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[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

You cannot use the same inittab for dumb terminal and telnet server modes
via serial cable.

Plug a nullmodem cable into ttyS0 or another com port on both computers. 
They don't need to be the same number but I am assuming both are 
com1/ttyS0.  If you have a serial mouse move it to ttyS1, or if there is 
a modem (internal) on that to ttyS2.  Most computers have only two 
physical ports but the CMOS often switches what was com2 to com3 if you 
put in a com2 internal modem.

If you want to login as root to the other computer edit
/etc/securetty by adding ttyS0 or whatever port you are using, otherwise 
you can only login as user.  For both methods.  (For ethernet logins 
uncomment the lines about ttyp1 etc.)

Dumb Terminal

To use the serial cable with computer #2 as dumb terminal on ttyS0 (com1) 
uncomment the line on Computer #1 in /etc/inittab starting with s1 and 
containing something about agetty and the /dev/ttyS0 and speed (which you 
can change for a different comport and speed 115200 works for me).

Go to Computer #2.
Use a terminal program, tell it the port, speed, and direct connection
(in Kermit set line /dev/ttyS0, set speed 115200, set carrier-watch off; 
in DOS Kermit edit mscustom.ini to set port1, set speed 115200, define 
_modem none), C to connect (Enter), another Enter and you are using the 
first computer as a dumb  terminal and viewing things on the second 
computer and using that keyboard.  Someone else can be using teh first 
computer at the same time.  If you have both VGA and TTL monitor on the 
second computer stick to text-only because anything graphical will appear 
on the monitor of the first computer.

Microcom in BL3 also worked as a terminal program.
Do not type the part in parentheses which is my comments.

microcom -D/dev/ttyS0    (set line)
~
t
h  (probably optional - hardware flow control)
~
t
p
choose 115200  (type that letter, entery key) (set speed)
Enter

You should be asked to Login:


In all cases you need to set the port/line, speed, and in the case of 
kermit tell it you are not using a modem.  Other com programs also need to 
be told it is a direct connection.  Steven likes commo.  Free at 
simtel.net (shareware).


 ------------------------
Serial networking with pppd and telnetd (server)

To establish a serial connection (network) between two computers you need 
to have ppp on both of them.  DOSPPP should work.  Linux has pppd.  I only 
tried this so far with two linux computers BL3 to BL2.

Comment that line about agetty before starting if it was uncommented.
(Is there some way to switch back and forth using command-line instead of 
inittab to start and end agetty, rather than editing inittab and rebooting 
to switch from dumb terminal to serial network mode?  Or can I kill the 
agetty before setting up serial network with ppp?).

Then on both computers set up the connection (command line, or you can put 
the local and crtscts in /etc/ppp/options but it may interfere with 
dialing so I think there is also options.ttyS0 or something like that to 
specify these options just for the port used by teh nullmodem cable).

pppd local crtscts /dev/ttyS0 11500 192.168.1.1:192.168.1.2

(the order after pppd does not seem to be important)

Do the same on the computer you are connecting from but switch the numbers 
Or use clark:lois and lois:clark as defined for BL2 in /etc/hosts, or
edit that if you like other names.  Tom and Jerry will also work.

I don't know if it was necessary but I also did
ifconfig ppp0 192.168.1.1 and the same for .2

Ping when I had the inittab line uncommented worked but was giving me 
packet transfer speeds of about 0.2 msec for 56 bytes and when I tried it 
now I got 25-30 ms instead which indicates that I was probably 
transferring via the ethernet cable instead of the serial cable before 
when I thought ping was working.  Ethernet is about 1-10 MByte/sec and 
serial 115200 about 10Kbit/sec. (1KByte).  Parallel transfer is maybe 8X 
as fast as serial (how many pins?).


Ping worked.

On Computer #1 (target, server) run the telnet server.

in.telnetd -debug  (from tcpip1, in /usr/sbin/in.telnetd)

Run this every time before you do a telnet connection.
There is something similar for ftp (ftp daemon).

On computer #2

telnet 192.168.1.1 (or telnet clark)

GOing from BL3 to BL2 I got an immediate connection
(which is better than I got with the dumb terminal method).
Logged in as root.

I have not yet tried file transfer with send/receive over this cable.
I expect it to take 30/0.2 times as long as ethernet (at 100Mbit)
because I am at 10Kbit/sec.  Fine for sending small files 
and also for using programs on #1 with #2, which can be a small RAMdisk 
BL2, or DOS, with any telnet program.  (Have not tried DOS yet - there is 
CUTCP from Clarkson Univ that comes with Arachne, or Kermit telnet).
I have to try file transfer too.

DOSPP or LSPPP ought to work.  Nettamer has a separate PPP program but I 
don't know if it can be used without a modem.

Chat program can be used with pppd to automatically enter login and 
password if you can figure out how.

Steven could you write this up as a FAQ?  (First correct any errors of 
course).  The part about securetty was not in netsetup, or the fact that 
you cannot telnet with the same inittab that you need for dumb terminal.
Or the dumb terminal method.

You called the serial telnet 'laplink' method.  I actually found a HOWTO 
on that.  Is a nullmodem cable called a laplink cable?  I thought laplink 
was the name of a specific program that is used in DOS for file transfer 
and it can also be used to view and delete files on a remote computer 
(serial or parallel).



On Tue, 19 Oct 2004, sindi keesan wrote:

> For serial telnet should I be UNcommenting the line in /etc/inittab that says 
> to use an agetty on /dev/ttyS0?  Maybe that is interfering with pppd's use of 
> that same port?
>
> I recall this line interfering with using a serial mouse, a year or two ago.
>
> keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
> SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org
> _______________________________________________
> BasLinux mailing list
> BasLinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/baslinux

keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org