Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: nyteschayde on November 18, 2005, 05:54:01 PM
-
While waiting for my Mediator 4000Di to hook up my ethernet and whilst reading the A500/A600 thread I started thinking about how else to get an Amiga on the internet. There are several serial and parallel (more serial) port to RJ45 ethernet adapters out there.
Has anybody tried to use these to get the Amiga on the internet, I mean we all have parallel and serial ports and if we max out these ports we should be able to get slow DSL speeds out of them which should be more than enough for most applications.
Many of these devices claim there is no software development needed to hook them but I doubt that'd be the case here. That being said it seems that perhaps a simple device driver or library that Genesis or AmiTCP could recognize would be sufficient.
Anybody up to the challenge? Has it been done?
UPDATE
While this particular adapter is expensive, this document details everything you might need to write your driver.
http://www.barcode-manufacturer.com/serial-ethernet/converter/ecov115_manual.htm
http://cgi.ebay.com/10-100Mbp-Serial-Ethernet-Mini-Converter-RS232-Internet_W0QQitemZ7561780447QQcategoryZ71474QQssPageNameZWD10VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Other links for a parallel models are here
http://www.home.unix-ag.org/nils/accton_linux.html
http://search.ebay.com/Pocket-Ethernet-Adapter-Xircom_W0QQfromZR40QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQfstypeZ1QQssPageNameZRC0022
Implementation for the Atari computers
http://www.asamnet.de/~hilgarte/ether_e.php
-
Looks interesting. But the price!!! :-o:-o:-o
Of course, a driver would be needed. I think the parallel version would be difficult due to the Amigas limited parallel port.
The serial version is simply encapsulating serial communications via Ethernet and doesn't look like it would work as a real Ethernet adapter.
-
We use several Moxa com servers at work to hook up serial devices to our LAN, but afaik there's no way turning it around, i.e. using the serial port to access the network since the serial device doesn't know anything about Ethernet/IP.
In theory it would be possible to build something like that of course, but I doubt there's such a device available.
With the available com servers it should be quite possible to make an Ethernet->com server->serial connection from a PC/Mac to the Amiga (requires dial-in service) and then share the PCs internet connection through that. Although it doesn't make much sense, as it's easier and much cheaper to use a serial null modem cable...
Pocket NICs are something completely different. They'd 'just' require a driver but are specifically made for PC printer ports which are quite different, so some hardware changes may be required. I haven't seen them for a number of years - might make it hard to get documentation or manufacturer's support.
-
What about this device. It comes with a complete dev kit for $129 (hardware and software and api docs). Individual units would be 75$/1qty or 57$/10-99qty. It would require some small case and port adapter to connect to the amiga. We could go through the most programmable port available (serial I believe).
A driver would have to be written but I think we have enough great programmers on the A.org alone to facilitate this. Just a thought.
(Product in question is the 3800)
http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/products/PowerCore/
PowerCore FLEX Data Sheet PDF ( 1.9M )
http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/products/PowerCore/PowerCore.pdf
PowerCore User's Manual
PDF http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/PowerCoreFLEX/UsersManual/PCoreFLEXUM.pdf
HTML http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/PowerCoreFLEX/UsersManual/index.htm
PowerCore Schematic PDF ( 608k )
http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/schemat/090-0193.pdf
Dynamic C User's Manual
HTML http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/DC/DCUsersManual/index.htm
PDF http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/DC/DCUsersManual/DCPUM.pdf
Dynamic C TCP/IP User's Manual Vol. 1
HTML http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/TCPIP/UsersManualV1/index.html
PDF http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/TCPIP/UsersManualV1/tcpV1.pdf
Dynamic C TCP/IP User's Manual Vol. 2
HTML http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/TCPIP/UsersManualV2/index.html
PDF http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/documentation/docs/manuals/TCPIP/UsersManualV2/tcpV2.pdf
-
I tried the Xircom device waaaay back in 96 and couldn't get it working... Might be different nowadays, not sure if there are any drivers out there.
why not get a 3com pcmcia device? Works like charm on my A1200 and would do so as well on a 2mb+ A600....
