Very Computer

Hi,
Hi,
I've got this 8088 sitting in my ba*t collecting dust.
Is there a way of making it a terminal for linux?

does anyone know any FAQ, HOWTO or even URL on the subject?

One more question... if I was to connect both of them, what type
or cable?

thanks, Elias

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       + + + +   + + + + +      | Elias A. Pinto                      aka Zman|

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Quote:> Hi,
> Hi,
> I've got this 8088 sitting in my ba*t collecting dust.
> Is there a way of making it a terminal for linux?

> does anyone know any FAQ, HOWTO or even URL on the subject?

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO
ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/docs/HOWTO

and mirrors...

Quote:> One more question... if I was to connect both of them, what type
> or cable?

You need also terminal software for your 8088: telix or even zmodem
driver dsz ( option -t ) will do [ or kermit ]. Linux software should
be rather easy; just manipulate gettydefs...

Linux kernels has tcp/ip protocoll for parallel cable, but I quess there
is no driver that would simulate parallel port for serial logins. So we
can forget parallel cable (?) [ and ethernet as well? ]

Regards,
Antti Barck <http://www.veryComputer.com/;
`The only stupid question is the unasked one.'

-Will

--

Imaging Scientist       http://www.veryComputer.com/~will/will.html  
Institute for Computational Earth Systems Science
University of California Santa Barbara

1. Null modem cable (you can buy a regular modem cable with a null-modem
insert inbetween your cable and computer) and then download MS Kermit
ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/micro/pc/simtelnet/msdos/commprog/tskerm26.zip.
It does perfect vt100 terminal emulation on Linux and you can do file
transfers with kermit as well.  It's a full featured FREE terminal
emulation program for 8088.

2. Ethernet! While this costs more, you can probably buy 8-bit ethernet
cards.  I only know of the Western Digital WD8003 card.  There might be
others out there.  You will need an ethernet card for both the 8088 and
the
Linux server.  Then you will need a coax cable (50ohm). You can get a 50'
pre-made cable. Then you will need two tee-connectors, and two 50ohm
terminators.

 50ohm terminator
   |     coax cable
   |         |    tee connector
   |         |       |
   v         v       v
   ==+---------------+==
     |               |  
    ether           ether
    card            card
    8088            Linux

The ethernet connection will be far better than the null modem cable (as a
learning experience and also in daily use much faster).

If anyone is looking for another use of 8088 I have a version of UUCP that
actually works on an original IBM PC 8088.  Most UUCP implementations
don't work with the original, they expect more advanced serial
communication chips.

If I get a sufficient interest, I'll put it up for ftp download.
It's a challenge to make old junk work. :-)

I also have old 2400 baud Prometheus modems hooked up to these that allow
the users to receive free email and files from my system.

Regards,
Antti Barck <http://www.iki.fi/proff>
`The only stupid question is the unasked one.'

# getty for 8086 dumbterm
S3:456:respawn:/sbin/getty ttyS3 DT9600 vt100

and you need to run Telix or kermit or the like on the 8088.  Get rid of all
init strings and set the com port to whatever serial port on the 8088 you're
using.  I've made a record/description of my travails w/ getting this thing
to work available at:

http://www.veryComputer.com/~worm/lem/pt1.html

-- Eric
--
Eric Sakowski, aka Lem          ||  Ronin telnet://ronin.hudsonet.com:5000
RUL Systems Department  5-5896  ||  He who has lived out his days has lived
http://www.veryComputer.com/~worm  ||  a long life.  -- Lao Tsu

e.j. neafsey

Les Mikesell

I fired up my old 8088 box and copied some software onto a web page called
FREE DOS 8088 Programs', http://watchman.com/jeffrey/dos.html
which includes:
   - DOS Kermit
   - DOS NCSA Software (for doing ethernet on 8088)
   - DOS Pager (like more): Less
   - DOS UUCP (works with Linux on Original 8088!)
   - DOS UUEncode/UUDecode
   - DOS VI

I've found all of there to be very useful on the old 8088 pc.

Quote:> packet driver for your network card.   There are also a few other
> telnet programs that run over packet drivers: ncsa, cutpc at least.

Regards,
Antti Barck <http://www.iki.fi/proff>
`The only stupid question is the unasked one.'

Quote:> Here's an (overkill) idea/question--I've got minix up and running on my
> ancient tandy 1000 (nec v20, 8086 clone), plus I have an old 3com 3c509
> 8bit card.  Question is, could you use minix on the 8086 w/ ethernet and
> the 3com card as a (slightly) more sophisticated/elegant terminal than,
> say kermit and dos?  I haven't worked w/ minix much, just found it on an
> ftp site, and don't even know if there's tcp/ip available for it on that
> platform.

Quote:> I suppose you could always connect a null cable and use
> kermit off minix.  It might just be one (silly?) way of avoiding
> Micro$oft Dos, even on your 8088 terminal.

[snip]

--(c)Bart van Laer[tm]------------

Quote:> 2. Ethernet! While this costs more, you can probably buy 8-bit ethernet
> cards.  I only know of the Western Digital WD8003 card.  There might be
> others out there.  You will need an ethernet card for both the 8088 and
> the

Quote:> Linux server.  Then you will need a coax cable (50ohm). You can get a 50'
> pre-made cable. Then you will need two tee-connectors, and two 50ohm
> terminators.

>  50ohm terminator
>    |     coax cable
>    |         |    tee connector
>    |         |       |
>    v         v       v
>    ==+---------------+==
>      |               |  
>     ether           ether
>     card            card
>     8088            Linux

> The ethernet connection will be far better than the null modem cable (as a
> learning experience and also in daily use much faster).

Then you have the cost of the cabling, perhaps $10, but that's
easily offset by the fact that it's standard, it's fast, it's
robust, and it's easy to expand to additional systems.  Wiring up
null modems, especially with multiple systems, is a pain.

Quote:>> you can probably buy 8-bit ethernet
>> cards.  I only know of the Western Digital WD8003 card.  There might be
>> others out there.  You will need an ethernet card for both the 8088 and
>> the

>The ne1000 works extremely well, and isn't much slower than the ne2000 for
>some reason.  Some old ne2000 and WD8013 cards can be jumper-set to go in
>an 8 bit slot even though they're 16-bit cards.

 1. read the keyboard,
 2. put characters to the display,
 3. read buffers from ethernet card
 4. write buffers from ethernet card
 5. interpret ANSI codes ("ansi.sys" in DOSese)
 6. interpret VT100/VT200/VT320, which is similar to ANSI codes
 7. knit the above together.  (keyboard->network, network->ANSI->display)
 8. perhaps provide a simple "setup" resource.
 9. perhaps provide a "print" resource to a parallel port.

Anyone who can't fit the code for this into the 64k(?) available
in the BIOS PROM space doesn't deserve to be called a systems
programmer.  It would probably also be an excellent student
programming task, for those schools with SE projects or the
like.

(It would even have a social conscious purpose; students in
poor schools could get decent terminals to a Linux (or other)
server using otherwise useless old PCs and/or based on
extremely inexpensive single board 8086 systems.)

--
Bear Giles             To treat your facts with imagination is one thing,

                                                       -- John Burroughs