*BSD News Article 10899


Return to BSD News archive

Received: by minnie.vk1xwt.ampr.org with NNTP
	id AA892 ; Mon, 08 Feb 93 23:01:12 EST
Xref: sserve comp.os.linux:25426 comp.unix.bsd:10952
Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!sgiblab!sti!dgreen
From: dgreen@sti.com (Dan R. Greening)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd
Subject: Re: [386bsd/linux] LAN Adapter for Parallel Port:  Supported in Linux?
Date: 6 Feb 1993 02:07:08 GMT
Organization: Software Transformation, Inc.
Lines: 40
Message-ID: <1kv6gcINNc74@smurf.sti.com>
References: <1krl2rINNibt@smurf.sti.com> <1krv4f$l9j@smurf.sti.com> <GUMBY.93Feb5180916@tweedledumb.cygnus.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: jeff.sti.com

gumby@tweedledumb.cygnus.com (D V Henkel-Wallace) wrote:
>   From: dgreen@smurf.sti.com (Dan R. Greening)
>
>   I'd love to have a UNIX laptop, but the only way it makes sense for my
>   situation is to have an ethernet lan adapter stuck onto the notebook.
>
>Zenith/Bull make a few.  They're kinda heavy (~ 6lbs), but reasonably robust.

I just ordered one.

>   There are LAN adapters that attach to the parallel port of a notebook.
>   The one that my computer salesperson recommended was a Soletek thinlan
>   adapter.  Does Linux or 386BSD run on such a beast?  Would it be difficult 
>   to create a driver for said beast?
>
>Beware -- those parallel-port interfaces are very slow.  I am instead
>trying to get a pcmcia ethernet controller that I can drive from linux.

Please let me know how this turns out.  I have my Z-Note on order, but I
can cancel up to a month after I get it.  You're right, I shy away from 
a parallel-port adapters, because most of my data is going to be NFS
shared.

Zenith Z-Note 425LN.  486SL, 4 hour battery, 8MB, 120MB, $2880.  I think it 
has an active matrix greyscale screen.  The internal ethernet board is 
NE2000 compatible.  Because it is NE2000 compatible, I don't think Linux 
will run on it, however I think 386BSD will.  The ethernet attachment is
the 14-pin job, so you have to get a $50 adapter to use thinnet or twisted
pair (get these from Allied Telesis 800-424-4284).

Zenith also makes an active matrix color version, with 200MB, for $4280.

Let's share info on these guys publically, so all can get the best bang for
the buck (and so we can give the bucks to those with the best bang).

Regards,
-- 
____
\  /Dan Greening    Software Transformation   1601 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd, #100
 \/dgreen@sti.com   (408) 973-8081 x313       Cupertino, CA 95014