Subject: Linux-Activists Digest #297
From: Digestifier <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 93 11:13:13 EDT

Linux-Activists Digest #297, Volume #6            Fri, 8 Oct 93 11:13:13 EDT

Contents:
  HELP wanted -- Data General (Kuo-Chen Chang)
  Where can I obtain..... (Chris Pilkington)
  Re: Trouble with vgalib demo program (Dante)
  OI docs (was Re: XSysadmin) (Thomas Dunbar)
  Re: 3c509 and SLS/TAMU (Adam Clarke)
  Re: Terminal for X11 (Mark A. Davis)
  Re: Help: SIOCADDRT error running /etc/route in NET-2 (Ken Wilcox)
  Good serial communication package wanted. (Antoon Frehe)
  Re: using term (Tom Reynolds)
  Re: norton-like shell for unix? (Tom van Nes)
  Trouble with vgalib demo program (Shannon Hendrix)
  Pass Through Video in Linux, X? (Tom Reynolds)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Kuo-Chen Chang)
Subject: HELP wanted -- Data General
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 12:19:31 GMT

Hello netters,

Not sure if this is the appropriate place for this question.  We received
a 9 track data tape.  The tape was backuped from a Data General system. 
After two weeks' struggling, we got noting but funny binary code.  Is there
any way to retrive the data from tape?  Many thanks!

--Harry

--

**************************************************************************
*  Don't take life too seriously!  You will never get out of it alive!   *
**************************************************************************

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Chris Pilkington)
Subject: Where can I obtain.....
Date: 5 Oct 93 23:40:26 GMT

Where can I obtain a release of linux on disk?
How much will it cost me?

Regards,
Chris Pilkington
(Please reply via EMAIL)
[email-masked]

The Kilowatt BBS - Deer Park, LI NY  Email to:  [email-masked]
(516) 586-4743 TurboPEP/V32bis, 667-6142 Hayes V.32bis, 595-2405 Boca V.32bis
Kilowatt Computers assumes no responsibility for the content of the foregoing
message - This is a FREE PUBLIC access UNIX bbs - FREE feeds available

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Dante)
Subject: Re: Trouble with vgalib demo program
Date: 8 Oct 93 13:17:15 GMT

 [email-masked] (Patrick Draper) writes:
>I can't use it unless I'm root. If I'm logged on as a user, then it
>gives me an error saying it can't use the device or something.
>I don't want to write graphics programs when I'm logged on as root, so
>what should I do?
>

  The documentation that comes with it says that vgatest
must be setuid root.  To do this, type (as root)
'chmod 4755 vgatest'

-- 
"If I thought my answer were to one who might ever return to the world, 
this flame would shake no more; but since from this depth none have ever
returned alive, I answer you without fear of infamy."   
from Dante's _The Inferno_, XXVII, ll. 61-66.

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Thomas Dunbar)
Subject: OI docs (was Re: XSysadmin)
Date: 8 Oct 1993 13:07:34 GMT

if you're using OI (or thinking about it), get the manuals. $60 total
gets you a @250page user guide on uib and more importantly a >1000page
OI programmer's guide that is very well written (from my novice
point of view). professional, not the pr common with dos stuff; 
besides being a tech ref, includes nice little examples. 
 where i work, we're downsizing; i plan on oi being my main
development tool. btw, in the oi ref, page Notes-2, one can read:

"OI runs on SunOS, AIX-RS/6000, HP-UX-HP9000/700, IRIX-SGI, Ultrix-DEC,
Linux-i386; it has been ported to a few other platforms as well."

that oi is free on linux is important to me; that it is not free on
the other systems that my company uses is not a problem-they're used
to buying software!

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Adam Clarke)
Subject: Re: 3c509 and SLS/TAMU
Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1993 14:54:51 GMT

[email-masked] (Stoney) writes:

>Has Linux V99pl13 been implemented in an SLS type distribution, if
>not, how hard is it to patch the kernel in say p12 so I can get 3c509
>support. Thanks.
>                                               Chris 

I had a look at SLS on tsx-11.mit.edu site about two weeks ago
it wasn't on 0.99pl13 then.. it might be now.

