On 3 Oct 2001, at 11:56, ANDY wrote: >Anthony J. Albert wrote in part: ><snip> >> you'll fill one slot with a modem adaptor, and one with a network >> adaptor/NIC. There are some one-slot modem + network combination >> cards, if you want to spend the extra $$$ for one. >> >> Note that some old IBM systems had MCA (Micro Channel Architecture) >> slots inside them - these are _not_ ISA compatible. If you need a >> network adaptor for one of those, you'll have to do some serious >> hunting around for one that is MCA compatible. (It all has to do with >> the edge of the card that fits into the computer - there are a number >> of different sizes of the edge connector that fits into the slots. >> More info, upon request.) > >> I would suggest that if you want to share a dial-up connection, that >> you instead equip both computers with modems, for dialling in to your >> ISP (Internet Service Provider). I have had acquaintances use NAT to >> share a dial-up connection, and they have told me that it never worked >> really well. However, if you have a cable modem, ISDN, or other high- >> speed, always-on connection, then NAT may work quite well for you. >> >
Dear Andy, Well, taking the things you've remarked on or asked about in order... > Thank-you for your suggestion, both computers *are* equipped with >modems... I realize I should not be wasting time and money on this but I >*am* curious... this is what I want to do: I want to connect my AT 386 DX >with a cross-over cable *or* hub to the 28.8k modem on my 486 Toshiba >laptop(with the open PCMCIA slot)... Hooking two modems directly together is possible, but very, very difficult. You need to have a dial-tone generator to hook them into, otherwise both will report that there is "No Carrier" and refuse to dial. If what you meant was that you want to hook the two computers together in some fashion, for the purpose of sharing files, you have a couple of options. 1. Hook serial ports together, for a short-distance, two-computer-only, file transfer method. You'll need a "null-modem", straight-through cable, and appropriate adaptors on either end (9-pin or 25-pin) to attach to each computer. Then you'll need terminal software on either end - Telix is one of my favorites (though shareware) for the PC. I use Kermit when cost is a factor. 2. Hook network adaptors together, for a longer-distance or for more than two computers. In this case, you put a network card or adaptor in each computer, and then run wire to each computer. The types of network adaptors you'll need are most likely 10-Base-T adaptors. 10-Base-T requires that you have a hub if you have more than two computers, or a special cable if you have just two computers. >... now suppose, I get an ISA 10-BASE-T >card *AND* drivers for Win3.1(would drivers like these be hard to find?) >and a PCMCIA card with drivers for Win3.11 *and* I am able to install >them -hardware end- and configure them -software end-(how does >one install a driver from a DOS directory rather than an installation >floppy) correctly If you find or purchase ISA 10-Base-T adaptors for your systems, you should be able to find the Windows 3.1 drivers for it on the manufacturer's WWW site. You can likely find ISA ones at the local computer store. A used one should cost less than US$10. PCMCIA adaptors might be available there, too, but you'll likely have to buy a new one, or perhaps you can purchase one on-line. If you can find out the brand and model number of the adaptor before you purchase it, go to the manufacturer's WWW site to be sure that the drivers are available. Installing the ISA card should be relatively easy, but full instructions are beyond what I can type here. Here's a summary, though. 1. Open the computer case by removing the screws and sliding the top off. 2. Remove the backplate from an empty slot 3. Configure any jumpers or switches on the card for an unused IRQ and base address 4. Insert the card 5. Turn on the machine, and see if it starts up properly. If it doesn't, turn off the power, remove the card and go back to step 3. 6. Once the system will operate properly with the card installed, get the drivers for the card and install them. There will probably be an install program downloaded with the drivers. 7. Try to get the system to operate properly with the network drivers installed. 8. Close up the case. 9. Cable the system to the network. Enjoy! :-) Installing the PCMCIA card should be much easier. Insert the card, then if it doesn't automatically ask for the drivers, run the driver installation program (usually included with the driver download). If you have to install drivers from a directory, rather than a floppy, and the installation process asks for a path, then simply type in the directory path, i.e. C:\download\mydriver\ See the documentation that comes with the hardware for more details. >... now what?? what is "NAT"? is their NAT for Win16?? www.nat32.com is >only available for Win32... in my reading I found web pages that said I >could use Trumpet Winsock which I use already or FTP Software's PCTCP... >is this correct? and *how* would I use Trumpet Winsock to enable such >modem sharing??? NAT is an abbreviation of "network address translation". It is used as part of the software to allow multiple computers to share one (or more) Internet address (IP address). You might need it, but only if you set up TCP/IP on your local network, and also wish to connect that network directly to the Internet. And maybe not even then. >please see my next post to show you what I was reading > >I found one hopeful site: www.spartacom.com - what do you think of the >products there? would you recommend any? If you get your two computers set up, then the products at that WWW site can offer a variety of solutions for "What do I do next?" Those products at the WWW site you mention allow you to share files, printers, or modems over your LAN (local area network). There are also free / shareware products to perform these tasks. TCP/IP stacks (the software to let your computer talk TCP/IP over the network card) can be found for free, and the client software to utilize the TCP/IP protocol can also be found for free. For example, you could set up one of your computers as an FTP (file transfer protocol) server, and the other as an FTP client, and transfer files back and forth - just like using FTP on the Internet. Or set one up as a WWW server, and the other up with a browser. There are a lot of options, depending on what your end goal is. >thanks again and I realize I would be better putting my time and money >into a newer system but it's just that I am fascinated by the idea of >connecting these old machines Nothing to be ashamed about in that regard - most of the members of this mailing list have experimented with aging computers in some fashion or another. Anthony J. Albert P.S. I'm going on vacation until the 15th of October, so I won't be replying again soon, but will ASAP after my return. =========================================================== Anthony J. Albert [EMAIL PROTECTED] Systems and Software Support Specialist Postmaster Computer Services - University of Maine, Presque Isle "Civilization is just a slow process of learning to be kind." - Charles L. Lucas To unsubscribe from SURVPC send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe SURVPC in the body of the message. Also, trim this footer from any quoted replies. More info can be found at; http://www.softcon.com/archives/SURVPC.html