-
@delajt
why not get a 3com pcmcia device?
Because he's waiting for Mediator 4000Di?
-
lol yep Piru is right, cause I have an A4000D. Remember, the A600/A1200 are the only machines with a PCMCIA slot. There are plenty of other Amiga's out there that don't have that luxury.
I was just looking for an opportunity to bring alternate ethernet capable devices to the Amiga. I have an old SCSI<->Ethernet device but it only works on ancient Macs. Pre OS 8 I believe. While this may be a good combo for shapeshifter/fusion on a classic miggy and I might try it later on now that I have a faster 040 and more ram, I was looking for an acceptable speed ethernet solution for even an unexpanded (ok well slightly expanded) A1000/A500/A2000/A2500/CD32?/A4000/A3000 etc...
-
The A500 Serial device is only good for speeds up to 38400 BPS in my experience. BaudBandit.device is faster, up 56K max. I am currently connected using an A500 -> Null Modem through RAS on an NT Server machine running Proxy 2.0. I have also used Browsegate as well as other proxxy servers. I never did get my XP machine to share the net via ICS. Maybe someone else did... :-?
I use Miami and described my config at this ]old thread (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15793[/url).
There is also this: ipEther232.Telnet (http://www.ipcas.com/index.html), but not sure how useful this would be on a stock A500.
-
I doubt it that BaudBandit can do 57600 on plain 68000. I have tried it with demo version, and IIRC there were problems (errors)..
such speed would slow down everything else, BTW.
still, nullmodem is probably the easiest/cheapest solution, I'm using it with Win Proxy on XP. you can always get some second hand cheap laptop with builtin ethernet and serial ports, if you don't have any PC already..
-
What about using a Linux /Windows PC with SLIP - Ethernet connection/router and SLIP.
Other methods: PLIP, PARNET etc.
From Amiga Networking FAQ:
SLIP allows your computer to run TCP/IP over the serial port. This allows your computer to have a TCP/IP address. TCP/IP applications such as FTP can now use
TCP/IP to deliver packets directly to your address. An analogy would be instead of having to go to the post office to get your mail, you now have a mailbox to
which the postman can deliver your mail. In more technical terms you are no longer a terminal; you have become a node.
SLIP is a "data link" protocol. It sits between the serial port and the IP stack. It pretty much takes the packets from IP, adds a wrapper to them, and sends them
out the serial port. It also takes packets from the serial port, unwraps them, and passes them up to IP. SLIP has several problems, including the fact that it is
designed entirely for TCP-IP, and is therefore of limited use for other protocols. Too many people ask for "SLIP" when they really want "TCP/IP" with a SLIP driver. You have to have both. Just like a terminal program is of little use
without a serial.device driver.
SLIP is not a full protocol. It fits in one of the layers between hardware and the TCP/IP protocol. It acts more like a device driver. It also acts like a protocol
because it has to be at both ends of the physical link, but it must have the TCP/IP protocol in order to talk to the applciations.
====================================
Parallel cable
If the computers are close together (6 to 12 feet), then a special parallel cable can be used to connect them.
PARnet is available for PC's and can be made to work with the Amiga version.
Link It! is a commercial solution that will work with either serial or parallel,
and comes with a parallel cable.
PLIP
There is a program on Aminet called PC2Amiga.
-
The parallel port on, for example, an A3000 can cruise at 320,000 baud with no prob.
Is there a Parnet client for Windows XP?
Parnet always worked well for me back in the olden days when I had my A3000 networked to my A4000.
-
Parnet does not support an IP layer, sorry. You'd need PLIP, but afaik there have been no Windows PLIP drivers since Win3.1/early Win95...
-
windoze supports PPP or SLIP connections through the parallel port (that's what the "direct cable connection" is). I'm not sure how the data is actually transferred, ie. which wires/bits of the parallel port are used, but it might be possible for the Amiga to connect this way.
Using the program PC2AMIGA I get 20KB/S in one direction and 30KB/S in the other (A2000 w/ 030 25MHz) so I'm guessing that is as fast as it will go. With two PCs connected together with the same cable (using "direct cable connection" or INTERLNK) I get 50KB/S