However I have got my Linux box up and running with what was then the latest
SLS distribution (1.03) with these helpful notes from various comp.os.linux
contributors

Here they are with bits edited out and with some annotations (enclosed
in **   **):
===========================================================================

Some Hints for tcp/ip-Networking under Linux 0.99p12
With many thanks to Gerhard Schneider who showed me the right way.

** I didn't look at this much - thought I'd come back if neccessary**
** It wasn't - my SLS seemed to have most things set.              **

** I did set up a few things on my own however, these were         **
**                                                                 **
** 1. /etc/hosts file                                              **
** 2. /etc/host file                                               **
** 3. /etc/rc.net - this needed one important change which wasn't  **
** documented, but judging from several posts did cause some       **
** trauma, (probably due to newbies like myself who have no idea). **
** Getting back to the change - basically, you have to ensure that **
** the if config command gets the right parameters, particularly   **
** the correct id name of your network driver (in this case eliii) **
** For example my ifconfig line read something like this:          **
**                                                                 **
**      ifconfig $IPDEV 127.0.0.1 up netmask 255.255.255.0         **
**              where IPDEV was set to eth0 and needed to be eliii **

1) It is essential to use /lib/libc.so.4.4.2 (4.4.1 does not work!)
   In general you should use the Slackware Installation package -
   ***but*** libc.4.4.2 can (up to now) only be extracted from the
   SLS installation.
2) Your router has to be within your netmask area.
   for example:
   network netmask  router              netmask
   128.130.4.0      128.130.4.1         255.255.255.0       ok
   128.130.4.0      128.130.6.1         255.255.255.0       won't work      

3) You need a network entry in /etc/networks
   for example:
mynet 128.130.4.0

4) Example of rc.net or rc.inet1

MYNAME=`/bin/hostname`

# Attach the loopback device.
/etc/ifconfig lo localhost
/etc/route add localhost

# Set up the Ethernet connection(s).
/etc/ifconfig eth0 ${MYNAME} netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 128.130.4.255
/etc/route add mynet
/etc/route add default gw 128.130.4.1 1

Rainer Kirsch 

In article <[email-masked]>,
** heaps of stuff that wasn't essential was here **

...for the 150 millionth time, yes. Read the Ethernet-HOWTO (see below)

============================

[...]
                3c509 --
                        A new card for 3Com. It should be cheap and have
                        excellent performance. The drawbacks are that it
                        _requires_ very low interrupt latency, and it isn't
                        rated for bus speeds greater than 8Mhz. The driver is 
                        written, working, and included in pl12. But it
                        seems to triggers a Linux TCP bug, so it's not built
                        as part of the default kernel.

                        There is also an alpha version of a Linux 3c509
                        diagnostic and EEPROM setup program, but for now
                        users that don't like the defaults should use the
                        MS-DOS EEPROM setup program.

[...]

============================

...as for setting it up, well I have a few old posts here that describe 
how it is done, but as they are *almost* two weeks old, and hence out of
date. Besides, there have been some bug fixes since the pl12 driver, and
alpha pl13 has changed some of the ethernet device names, so if you can't
figure out how to use the one in pl12, I'd wait for pl13

Paul.

--
Paul Gortmaker c/o Microelectronics and Materials Technology Centre.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne 3001,
Victoria, Australia. Ph  (61) 3 660 2601. FAX (61) 3 662 1921.
e-mail: [email-masked] [email-masked]

*************************************************************************
** This (below) basically summs up what I did - 90% working after this **

I've just got the SLS 1.03 from tsx-11, the installation went fine, then I
follow the instruction from previous posts. 

(1) uncomment the line of 3c509 in config.in.
(2) add  CARDS   := $(CARDS) -DCONFIG_EL3 in /net/inet/CONFIG file
              **I added the D ^here in the above line**
              
**At this point I took note of another article (from Donald Becker the ** 
**guy who wrote the 3c509 driver) he said ...                          **

The 3c509 driver is still in alpha test, and potential users are expected to
know how to solve problems like this.  You'll have to add '3c509.o' to the
OBJS line in the Makefile.

