needed because the MT8870 has latched outputs, and the IRLP software looks for short pulses at the parallel port pins 10,12,13,15 in order to acknowledge a DTMF digit.
MT8870 pin 15 provides a pulse when any valid DTMF digit is decoded, so this signal is used on one input of each gate on the HCF4081.
The output of the HCF4081 (pins 3,4,10,11) connect to the parallel port and provide the pulsed input that IRLP needs.
The radio's COS (carrier operated squelch) and PTT lines must be available to the IRLP board.
Additionally, courtesy tones, hang time, and node IDs must not be transmitted over the VoIP link.