Subject: Re: Serial console over LocalTalk cable?
To: Amitai Schlair <amitai.schlair@usa.net>
From: Bob Nestor <rnestor@metronet.com>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 05/11/1997 12:37:23
>Running NetBSD 1.2.1 on a IIci, I'm having trouble using my Mac Plus as
>an additional terminal. They're connected via LocalTalk cabling (I
>think), and I'm using ZTerm (with which I'm quite familiar) as the
>terminal emulator. I've set DTE in ZTerm to 9600 (is this correct?), and
>it shows the booting process up to a point, but I can't get all the way
>to single-user. And the IIci's screen remains frozen at the Mac Booter
>window.
>
I don't believe a LocalTalk cable will work for anything but AppleTalk.
You'll need a Serial Printer Cable or build you own Null Modem cable.
That's what I use for connecting my MacPlus to my NetBSD system.
>I'd like to be able to use the IIci's video for the boot process and
>regular work, *and* have the Plus as a separate terminal (i.e., a user
>could log in at the Plus). What settings do I need in the Booter?
Nothing needs to be changed in the Booter. The normal options are what
you want, but you'll need to make changes in /etc/ttys to designate the
Baud rate for the serial port connected to your Plus. Also, you'll want
to make sure the port is turned "on" so you'll get a login prompt on the
MacPlus. This setup will also work just fine if you want to use SLIP or
PPP from the Plus to get into your NetBSD system. If you run InterSLIP
on the Plus you'll want to add an "ap" option to the /etc/gettytabs
default entry. Without this NetBSD will condition the line for 8-bit no
parity but switch to 7-bit odd parity after displaying the system banner
during the login process. This confuses InterSLIP just enough that it
can't make the connection.
If you just want a terminal connection from the Plus to the NetBSD system
you might take a look at MacLayers. It's a telnet-like application that
does multiple windows over a plain serial line. In addition it will run
off a 400K System 6.0.x boot floppy and has a way of providing the user
with that all important ESC Key for running things like vi.
-bob