You should probably take the opportunity to upgrade to 0.99pl13, or at least
fix a minor bug: in pl12/net/inet/3c509.c around line 512 change '0x3ff' to
'0x7ff'.

** I did this (i.e. made the changes to 0.99pl12) and then resumed the **
** steps below                                                         **

(3) make config, answer y in 3c509 option.
(4) make dep
(5) make zImage

** It took a while, a problem I believe that is reduced in 0.99pl13      **
** because the c rather than c++ compiler is used to compile the kernel, ** 
** 0.99pl12 was the first to use c++ I think.                            **

** I include this from a happy follower of Donald's advice because I like it **

Minor bug be blowed.  I just now made this change and converted my new
$170 3c509 from a useless tongue-tied Walter Mitty to a productive
silver-tongued Walter Cronkite.  It had been locking up when
transferring files bigger than the order of a kilobyte (had been
meaning to ask about this), which this fixed.  Thanks!
-- 
Vaughan Pratt
(FTPables: boole.stanford.edu:/pub/ABSTRACTS.)

*********************************************************************
** Finally here's a few notes from Donald Becker                   **

I still consider the 3c509 driver as being in alpha test, but it's included in
the pl13 kernel.  Just uncomment the 3c509 line in config.in, run 'make
config' and compile as normal.

The beta version of 3c509 driver won't be out for a while; I plan on doing a
re-write to use predictive interrupts.  It's likely the I'll get the EISA
3c579 probe working and tested before then, so there might be interim release.

BTW, net-2debugged has no relation to the 3c509 code.

Finally, I'll be on vacation in Colorado for the coming week, so don't feel
offended if I seem to ignore bug reports.

-- 

Donald Becker                                          [email-masked]
IDA Supercomputing Research Center
17100 Science Drive, Bowie MD 20715                        301-805-7482

============================================================================
I hope this is helpful to someone, I know it's probably a bit jumbled, but
I couldn't spend all day fixing it up :-) - hopefully it's useable.

Adam Clarke                         e-mail at home: [email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Mark A. Davis)
Subject: Re: Terminal for X11
Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1993 12:15:52 GMT

[email-masked] (Mathew B Beall) writes:

>I just got linux with xwindows up and running, and I would like to
>get a terminal so I can call other systems.  I have a 14.4 modem, so It
>would need to suppor that, and I would reallly like one with Zmodem....

What are you asking or stating?  Do you want information about Xterminals?

-- 
  /--------------------------------------------------------------------------\
  | Mark A. Davis    | Lake Taylor Hospital | Norfolk, VA (804)-461-5001x431 |
  | Sys.Administrator|  Computer Services   | [email-masked]   .uucp |
  \--------------------------------------------------------------------------/

------------------------------

From: wilcox@kpw104 (Ken Wilcox)
Subject: Re: Help: SIOCADDRT error running /etc/route in NET-2
Date: 8 Oct 1993 14:40:56 GMT

Hello all,

I think that I can give some insight to this SIOCADDRT problem.
The rc.inet1 adds the default route to be your own IP addr. This is the
line that gives you the error. I am a sysadmin for a Sun network here and
we don't add the the route for the local machine IP address. ie each machine
does not add it's own address as a route. All of the clients of the server's
add the server as a gateway. One route. All of the servers add the router
for the network and all of the other server's.
Correct me if I am wrong but route only gives you a route off your wire.
that should be all that you need is the one route to get to the gateway.
Enclosed is a little map of our network to make things make sense.

===========================================================
(Campus Backbone) |
                  |
=================RT========================================
(Our backbone) |   |   |   |    |   |    |
               |   |   |   |    |   |    |
              MS  SS  SS   SS   SS  SS   SS
                   |   |   |     |   |   |
                   |   |   |     |   |   |
                  CW  CW  CW    CW   CW  CW

RT = Router
MS = Master Server(NIS)
SS = Slave Server (NIS) Gateway
CW = Client Wires (multi- clients on one wire)

The following are examples of our route config.

Example of SS (above)
Machine IP addr = 128.186.130.3, 128.186.131.65 (gateway for CW)---
                                                                  |
echo "Configuring static routes:"                                 |
route add default 128.186.130.1 1 (Router addr)                   |
route add net 128.186.130.192  128.186.130.6 1 (Rest of servers)  |
route add net 128.186.130.128 128.186.130.4 2                     |
route add net 128.186.130.64  128.186.130.7 1                     | 
route add net 128.186.131.192 128.186.130.5 1                     |
route add net 128.186.131.128 128.186.130.4 1                     |
                                                                  |
Example of a client                                               |
Machine IP addr 128.186.131.78                                    |
                                                                  |
echo "Configuring static routes:"                                 |
route add default 128.186.131.65 1---------------------------------

As you can see none ever add their own IP as a route.
My machine works...(the one that I am posting from now.)
Here is what the rc.net (I changed it) looks like:

# /etc/rc.net
# Linux networking startup script.  Should be run by /etc/rc.local at
# boot time.  Configures the interfaces and starts the deamons.
# It assumes hostname has been set.
#
#
echo -n "[/etc/rc.net:] "

HOSTS=/etc/hosts
INETD=/etc/inetd
NAMED=/etc/named
PORTMAP=/etc/portmap
NFSD=/etc/nfsd
MOUNTD=/etc/mountd
IPDEV=eth0

HOSTNAME=`hostname`

# This needs more testing and more diagnostics. */
IPADDR=`grep "^[^#]*\b$HOSTNAME\b" $HOSTS | cut -f1`

echo  -n "[$HOSTNAME($IPADDR)]"

IPADDR=128.118.193.58
ROUTER=128.118.193.1
NETWORK=128.118.193.0
BROADCAST=128.118.193.255
NETMASK=255.255.255.0

ifconfig lo 127.0.0.1 up netmask 255.255.255.0
route add 127.0.0.1 lo

ifconfig eth0 $IPADDR netmask $NETMASK broadcast $BROADCAST
route add $NETWORK
route add default gw $ROUTER

B
if [ -x $PORTMAP ]; then
        echo -n "[ `basename $PORTMAP`]"
        $PORTMAP
fi

if [ -x $INETD ]; then
        echo -n "[ `basename $INETD`]"
        $INETD
fi

if [ -x $MOUNTD ]; then
        echo -n "[ `basename $MOUNTD`]"
        $MOUNTD
fi

echo ""

I hope this helps some people that are having this problem

-Ken Wilcox

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Antoon Frehe)
Subject: Good serial communication package wanted.
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 14:25:54 GMT

Hi all,

Is there a good serial communication package that understands 
[A-z]modem protocol. I'm used to TELIX under DOS to get stuff down
via a phone line. I tried the installed KERMIT, but like under
DOS, it is so terribly slow ...

Thx Toon.

-- 
===========================================================================
 Antoon Frehe                           E-mail [email-masked]
 University of Technology Delft                [email-masked]
 Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD  Delft
 The Netherlands, Earth                 phone  015 781796
===========================================================================

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Tom Reynolds)
Subject: Re: using term
Date: 8 Oct 1993 14:35:18 GMT

>I have been trying to use term between my linux box at home
>and the udel net at school. here is where I am at.
>first I make the modem connection with kermit.
>then I logon the sun at udel
>then I start term on the sun (i got the source compiled there
>sourcce from sunsite about a week ago).
>then I escape back to my system, try these

The only suggestion that I can make is that term should not be run in 
the background on your linux box or the sun.  when I shell to kermit
to start term, i use
        !term <>/dev/cua2

and haven't had any problems.  Hope this helps!

--
Thanx!

Tom Reynolds
[email-masked]
[email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Tom van Nes)
Subject: Re: norton-like shell for unix?
Reply-To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 14:23:27 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Matthias Rabe <[email-masked]> wrote:
>In article <[email-masked]>,
>Hajo Simons <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>Does anybody know about a shell that is comparable to the
>>"Norton Commander" running under MS-DOS?
>> 
>>I mean a shell that makes copying, moving and purging files 
>>more comfortable. ( No, it's _not_ for me but someone else ;-)
>> 
>>If you know such one, could you post it to
>>[email-masked]
>>or
>>100022,[email-masked]
>> 
>>or, could you point to a ftp-site and path that contains it?
>>
>>( please only email, because I've not subscribed to this newsgroup )
>
>Please reply to this group, too.
>
>Matthias
>-- 
>[email-masked]                          Matthias Rabe
>Universit"at Bielefeld                            Privat: Avenwedder Str. 494
>U5-133                                                    D 33335 G"utersloh
>Tel.: (0521) 106-3871                                     Tel.: (05209) 6673

take a look at gc3. it needs ncurses.
couldn't compile cleanly yet.

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Shannon Hendrix)
Subject: Trouble with vgalib demo program
Date: 8 Oct 1993 10:58:24 -0400
Reply-To: [email-masked] (Shannon Hendrix)

   [email-masked] (Patrick Draper) writes:

   >Hi,

   >I've got a problem with the demo program that shows off the vgalib
   >graphics routines.

   >I can't use it unless I'm root. If I'm logged on as a user, then it
   >gives me an error saying it can't use the device or something.

   >I don't want to write graphics programs when I'm logged on as root, so
   >what should I do?

   When I asked this question several months ago, I got the answer that
   one really must be root to do svgalib/vgalib program development.

What Linux needs is the idea of "priviledged" libraries.  In other
words, if a certain library call has "root" access then the kernel
will allow it access to things like the VGA card ports.  IBM
mainframes have this kind of idea and it's pretty neat.  The reason
IBM did it was so programmers could access parts of the system without
bothering the operators and yet they didn't have total access to the
machine.  It's a good compromise that doesn't hurt security that much.
Of course, I doubt this is easy nor is Linux likely to get it... but
it's still a neat idea.

   Surely there is a better way.. Someone just has to make it up.

Use a program like asroot which will run a command as root for any
user.  Of course, the root user specifies exactly which commands can
be run with asroot (some versions... even the parameters).  I guess
you'll just have to trust yourself... :)  This program and variations
can be found here and there... I cannot remember a specific place right
now.  Anyway, you just place an "asroot 4755 $(TARGET)" or something
like that in your Makefile and you should be just fine.

csh / [email-masked] / Christopher Newport University

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Tom Reynolds)
Subject: Pass Through Video in Linux, X?
Date: 8 Oct 1993 14:58:55 GMT

Hi all.

I've recently had an oppurtunity to check out several boards that make use of
VGA boards' "feature" or "pass through" connector.  Such devices include TV
receiver boards and Creative Labs' "Video Blaster".

These devices are really very nice, but not enough to justify running DOS,
much less Windoze, which is where they all run :)

So, my question is this: has anyone considered/attempted/wriiten a driver
for any of these devices?  What I have in mind is TV in an X window :)
I don't figure that anyone has done this, so I am willing to try and do it
myself, but I have no experience writing drivers or X stuff (kind of leaves
me out in the cold, I know... :)

If anyone who has more experience in this kind of stuff than myself would like
to come along for the ride, I'd be very appreciative!

Finally, *YES*, I know this is a very silly endeavour indeed.  Yes, I know
that the socially redeeming value of TV in X is little to none.  So, please,
direct any flames to /dev/null.  That's where I'll put them anyway :)

--
Thanx!

Tom Reynolds
[email-masked]
[email-masked]

------------------------------

** FOR YOUR REFERENCE **

The service address, to which questions about the list itself and requests
to be added to or deleted from it should be directed, is:

    Internet: [email-masked]

You can send mail to the entire list (and comp.os.linux) via:

    Internet: [email-masked]

Linux may be obtained via one of these FTP sites:
    nic.funet.fi				pub/OS/Linux
    tsx-11.mit.edu				pub/linux
    tupac-amaru.informatik.rwth-aachen.de	pub/msdos/replace

The current version of Linux is 0.99pl9 released on April 23, 1993

End of Linux-Activists Digest
******************************